Uttar Pradesh increases solar capacity tenfold in eight years

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has significantly increased its solar energy capacity over the past eight years. The capacity rose from 288 megawatts (MW) in 2017 to 2,653 MW now. The state's Solar Energy Policy-2022 aims to produce 22,000 MW of solar power in five years. It includes plans for a Green Energy Corridor in Bundelkhand. A large solar park with a capacity of 4,000 MW is being built there, along with smaller solar projects to improve electricity distribution in Chitrakoot, Banda, and nearby areas. Several companies, including ATPC Green Energy and UPNEDA, are working on these solar projects in regions like Jhansi and Lalitpur. In Chitrakoot, a new substation and transmission lines are also under construction to help with power delivery. Uttar Pradesh has installed 508 MW of rooftop solar capacity on homes and government buildings. This has helped the state become third in India for rooftop solar installations, following Gujarat and Maharashtra. The first floating solar facility is operating in Dibiyapur, with another large floating solar project underway in Lalitpur. The Solar Energy Policy-2022 also plans to add 2.15 GW of solar power by 2026-27, with significant progress already made.