Rooftop solar for 800 Gujarat agriculture offices to save ₹2.5 crore a year

Gujarat's Agriculture Department will install rooftop solar systems at 800 of its offices, generating about 31.94 lakh units of electricity a year and cutting power bills by about ₹2.5 crore.

The Gujarat government will install rooftop solar systems at 800 offices of its Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Farmers' Welfare and Cooperation Department. Officials handed over Letters of Intent for the work in Gandhinagar on Friday, 23 October.

Power and savings from rooftop solar

The systems should generate about 31.94 lakh units of electricity a year, or roughly 8,750 units a day. That should save about ₹2.5 crore a year in electricity bills. The state aims to install about 2.5 MW of rooftop solar capacity under the plan in 2026-27.

The project is part of the government's "Smart and Green Energy" campaign. The stated aims are protecting the environment, making better use of public money and improving energy security.

Which buildings are covered

Additional Chief Secretary Arunkumar Solanki said the programme covers agricultural research and training centres, universities, veterinary investigation centres, veterinary clinics, nurseries and other government institutions under the department.

Plans for other departments

Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said the Agriculture Department would be the first in Gujarat to equip all its offices with rooftop solar. He said the state plans to extend the initiative to other departments, with the long-term aim of solar power at every government office.

Vaghani said solar systems are also planned for warehouses, domes and storage facilities at agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) across the state. He urged cooperatives, officials and employees to install rooftop solar at home and to encourage at least five others to do the same. Minister of State for Agriculture Ramesh Katara attended the event.

The release did not give the total cost of the project or a completion date.