The city administration hopes to take forward the projects to achieve renewable energy efficiency targets once the newly elected civic administration gets to business full throttle.
The city’s commitment to mitigation measures for climate change is tracked by “carbonn© Climate Registry (cCR), which was launched at the World Mayors Summit on Climate in Mexico in November 2010.”
In India, Kochi is one city that is being covered by the cCR. The cCR defines itself as “a global mechanism developed for local governments by local governments”.
Also, Kochi figures among cities listed on the website of Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA), which showcases commitments to action by companies, cities, sub-national regions and investors to address climate change.
NAZCA was launched by the Peruvian presidency of COP20/CMP10, alongside the Lima Paris Action Agenda in 2014, the website states.
The review attains significance in the wake of the UN climate conference that got underway in Paris on Monday.
City projects
The Kochi projects that have come under the scanner of the cCR includes the Solar City Master Plan Preparation, a public school installing a rooftop solar photovoltaic unit which converts sunlight directly into electricity and the installation of LED lamps.
The solar power project of the Cochin International Airport Limited had also caught the attention of the monitoring agency.
It has listed a waste-to-energy project and installation of energy efficient LED lights to replace CFL lamps in shops as some of the climate change mitigation measures.
The city is expected to achieve five per cent renewable energy and energy efficiency targets by 2020.
The civic administration is waiting for the standing committees of the newly elected Corporation Council to take up the projects, said V.R. Raju, secretary of the Corporation.
The Union Ministry for New and Renewal Energy had released Rs. 44 lakh for the solar city project proposed in Kochi. The funds were released after the city submitted a master plan for the project. Solar city committee and solar cells will have to be formed as stipulated by the Ministry, he said.
Though the city was allotted funds, the project had to be stalled for some time as the model code of conduct came into effect with the announcement of the local body elections. With the model code being lifted and the new set of civic representatives assuming office, the projects would be taken up, he said.
