UPSC Mains 2021 GS Paper 3 Q6: model answer
Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021. When was this idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?
What the question wants
Explain the purpose of the Green Grids Initiative launched at COP26 and when the idea was first raised in the International Solar Alliance.
How to structure it
Purpose, origin.
- What GGI–OSOWOG is
- Purpose
- When the idea began
- Challenges
How to think it through
GGI–OSOWOG launched 2 Nov 2021 at COP26 by India and UK, with ISA and World Bank; 'One Sun Declaration' endorsed by 80+ countries. Purpose: interconnected grids to move solar power across time zones, reduce storage need, cut costs, clean energy for all. Origin: PM Modi floated 'One Sun One World One Grid' at the first Assembly of ISA in October 2018. Phases: Middle East–South Asia–Southeast Asia; then Africa; then global.
Model answer
"The sun never sets," Prime Minister Modi said at Glasgow. Somewhere on earth it is always shining, so a grid that spans continents could always carry solar power. That is the idea behind the Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid (GGI–OSOWOG).
What it is
- Launched on 2 November 2021 at the COP26 World Leaders Summit by India and the United Kingdom, with the ISA and the World Bank.
- More than 80 countries endorsed the One Sun Declaration.
Purpose
- Interconnect grids across regions so solar power can flow from where it is day to where it is night.
- Reduce the need for storage, which is costly.
- Speed the move away from fossil fuels and give clean energy access to poorer countries.
When the idea began
- India first floated One Sun One World One Grid at the first Assembly of the ISA in October 2018.
- Planned in phases: Middle East–South Asia–Southeast Asia, then Africa, then a global grid.
Challenges
- High cost, geopolitical trust, cyber security and differing grid standards.
A shared grid is as much a diplomatic project as an engineering one.
Draw: A world map with a grid line across time zones, linking Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
GGI–OSOWOG, COP26 Glasgow, 2 November 2021, India–UK, One Sun Declaration, ISA first Assembly October 2018, cross-border grids, storage.
Where most answers lose marks
- Missing the second part. 'When was the idea first floated' needs the 2018 ISA Assembly.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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