Greater Cochin Development Authority gears up to push solar power project

KOCHI: The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) will take its solar projects forward to meet energy requirements of its shopping complex and the Marine Drive walkway.

GCDA chairman N. Venugopal held discussions with Switzerland-base PVT Power Company for the installation of solar panels at Marine Drive and an agreement is expected to be signed soon.

The GCDA’s head office has already shifted to solar power with minimal dependence on hydroelectric power.

Unlike other solar projects, the panels to be set up by the Swiss company can convert 10 per cent of solar energy into electric power.

Normally, solar panels can convert only 30 per cent of solar energy to electricity. The project, with a 30-year service period, will be completed in a phased manner.

During the pilot phase, a 50 kilowatt panel will be erected by February 2016. This is the first solar power project of the company in India.

“The plan is to fully convert the shopping complex and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Marg into solar-powered. If the pilot project is successful, the initiative will be extended to GCDA’s other project sites including Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium,” he said.

At present, the power consumption at GCDA shopping complex is 600 units. A delegation from the Swiss company along with GCDA officials visited Marine Drive the other day.

An agreement will be signed after it receives the GCDA executive committee approval.