Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in…

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)? (Answer in 150 words)

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नवम्बर, 2021 में ग्लासगो में विश्व के नेताओं के शिखर सम्मेलन में सी.ओ.पी. 26 संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु परिवर्तन सम्मेलन में, आरम्भ की गई हरित ग्रिड पहल का प्रयोजन स्पष्ट कीजिए । अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सौर गठबंधन (आई.एस.ए.) में यह विचार पहली बार कब दिया गया था ? (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2021 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

(a) Purpose: The Green Grids Initiative-One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG), launched jointly by India and the UK at the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow (November 2021), aims to build interconnected transnational power grids for transmitting solar and other renewable energy across regions. Over 80 countries endorsed its 'One Sun' declaration.

(b) Mechanism: It addresses renewable intermittency: since the sun is always shining somewhere, interconnected grids let surplus solar generation flow across time zones to deficit areas without expensive storage. This supports cross-border clean energy trade, lowers decarbonisation costs, improves energy security and widens reliable green energy access for developing countries.

(c) Origin in the ISA: The idea was first floated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the First Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in October 2018, and was formally detailed at the ISA's World Solar Technology Summit on 8 September 2020 as "One Sun One World One Grid".

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: GS3 Environment: Threat, Causes, Impact, Mitigation

What earns full marks: Precisely defines the virtual grid mechanism and correctly identifies the 2019 ISA Annual Conference as the origin point.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Define Green Grid Initiative's purpose and identify the specific ISA event where it was proposed. 10 marks · 150 words

explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Defines purpose as enabling 100% renewable energy integration
- Explains cross-border interconnection of grids to balance solar intermittency
- Identifies the first ISA Assembly (October 2018) as the origin of the idea
- Links initiative to COP26 Glasgow context
Loses marks
- Confusing Green Grid with ISA's general objectives
- Vague answer without the specific ISA Assembly (October 2018) reference
- Treating it as a purely domestic grid project rather than a transnational one
Earns more
- Mentions the cross-border interconnection of grids for energy trade.
- Notes role in reducing transmission costs
- References ISA's role in facilitating this mechanism
Extra mark
- Mentions specific countries involved in the pilot
- Mentions the One Sun Declaration endorsed by 80+ countries

What "Explain" is asking you to do

Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.

Structure that answers it

State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces

Where marks are lost

Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.

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