Punjab has taken the lead by generating over 6,034 million units (MUs) of solar power in the last four years. Punjabs agriculture — the states mainstay — holds an enormous potential for energy generation from agro-residues, an alternative model of diversification, besides clean energy transition by tapping solar power even in the agricultural field. Punjab has tapped 15-megawatt (MW) rooftop solar capacity in the residential sector, while Haryana has tapped over 23 (MW), Chandigarh 18 MW and Himachal Pradesh just 0.78 MW.
Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has allocated forty-two additional CBG projects with a total capacity of 492.58 tons per day based on paddy straw and other agro-residue to find a solution to stubble burning smog, which blankets the entire northern belt of India, comprising Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Fermented organic manure produced from these CBG plants as a byproduct will be used for organic farming, which will further help local allied industries to flourish. As per India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India has set out on a mission to meet up to 50 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030.