Ease of Doing Solar 2026 (EoDS) | International Solar Alliance

Five Editions In: From Benchmarking to Solar Reform at Scale

ISA is proud to present the fifth edition of the Ease of Doing Solar (EoDS), its flagship instrument for advancing solar deployment across ISA Member and Signatory Countries. Over five editions, EoDS has evolved from a benchmarking exercise into a diagnostic tool that assesses the policy, financial, institutional, technological, and infrastructure conditions that either enable or hinder solar deployment at scale.

EoDS 2026 sharpens its focus on financing - particularly Local Currency Financing (LCF) - and highlights Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) as a key pathway for accelerating solar adoption. Two new frameworks expand the analysis: the SOLARISE Matrix and the Energy Transition Pathways.

Regional peer classification should be institutionalised as a core implementation-support mechanism

While none of Africa's 47 ISA Member and Signatory Countries qualify as Global Achievers, 18 emerge as Regional Exemplars, demonstrating that progress is better understood and accelerated through comparisons with countries facing similar financing, institutional, and market conditions.

Prioritize Local Currency Financing over the pursuit of universally low borrowing costs

With 81% of Achievers using local currency power contracts, compared with just 4% of Potential countries, the evidence shows that aligning repayment with domestic revenues, reducing currency mismatch and credit enhancement through robust institutions is often more critical than achieving lowest financing rates.

Unlock domestic and South-South capital as the next frontier of solar finance while redirecting institutional savings into de-risked local-currency solar assets

Leveraging capital pools such as Nigeria's pension funds (63% in government securities) and Kiribati's sovereign fund (330% of GDP) can help reduce financing costs and scale solar deployment.

Small-scale solar investment rose 9% to USD 245 billion while global solar investment fell 12%

Distributed solar’s growing role in energy transition would continue to expand especially in the lower tier segments.

Storage is moving from a ‘good-to-have’ to a ‘must-have’ for making solar power productive

With ~20% of SOLARISE applications requiring storage, and a 300-fold disparity in deployed storage capacity between Achiever (4.3 GW) and Potential (12 MW) tier countries, storage and grid infrastructure investments must be planned alongside solar deployment to avoid curtailment, unlock investment and support round-the-clock clean power.

The Transition that matters is from Energy Dependence to Energy Sovereignty

The Energy Transition Pathways demonstrate that countries with stronger economic fundamentals are accelerating solar deployment to diversity away from imported energy, while countries with limited fiscal space can use distributed solar and storage to strengthen resilience and reduce external vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Solar's evolution is clear: generation was the priority yesterday, scale is the priority today, and storage is the priority next.

From Energy Dependence to Energy Sovereignty

Horizontal axis

Energy Sovereignty

Reflects the extent to which a country relies on domestic energy resources rather than external energy imports.

Vertical axis

Financial Flexibility

Reflects the country's economic capacity to mobilise investment and support long-term energy transition efforts.

Marker colour

Dominant energy mix

Each country is represented by a coloured marker. The colour indicates the dominant component of its energy mix (Petroleum and Other Liquids, Coal, Natural Gas, or Non-Fossil (Nuclear and RE)).

Dominant primary fuel source

Labels

Financial Flexibility HighLow

Low sovereignty · High flexibility

Exposed but equipped to respond

High dependence on external energy sources, but stronger financial capacity enables investment in solar and other measures to reduce exposure.

High sovereignty · High flexibility

Well-positioned to transition

Strong domestic energy position and greater financial capacity provide more flexibility to diversify and scale solar.

Low sovereignty · Low flexibility

Exposed with limited flexibility to respond

External energy dependent combined with limited financial flexibility, increases vulnerability and therefore, making it even more crucial for transition.

High sovereignty · Low flexibility

Energy secure but financially constrained

Greater energy sovereignty reduces external dependence, but limited financial flexibility can constrain investment in diversification and solar deployment.

LowEnergy Sovereignty High

Note: The framework is not a ranking. Instead, it provides context on the different transition challenges faced by countries and highlights that pathways to energy security and solar deployment will vary depending on resource availability, economic capacity, and exposure to external energy markets.

How to read: Countries are positioned based on their level of energy sovereignty (horizontal axis) and financial flexibility (vertical axis). The chart helps identify each country's transition context and highlights where solar deployment is likely to be most strategically important. The SOLARISE Matrix can then be used to determine which solar applications are most appropriate to prioritise.

Ease of Doing Solar

Five Editions In: From Benchmarking to Solar Reform at Scale

Country Profile

Achiever

India

Installed Solar Capacity (2024)

97.23 GW

Solar Share of Electricity Generation

Key Messages