A ray of hope for the Solar City Project

KOCHI: Seems like the city is finally going the solar way. The Solar City Project, mooted years ago, has sprung back to life. As part of the move, an Energy Survey is being undertaken at Chullikal Ward as a pilot project. The survey, that started last week, is being monitored by ward councillor Antony Francis and has covered 1,200 out of 2000 households so far.

"This is the first step in the project. The aim is to create awareness among people on how solar energy can be a better alternative. We have a group of over 30 students from Cochin College who have visited the households. The questions are self-explanatory and aim to find out the house owner's interest in installing the panel, the number of electric equipment and social situation of the household," said Antony.He hopes to get around 100 interested households. "Once the report is ready and a detailed study is done about the feasibility, we will take steps to instal panels within months," he added.

The solar panels will be provided under subsidised rates. "Already,  ANERT (the Agency For Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology) provides a subsidy for the project. Besides, the Corporation also will have a subsidy for the beneficiaries," adds the councillor. According to Solar City Cell officials, they also want to generate a report on the energy efficiency of the building and capacity of rooftops in generating solar energy. 

The project was proposed to install solar energy systems to power streetlights, garden lights, homes, hotels and restaurants, and major administrative offices in the Kochi Corporation. An amount of Rs 19.42 lakh was handed over to the Corporation by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Kochi was one of the cities selected by the Union Ministry for the project. The Solar City Cell has also been actively conducting awareness campaigns among students and the public.