Varanasi: In spreading light through solar energy under PM Surya Ghar Yojana, Varanasi holds second position in the state. Solar plants here produce approximately 5.35 lakh units of electricity daily, resulting in annual savings of Rs 116.8 crore. Chief development officer Prakhar Kumar Singh said that over 30,000 online grid rooftop solar plants were installed in the city so far, producing approximately 5.35 lakh units of electricity daily. Through these solar plants, daily savings of approximately Rs 32 lakh are being achieved, with total annual savings reaching Rs 116.8 crore. Currently, the total capacity of rooftop solar energy plants installed in Varanasi exceeded 107 megawatts, contributing significantly to the city’s energy needs.UPNEDA senior project officer Shashi Gupta said that the double engine govt is playing a crucial role in making this scheme successful. So far, Rs 234 crore subsidy from the central govt and Rs 90 crore from the state govt was provided directly to beneficiaries’ accounts. This increased enthusiasm among common citizens for installing solar plants.Due to rooftop solar plants, an annual reduction of approximately 1,33,750 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions is occurring in Varanasi. This is not only making the city clean and green but also playing an important role in fighting climate change.The growing popularity of the rooftop solar scheme can be gauged from the fact that where earlier there were only 10 vendors in Varanasi, their number increased to 248. Due to this, over 11,000 direct employment opportunities were created in the district, while lakhs of people are getting indirect employment.
