By December 2024, Chandigarh became the first city in India to achieve 100% solar rooftop saturation across all government buildings and residences. Chandigarh achieves record solar rooftop coverage, with its solar program now supplying around 7% of the city’s overall electricity needs. With 6,627 government rooftop installations providing 52.852 MWp, the total installed solar capacity, including public and private sectors, has reached 89.689 MWp.

The city also commissioned 8 MW of floating solar capacity, including the largest floating solar plant in North India (2.5 MWp). With 117 million units of solar energy generated annually, the UT saves over ₹60 crore and helps avoid 80,000 tons of CO₂ emissions yearly.

Chandigarh was named the best-performing Union Territory at the regional awards ceremony, and CREST received four awards:

• First State Implementing Agency to Complete Government Rooftop Saturation
• Excellence in PM Surya Ghar Implementation
• Excellence in Innovation – Floating Solar Project
• Highest Penetration in EV in the Region and Across India (2024)

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EV Leadership and Infrastructure

According to statistics from the VAHAN portal, Chandigarh will have the highest EV penetration rate in India in 2024 (15.20%), ahead of Tripura (14.76%) and Goa (13.38%). The Chandigarh administration installed 12 battery swapping stations and 35 EV charging stations through CREST. A total of 5,293 applicants have received incentives amounting to ₹35 crore.

EV adoption is a significant component of the city’s green energy push. The award for the highest EV penetration affirmed its status as a model EV city.

Future Goals and Green Energy Ecosystem

According to CREST CEO Navneet Kumar Srivastava, a 4 MW floating solar project is among the major upcoming initiatives. He stated that Chandigarh is seeking innovative solutions to land constraints and aims to meet 10% of its electricity demand through solar in the next two to three years.

CREST is also working to build a green energy ecosystem through entrepreneurship, job creation, and skill development.

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said clean energy is a moral imperative, emphasizing innovation to ensure future well-being. Chandigarh achieves record solar rooftop coverage while leading India’s clean energy and mobility transition.

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