Uttarakhand Planning To Develop 1000 Solar-Powered Villages

BY Realty+

Uttarakhand government is planning to develop 1000 solar-powered villages to make them self-sufficient under its new solar power policy which could be implemented soon.

On November 18 this year, the Uttarakhand energy department released a draft of the “Uttarakhand State Solar policy-2022”, inviting public comments and recommendations on it.

Under the draft policy, Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) will facilitate the complete solarisation of 1000 villages across the state. These solar villages are targeted to improve the reliability and quality of power supply, boost rural income, strengthen education and health services, and provide employment opportunities by integrating solar into the rural economy. 

These villages will serve as model villages not only at the state level but also at the national level. The solar villages will target intervention in four areas - powering villages through community solar installations, powering and strengthening institutional facilities, powering livelihood through decentralised productive appliances, and powering agriculture and agro-based MSMEs.

The policy also promotes solar plus storage solutions to encourage self-consumption in the identified solar villages. He added, “UREDA, along with State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), will support skill development for strengthening the service infrastructure at the local levels through existing state training and skilling program, other relevant central government program and related schemes.” According to officials, the state has a potential of up to 2000 MW in the field of solar energy.

Of the total 2000 MW, a capacity of 600 MW has been estimated for large projects, 250 MW for residential projects, 750 MW for commercial and industrial projects, 350 MW for institutions, and 50 MW for agriculture in the draft policy.

“The current solar policy focuses on accelerating solar deployment through utility-scale projects. Under the current solar policy, the state has achieved approximately 575 MW by 2022. Going forward, the state aims to harness the potential of renewables in meeting its jobs, growth, and sustainability objectives,” the preamble of the draft policy states.

In the draft, it has been proposed that Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) will create provisions for all interests and obligated consumers to procure clean electricity from renewable energy sources at pre-determined tariff rates, also called ‘Green Tariff’ and UERC shall introduce amendments to ‘Green Tariff’ regulations by allowing all electricity consumers to opt for green energy.

The draft policy further says that UREDA will set up a land bank to facilitate the identification, aggregation, development, and allocation of land for solar power plants. The process of land allotment will be governed by the Uttarakhand Solar Power Land Allotment Committee (USPLAC).

Tags : Uttarakhand government develop solar-powered villages Uttarakhand State Solar policy-2022 Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency