Gujarat to Install Rooftop Solar Systems at 800 Agriculture Department Offices

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government will install rooftop solar systems at 800 offices under the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Farmers’ Welfare and Cooperation Department. The installations are expected to generate around 31.94 lakh units of electricity annually and save approximately ₹2.5 crore in electricity bills each year.

Letters of Intent (LoIs) for the installations were awarded in Gandhinagar on Friday under the state government’s ‘Smart and Green Energy’ campaign. The event was chaired by Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani and attended by Minister of State for Agriculture Ramesh Katara.

According to an official press release, the initiative aims to promote environmental protection, improve the utilisation of public funds and strengthen energy security. The proposed solar systems are expected to generate around 8,750 units of electricity daily.

Addressing the event, Vaghani said the Agriculture Department would become the first department in Gujarat to equip all its offices with rooftop solar systems. The state government plans to extend the initiative to other departments, with the long-term goal of installing solar panels at all government offices.

The government also plans to install solar energy systems at warehouses, domes and storage facilities in Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) across Gujarat. Solar panels on market-yard structures are expected to reduce electricity expenses at these facilities, Vaghani added.

Arunkumar Solanki, Additional Chief Secretary of the Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Department, said the state aims to install approximately 2.5 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar capacity during the 2026-27 financial year. The programme will cover agricultural research and training centres, universities, veterinary investigation centres, veterinary clinics, nurseries and other government institutions.

Vaghani also urged cooperative institutions, government officials and employees to install rooftop solar systems at their homes and encourage at least five others to adopt the technology. DeshGujarat