ENERGY AND GREEN BUILDINGS

To contribute towards national goals of GHG reduction, Tirupati has undertaken a giant leap towards renewable sources of energy through “11 MW Solar Power projects”. The projects include rooftop solar installations and land based solar park along with an innovative floating solar park at Kailashgiri Reservoir.

The Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation has adopted GRIHA, the national rating system for green buildings in India, with the objective of promoting sustainable development and wise use of natural resources. Incentives like discounted premiums for developers and reduced property tax for homeowners have been implemented to promote adoption of green buildings. The Pimpri Chinchwad Navnagar Development Authority building designed in 2008 is also a certified green building which is naturally ventilated and runs on solar energy.

Nagpur has initiated retrofitting the existing conventional street lighting system with LED lights that has resulted in energy savings of more than 40% of electricity annually and has led to reduction in carbon footprints. It is one of the largest environmentally friendly LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights projects ever undertaken by a city with an aim to replace 1,36,000 streetlights.

Cities can leverage government schemes and initiatives like the Rooftop Solar programme, Solar Net Metering and Grid Connected Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Projects for adopting renewable energy at city level. Cities may coordinate with local power distribution companies (DISCOMs), state energy distribution agency (SEDA), and State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) to adopt the schemes. A monitoring and evaluation cell can be established to work with the Energy Service Company (ESCO) for facilitating energy efficient projects and conducting audits as part of Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s Municipal Demand Side Management Program.

Cities that have ICCCs can integrate an Energy Monitoring Information System (EMIS) integrated with the ICCCs to monitor sector wise energy usage. Smart automation through GIS based monitoring integrated with the ICCCs can also bring in further efficiency in street light management. Suitable PPP/ESCO models of financing may be used for such implementation.

Spatial mapping and analysis are crucial for assessing gaps and guiding policy making and planning for blue-green planning, biodiversity management and disaster resilience. Cities are recommended to prepare and update GIS maps for attributes like water bodies and open spaces coverage, encroachments, urban heat island, disaster specific risks and vulnerabilities, tree type and biodiversity, etc.