UP Eyes Developing 20 Solar Cities In Next Five Years

The Solar Energy Policy 2022 by the Uttar Pradesh has set its sights on another gigantic target, which is to generate 16,000 MW worth renewable power by 2026-27. Additionally, it will also be working towards building 20 cities with10 lakh households into ‘solar cities’ in the span of the next five years.

The state government has already come up with the draft policy and the green signal from the cabinet is imminent, given that the present solar policy has reached the five-year term.

The Proposed Solar Cities

The policy has proposed setting up 20 solar cities with 10 lakh residential households that boast of solar rooftop installations across Uttar Pradesh in the next five years. These will entail Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Agra, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Noida, Firozabad, Jhansi, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Ayodhya, Azamgarh and Mirzapur.

Residential consumers will be given net metering facility, which will allow them to sell the surplus power to the relevant DISCOM.

Premium on Solar Rooftops

At the same time, under the policy, 21,000 un-electrified primary schools across the state, with a total capacity of 40 MW, will have solar rooftop installations. This will also be applicable for secondary schools, government colleges, technical institutions and universities in a phased manner.

The Nagar Nigam properties will also be equipped with solar rooftops. Public institutes, like hostels, libraries will be needed to achieve a part of their power requirement through solar power. MSMEs as well as start-ups will be encouraged to install solar rooftops.

Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development (UPNEDA) will be looking at the creation of land banks, with a specific focus on Bundelkhand region. The state will also encourage solar power plants, solar street lights and solar PV pumps in Anganwadi centres and schools.

Uttar Pradesh Solar Energy Policy (Notified in 2017)

The policy, as notified in 2017, had pegged the target of solar power at 10,000 MW by 2022. Of this, however,  less than only 3,000 MW of the target has been produced so far. Keeping this in mind, the new target of generating 16,000 MW over the next five years is being termed too ambitious.

The total target of 10,000 MW will be met through utilities and solar parks, rooftop as well as agriculture solar pumps.