The Delhi government has unveiled the capital's first smart pad-mounted substation and a community rooftop solar drive called Solarise East, aiming to modernise local power infrastructure and accelerate distributed clean energy adoption under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and the Delhi Solar Policy. The initiatives target neighbourhoods with dense commercial activity and constrained space and were inaugurated at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Surajmal Vihar. Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra and Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood officiated at the launch.

The compact installation comprises two 1,000 kVA pad-mounted substations placed in Amar Mohalla, Gandhi Nagar, and was developed by BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) at an investment of around Rs 16 million (mn). The project has added around 380 kVA of additional capacity and is expected to strengthen electricity supply for nearly 1,400 consumers in and around Amar Mohalla. The pad-mounted design integrates the transformer, ring main unit and low-voltage panel into a sealed factory-assembled structure, reducing on-site construction requirements.

Officials said the design occupies nearly 80 per cent less space than a conventional substation and will improve operational safety, maintenance and fault management for the local distribution network. The solution is presented as a practical response to the challenges of narrow lanes and limited land availability that hinder conventional infrastructure expansion. BYPL will manage operations and maintenance under existing distribution arrangements.

Solarise East is described as a community-driven campaign to increase rooftop solar uptake, lower electricity bills and support the city's transition towards a more sustainable power ecosystem. The initiative will dovetail with existing central and state programmes to facilitate household and commercial installations and enhance grid resilience through distributed generation. The projects form part of the Delhi government's broader strategy to modernise the electricity network and promote clean energy adoption across the capital.