Solar Energy Policy of UP sets target of 16 GW by 2026-27

LUCKNOW: The Government of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, August 19, unveiled the draft of its Solar Energy Policy 2022. The policy, that proposes to achieve 16 GW of solar power projects by 2026-27, will be valid for five years or until the state government notifies a new policy. The policy was released by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) and it will act as the nodal agency for implementation of the policy.

The draft includes proposal to achieve the set target through 10 GW of utility-scale solar power projects, 4 GW of rooftop solar projects and 2 GW of distributed solar projects. The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL) is set to purchase solar power to meet the renewable purchase obligation targets as determined by the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC).

Under the policy, the state government will develop 20 solar cities covering 10 lakh households with rooftop installations. The cities to be included are – Agra, Aligarh, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Prayagraj, Saharanpur, and Varanasi.

It also proposes installations of rooftop solar panels in government buildings and in state’s 21,000 un-electrified primary schools. Additionally, it proposes development of Green Energy Corridor in Bundelkhand region through development of solar parks, promotion of small decentralised grid connected solar power, promotion of solar installations, and strengthening of transmission network for evacuation of solar projects.