The Global Solar Council (GSC), an international trade association advocating for the global solar industry, has unveiled a new brand, and a new working strategy built around three “pillars”: advocacy, network building and standard setting.
The three pillars aim to “build a fair and sustainable world,” built around solar power. The first pillar, focusing on policy and advocacy, will work to deliver regulations at both global and national levels. The second, aiming to build networks and knowledge in the industry, will look to bring together policymakers, international institutions and investors, to facilitate greater collaboration.
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Working with investors is a long-established priority for the GSC, with CEO Sonia Dunlop telling PV Tech Premium earlier this year that the “incredible” levels of financing currently available in the solar industry demonstrates growing interest in the sector from private investors.
The GSC’s third new pillar aims to help develop new standards for the global solar industry to “shape a competitive, high-quality and sustainable industry,” according to the council.
“Every person in the world deserves access to solar electricity either from their roof or through their supplier, and no country should be left behind,” said Dunlop, announcing the GSC’s new priorities. “With GSC’s renewed strategy and our growing network of companies around the world, we are working harder than ever to make this a reality.”
The GSC also announced a number of new work streams to facilitate these collaborations. There are four work streams in total, with one focusing on grid integration and storage, to be led by SMA Solar; one on developing new financial solutions and frameworks, led by Jinko Solar; one to develop the skills of the solar workforce, led by GWO; and one to strengthen the global solar supply chain.
The council will also “continue to develop” local-scale collaboration groups in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. The solar sector of the latter region is growing particularly quickly, with the Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) reporting that Africa added 3.7GW of new solar capacity in 2023, a record figure. Much of this growth was driven by the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector in particular.
