East Delhi Powers Up: Smart Substation and ‘Solarise East’ Drive Launched

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Delhi’s Power Minister Ashish Sood cut the ceremonial ribbon on two very different but equally important projects in East Delhi. First came a sleek, space‑saving smart pad‑mounted substation at Gandhi Nagar, followed by the kick‑off of the “Solarise East” campaign – a push to get more households installing rooftop solar panels under the PM’s Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The gathering buzzed with familiar faces: Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, a handful of MLAs, local councillors, residents’ welfare association leaders, senior officials from BYPL and dozens of curious citizens. Their common thread? A shared hope that Delhi’s power grid can keep up with a city that never seems to sleep.

Speaking to the crowd, Sood emphasized that the capital is rolling out a “forward‑looking” power plan. In the last twelve months, the government has poured roughly ₹1,427 crore into the sector – money earmarked for strengthening transmission lines, replacing aging infrastructure and weaving smart technology into everyday electricity delivery.

He pointed out that Delhi hit a record peak demand of 8,748 MW earlier this year, yet managed to avoid any major blackout. “That tells you something about the planning, the dedication of our DISCOM engineers and the robustness of our grid,” he said, adding that reliable electricity is the backbone of everything from hospitals and schools to start‑ups and street‑lights.

The new smart substation is a tidy, compact solution for cramped urban spaces. Taking up about 80 % less land than a conventional facility, it packs in advanced SCADA systems that let operators spot faults faster and restore supply with minimal fuss. Sood hinted that similar units could soon pop up in other tightly packed districts.

Turning to “Solarise East”, the minister painted a picture of a future where Delhi’s residents are not just consumers but also producers of clean energy. Under the national scheme, households can install solar panels on rooftops, tap into subsidies, and even sell excess power back to the grid – turning a modest roof into a tiny power plant.

He stressed that the campaign is more than a slogan; it’s a collaborative platform bringing together the government, local bodies, RWAs, solar companies and everyday citizens. The goal is simple: make information about subsidies, net‑metering and installation procedures as easy to understand as a street‑sign.

In its first phase, “Solarise East” will focus on South‑East Delhi, with plans to expand to other BYPL‑served areas once community response is measured. Sood expressed optimism that the drive will boost Delhi’s rooftop solar capacity, help the city inch closer to energy self‑reliance and accelerate India’s broader clean‑energy transition.

Both initiatives, he concluded, are stepping stones toward a Delhi that enjoys reliable, affordable, smart and – importantly – green power. As the crowd dispersed, the hum of optimism seemed as tangible as the electrical currents flowing through the freshly commissioned substation.