The Delhi government has announced plans to install solar panels on around 1,000 government buildings, aiming to generate 55 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy and advance the capital’s green energy transition, officials said.

The project will see solar installations across hundreds of schools, over 40 fire stations, 24 Delhi Jal Board offices, and more than 70 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) buildings in the coming months.

According to officials, the initiative will help the government save over Rs 500 million annually in electricity costs while reducing carbon emissions by around 46,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Under Delhi’s renewable energy policy, the government has made it mandatory to install rooftop solar plants on all its buildings with an area of over 500 square metres. Out of 3,880 identified government buildings, more than 1,200 have already been fitted with solar systems.

The announcement follows Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s recent launch of a project to generate 55 MW of electricity through rooftop solar systems on 1,000 government buildings at an event in Rithala, northwest Delhi.

While inaugurating a 25 kW solar plant at the Rithala sewage treatment facility, the Chief Minister said,

“This work will be completed by January next year. The solarisation of government buildings will begin in the coming days.”