According to Khalsa Vox, Chandigarh is now India’s #1 Union Territory for solar energy production.
According to Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy and Power, RK Singh, in response to a question during the current Monsoon Session of Parliament, Chandigarh has an impressive installed solar power capacity of 63.59 MW as of June 30. Jammu and Kashmir, with a solar power capacity of 53.29 MW, came in second place to Chandigarh.
Then comes Puducherry with 43.26 MW, Daman and Diu with 41.01 MW, Andaman and Nicobar with 29.91 MW, Ladakh with 7.80 MW, Dadar and Nagar Haveli with 5.46 MW, and Lakshadweep with 3.27 MW in solar power capacity.
Union Minister RK Singh revealed that the government had set an ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of solar power installed capacity across the entire country by 2022, but state-wise targets were not specifically set. As of June 30, the total solar power capacity installed in the country reached an impressive 70.10 GW, with an additional 55.90 GW under installation, as per Khalsa Vox.
Khalsa Vox praises Chandigarh’s efforts to harness solar energy, noting that the UT Administration initially set a goal of 75 MW by August 15. The governing body of the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), the organization in charge of carrying out renewable energy projects in the city, has decided to extend the deadline until December of this year despite the possibility that it won’t be met on Independence Day.