With snowfall delayed nearly every year and the J&K’s annual electricity bill of about Rs 9,500 crore, the government is pushing the use of solar energy across sectors and has begun the shift by installing rooftop solar panels, starting with its own infrastructure, officials said.
Facing recurring winter power shortages due to delayed snowfall, heavy dependence on hydropower and a heavy power bill, the Jammu and Kashmir government is accelerating a shift to solar energy — solarising government buildings, rural households, farms and tourist sites — to cut costs and reduce grid dependence during harsh winters. The move, officials said, is aimed at transitioning to cleaner, more reliable power while addressing high transmission and distribution losses.
Until recently, J&K depended almost entirely on hydropower, but with a view to transitioning to clean energy and avoiding reliance on an erratic grid, the government is investing in solar power.
Government buildings are being fitted with solar panels to switch to solar power where possible. Of over 12,900 buildings, 7,816 have been “solarised” as of January, with a total installed capacity of 74.5 megawatts.
With an investment of Rs 120 crore, the government has set a target of completing installations by March this year.
Additionally, the government is installing solar lights in rural households, focusing on tribal areas, border areas and below poverty line households. Over 52,000 solar street lights are also being installed in J&K this year, Secretary to the government, Department of Science and Technology, Shahid Choudhary told The Indian Express.
The switch is also expected to help government buildings significantly reduce power bills, the secretary said.
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J&K’s daily power requirement is approximately 1,800 MW. The load on the grid far exceeds supply, especially during harsh winters when temperatures dip below zero. During this period, combined power generation from all hydropower projects drops to about 600 to 650 MW. “Considering the high demand and low production in the winter, it was necessary to consider and amplify supply with other means,” Choudhary said.
In the energy-intensive agriculture sector, 3,900 solar pumps have been installed so far, benefiting 27,000 hectares of agricultural land, with an installed capacity of 10.86 MW.
J&K’s AT&C losses are over 50 percent at present. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has earlier said that while other states have brought this down to 10 to 17 percent, J&K’s effort should be to at least reduce these losses to under 30 percent so more electricity can be provided. To achieve this, J&K has been pushing the installation of smart meters.
Meanwhile, the installation of solar power facilities at tourist locations in J&K is also underway. The J&K EDA is utilising its own sandbank to set up its first ‘Solar Park’, with an installed capacity of 15 MW planned at Jammu. This will combine hybrid solar-wind energy and is being envisaged as a Public Private Partnership model to address the energy needs of the Union Territory.
