New Delhi, Nov 15: Uttar Pradesh has reported strong progress under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, with officials saying the state is now among India’s top performers in rooftop solar adoption.
More than 2.72 lakh rooftop solar plants have been installed so far, pushing the state’s capacity past 950 MW and generating nearly 4 million units of electricity every day. The scale-up has been accompanied by a rapid expansion of vendor participation, from around 400 firms at the start of the scheme to nearly 4,000 today, creating over 48,000 direct jobs and many more in related sectors. Officials say the widespread adoption of rooftop systems has also helped save roughly 3800 acres of agricultural land.
Financial support under the initiative includes Rs 1808 crore in central subsidies and Rs 584 crore from the state government, credited directly to consumers. The government estimates that annual savings from rooftop solar now account for more than 0.2 percent of Uttar Pradesh’s GDP, contributing to its goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy.
The state also reports an annual reduction of about 1.13 million tonnes of CO emissions due to rooftop installations, equivalent, officials say, to the environmental benefit of 23 million trees. With a target to become India’s leading “Solar State” by 2027, Uttar Pradesh aims to overtake Gujarat in rooftop solar installations and consolidate its position as a national leader in clean energy.
