Chandigarh News: Chandigarh Science & Technology and Renewable Energy Secretary TC Nautiyal chaired an in-depth review meeting with CREST (Chandigarh Science & Technology and Renewable Energy Promotion Society) to assess the progress of key initiatives including power facility rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and citizen compliance with renewable energy mandates. Navneet Kumar, Director, Science, Technology and Renewable Energy and CEO of Shri Vastav, gave a brief presentation on the review. To date, UT Chandigarh has achieved an impressive capacity of 69 MW by installing rooftop solar.
Officials confirmed that the targets set by the Government of India will be achieved for full rooftop solar saturation of government buildings by December 2024 and in the private sector by December 2025 in Chandigarh. Chandigarh’s rooftop solar power capacity is estimated to cross 80 MW by the end of 2024, significantly contributing to the city’s green energy goals.
During the meeting, the CEO of CREST highlighted that the implementation is in full development and the installation will be completed in December 2024 in all possible government houses. CREST CEO recently announced significant progress on PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme, highlighting that Chandigarh has achieved the country’s leading installation rate among the Union Territories.
After Lakshadweep, the city leads in the following two categories: 0.11% installations as compared to total home connections in UT Chandigarh; 5.49% of facilities with respect to total registrations.
As part of the programme, consumers can avail a capital subsidy (CFA) of up to Rs 78,000 for installations up to 3 kWp. This subsidy helps reduce monthly electricity bills, providing substantial savings to each participating household.
In terms of sustainable transportation, the review highlighted that 20 electric vehicle charging stations are already active and fully operational in Chandigarh. An additional 4 to 5 charging stations will be activated next week, significantly increasing the city’s electric vehicle infrastructure. The review also highlighted Chandigarh’s leadership in EV adoption, with the city targeting EV usage of 14.8% from April to October 2024. This is the highest rate among all states and territories in the union in India. The meeting also raised concerns related to delay in installation of meters, change of user of solar energy being charged to those living in government houses and repair of solar projects where theft had been addressed earlier. occurred.
