UP plans to install 30,000 ‘surya mitras’ in every house with solar panels

The Uttar Pradesh government plans to train 30,000 youth as ‘surya mitras’ to achieve the target of installing solar panels on roofs of every house in the state. After launching the PM Surya Ghar Yojana in February last year with an aim to install one crore solar panels on roofs across the country, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has installed over 25 lakh panels in the state.

To realise the target of installing solar panels in every home in Uttar Pradesh, a significant number of skilled workers will be needed in the solar energy sector, a senior official of Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) told PTI.

For this, the official said, the state agency has set a target of training 30,000 “surya mitras” at district centres and industrial training institutes (ITIs).

He added that the National Solar Energy Mission has developed a plan to develop this skilled manpower.

More than 3,000 youth in Uttar Pradesh have completed training courses on solar projects, the official said, adding that the training is part of a concerted effort to quickly realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of having solar panels in every household in the state.

The three-month “surya mitra” program involves 600 hours of comprehensive training, including classroom instruction, hands-on lab work, exposure to solar installations, on-the-job training, and development of soft skills and entrepreneurship. To qualify for the program, candidates should have completed Class 10 and be certified by ITI as an electrician, installer, electronics mechanic, fitter or sheet metal worker. After completing the training, they are provided with employment assistance. According to UPNEDA, registration for the installation of solar panels on roofs of over 18 lakh houses in the state has been completed, and applications have been submitted for about two lakh additional houses.

To promote the use of solar energy, the government has introduced a system of ‘net billing/net metering’. Moreover, UPNEDA has tied up with Tata Group to install solar panels on rooftops of 10 lakh houses across Uttar Pradesh, and the initiative was recently launched in Varanasi.