Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to generate 500 GW of solar energy by 2030, said an official statement on Tuesday. With a vision to transform Uttar Pradesh (UP), especially regions like Bundelkhand, Vindhya, and adjoining areas, into a hub for solar energy, the government is taking policy-driven efforts, it added. "The state recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Smart Energy Council of Australia and the Hinduja Group in a significant move. The government has set an ambitious target to generate 500 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030," it said.
The government also noted that as solar capacity expands, so will local employment -- from panel manufacturing to installation, maintenance, grid integration, and transmission. The government has launched the Solar Mitra Yojana to build a skilled workforce, it said.
When Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took office in 2017, the state's solar energy production was just 288 MW, it said, adding that "Today, that figure has increased tenfold, and the growth is still ongoing. Under the Solar Energy Policy 2022, a near-term target of 2,200 MW has been set."
"To realise this vision, solar parks will be established across all municipal corporations, solar grids will be installed along expressways and railway tracks, and streetlights will be powered by solar energy. Transmission infrastructure will also be reinforced, with a special emphasis on Bundelkhand," the government said.
Ayodhya is being developed as a solar city and in a phased manner, the remaining 16 municipal corporations and Noida are also being transformed into solar cities, according to the statement.
"Key solar parks are planned in Jhansi, Jalaun, Chitrakoot, Lalitpur, Kanpur City, and Kanpur Dehat. Notably, the Bundelkhand Expressway is set to become India's first solar expressway, marking a milestone in sustainable infrastructure," it added. The government is aggressively promoting rooftop solar installations under PM Surya Ghar Yojana to boost adoption. The target for rooftop panels in FY 2025-26 has been doubled to 2.65 lakh units, it added.