THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In line with the government’s policy to promote green buildings, the state expert appraisal committee (SEAC) has recommended the proponent of a residential project to provide 50% of the roof area with rooftop solar panels.
The project has been designed with a total built-up area of 32,034.68 m2, a total land/plot area of 0.9849ha, and a proposed FAR (floor area ratio) of 20,690.88sq.m.
In September 2023, the state environment impact assessment authority decided to issue EC (environmental clearance) for the residential project and laid down a total of 32 specific conditions along with a set of general conditions.
Recently, the proponent approached the SEAC with a request to modify certain conditions for environmental clearance. One of the conditions for which revision was sought was the mandatory usage of energy-saving 5-star rating equipment such as solar geysers and LED lamps as part of energy conservation and that at least 40% of the energy requirement shall be met from solar power.
As per the minutes of the latest SEAC meeting, this condition has been modified: “Energy conservation measures and solar power generation should be adopted as stipulated in the energy conservation building code and guidelines on green buildings It was also added that at least 50% of the roof area shall be provided with rooftop solar panels.”
The finance minister had in his budget speech announced the formulation of a policy for encouraging eco-friendly construction of buildings in the state. As part of this, the state government decided to introduce green rating and green building certification of buildings.
‘Green building’ represents buildings that use less water, optimize energy efficiency, conserve natural resources, generate less waste, and provide healthier spaces for occupants as compared to a conventional building. It encompasses the whole life cycle of the building from the process of planning and design (pre-building phase), construction, use and maintenance (building phase), and demolition/disposal (post-building phase).
For green rating, the buildings are broadly classified into four categories—single-family residential buildings, apartment buildings, industrial buildings, and other category buildings, according to an LSGD order issued in 2021.
Later the draft guidelines for certification of green buildings were also issued by the LSGD. However, the local bodies have not begun the formal process of incentivizing green buildings via tax relaxations.
