Solar City initiative: Installations mushroom in municipal corporations of U.P.
A budget of ₹15.75 crore has been allocated for Ayodhya, while ₹40 crore is set aside for other cities
Under the Solar City initiative, various municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh are seeing extensive installations.
Urban development minister AK Sharma said, “Looking ahead to 2024-25, Varanasi plans to install 500 solar street lights, 100 solar high masts, and 10 solar trees. Similarly, other cities like Jhansi, Agra, and Aligarh will see the installation of hundreds of solar street lights and high masts. Kanpur is set to establish 1,000 solar street lights, 75 KW on-grid solar power plants, and other solar infrastructure. Additional solar-powered facilities, such as e-charging stations and water kiosks, are planned for various cities, promoting clean energy across Uttar Pradesh.”
A budget of ₹15.75 crore has been allocated for Ayodhya, while ₹40 crore is set aside for other cities.
For the financial year 2023-24, key developments under Ayodhya’s Solar City programme include the installation of 766 smart solar street lights, 2,300 solar street lights, 250 solar high masts, a 3.33 MW on-grid solar power plant, a 50 kW off-grid solar power plant, a solar-based cold storage unit, solar trees, and 10 solar water kiosks. Two solar boats are also operational on the Saryu River, along with the installation of 487 smart solar street lights along a 10.25 km stretch from Lakshman Kila to Nirmali Kund.
For the fiscal year 2024-25, additional solar installations are planned in Ayodhya, including 150 smart solar street lights, 1,100 solar street lights, and 75 solar high masts.
“Besides Ayodhya, major solar installations are seen in Varanasi, where 1,512 solar street lights and 200 smart solar street lights have been installed. Jhansi has added 150 solar street lights and 20 smart solar street lights, while Agra has installed 200 smart solar street lights, 100 solar high masts, and 20 solar tree lights with a 1-kilowatt capacity. Aligarh has put up 39 smart solar street lights and 35 solar heritage high masts, and Prayagraj has seen the installation of 460 solar street lights.”
In Meerut, 510 solar street lights and 23 solar high masts have been set up. In the state capital, Lucknow, 244 solar high masts, 100 solar street lights, and 10 solar trees have been installed. In Kanpur, 100 solar heritage high masts, 170 solar high masts, and 1,600 solar street lights were installed, while Ghaziabad now has 100 solar high masts and 100 solar street lights. Bareilly has been equipped with 80 solar high masts and 720 solar street lights. Shahjahanpur, Moradabad, Firozabad, Mathura, and Gorakhpur have also seen similar installations of solar street lights, high masts, and solar trees.
Besides, Ayodhya will meet 10% of its total electricity demand through renewable energy. Solar energy plants are also being installed in 16 other municipal corporations.