GSC at COP31: From a Decade of Progress to a Decade of Delivery

When the Global Solar Council left #COP30 in Belém last year, we carried with us the ambition, plans and ideas that now shape our message as we head into our tenth anniversary. Founded at COP21 in Paris, GSC has spent a decade helping solar move from promise to power, building a global network capable of representing an industry that now sits at the centre of the energy transition.

This anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect on that progress, but it is not a finish line. We left Belém focused on what the next decade must deliver and have spent this year working to turn that ambition into action. As governments, investors and industry prepare to gather again, this time in Türkiye for COP31, two major initiatives show how that work is taking shape: 300 Million Solar Homes and the Global Rooftop Solar Declaration.

Together, they bring a simple proposition to the global energy debate. If countries want faster progress on energy affordability, access, security and emissions, solar and storage must reach far beyond utility-scale projects and become easier to deploy where energy is actually used.

Turning ambition into 300 million solar homes

Launched with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, Solar Citizens and Climate Parliament, 300 Million Solar Homes is a global initiative working to accelerate progress towards 300 million solar home systems by 2030, representing approximately 2 TW of solar capacity installed directly on homes, apartments, businesses and community buildings.

The initiative builds off the momentum we are already seeing across global energy markets. Households and businesses are increasingly looking to solar because they want lower and more predictable energy costs, greater control over their electricity and protection against unreliable grids and volatile fuel prices.Under current conditions, the world could reach approximately 225 million systems by 2030.But, we know we can and must go faster.

300 Million Solar Homes is a global intiative that will bring together governments, cities, finance providers, industry and civil societyto unlock an additional 75 million systems.

The reason behind 300 Million Solar Homes is not scale and speed for their own sake. 300 million Solar Homes is about using that scale to make affordable and reliable energy available to millions more people, while creating new markets, jobs and investment opportunities across the solar and storage value chains and providing a global platform to share expertise, tackle barriers, and shape the policies for responsible, rapid deployment.

From a global target to government action

The Global Rooftop Solar Declaration translates this ambition into a clearer agenda for governments. The voluntary declaration calls on national, regional and local leaders to recognise solar home systems as essential energy infrastructure and take practical action across permitting, grid connections, storage, finance, consumer protection and workforce development.

Australia recently became the first country to endorse the Declaration, giving the initiative important political momentum ahead of COP31 and demonstrating the kind of government leadership needed to accelerate progress. Its endorsement is only the beginning, and GSC and its partners are now calling on more countries, cities and regions to support the Declaration and turn that support into policies capable of delivering solar and storage at greater speed and scale.

By creating a platform where expertise and best practices can easily be shared, we can more effectively address the systematic -obstacles holding deployment back. Increasingly these challenges are not about solar technology itself but rather than policy and economic landscape aroundit. Solar panels are more affordable and widely available than ever, yet households and businesses in many markets still encounter slow permits, difficult grid connections, limited access to finance, inconsistent rules and a shortage of trained installers. Storage remains undervalued in many policy frameworks, even though it is central to extending the benefits of solar and strengthening resilience and energy security.

The Declaration creates a common framework through which governments can address these barriers while adapting delivery to their own markets and communities. There is no single route to 300 million systems, but countries do not need to solve the same problems in isolation. Sharing evidence, practical tools and successful policy approaches can allow progress in one market to inform and accelerate progress elsewhere.

Bringing the solar + storage industries to COP31 with one global voice

COP31 will test whether the international community can move decisively from targets to implementation. For the solar and storage industries, the central question is no longer whether the technologies can deliver, but whether policy, grids, finance and market rules will allow them to deliver at the pace now required.

The Global Solar Council, returning to COP this year, has grown alongside the industry it represents. GSC is now the first global industry association to represent both solar PV and battery storage, bringing together the two technologies that form the foundation of an affordable, reliable and renewable energy future. That expanded mandate reflects the direction in which energy systems are already moving. Solar can generate low-cost electricity close to where it is needed, while storage can make that electricity available when demand rises, the sun has set or the grid is under pressure. When developed together, they can reduce energy costs, strengthen resilience, expand access and help countries reduce their exposure to imported fossil fuels.

GSC’s role is to ensure that the experience of its members informs the decisions that will shape this transition. Our network brings together national and regional associations, companies and partners working across different markets and throughout the solar and storage value chains[GU1] . They understand where deployment is accelerating, where investment is being held back and which policy interventions can make the greatest difference.

GSC’s policy recommendations for COP31 call on governments to place solar and storage at the heart of national energy security strategies, using them to reduce dependence on imported fuels, expand affordable energy access and strengthen resilience. This requires grids planned ahead of demand, faster and more transparent connections and permitting, dedicated storage policies and electricity markets that properly reward flexibility and self-generation. Governments and development finance institutions must also lower the cost of capital, prioritise solar and storage for critical services and public buildings, extend access to low-income and rural communities, and support productive uses across agriculture, industry, transport and heating. These measures must be underpinned by resilient and responsible supply chains, strong consumer protections and investment in the skilled workforce needed to deliver safe, high-quality systems at scale.

Ahead of COP31, GSC will work with members to bring this evidence into international discussions, strengthen the industry’s collective voice and connect global commitments with the realities of delivery. Membership of GSC gives companies and associations a direct route to contribute to this work, ensuring that their market knowledge and priorities reach governments, international institutions and other decision-makers. It also creates opportunities to shape common positions, contribute evidence and case studies, participate in high-level engagements and build partnerships across a genuinely global network.

As GSC returns to the global climate stage in Türkiye, the geography may have changed, but the purpose remains the same. We are arriving with the energy and ambition that carried us through our first decade, strengthened by another year of practical work and by a global community determined to make the next decade one of delivery. Through 300 Million Solar Homes, the Global Rooftop Solar Declaration and our growing representation of the solar and storage industries, GSC will use COP31 to make the case for action that is ambitious enough to meet the moment and practical enough to change how energy is produced, stored and used around the world.