The Kochi Corporation will soon entrust an agency with the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the Solar City project which aims at making Kochi the first solar city in the state. The civic body had already invited an Expression of Interest (EoI) from the agencies that will undertake the DPR preparation. “We expect to award the work by this month. The Solar City project is implemented with the financial aid mainly from the Central Government. The DPR preparation, which is expected to cost `10 lakh, and the fund for this will be fully provided by the centre. Later, during project implementation, the State Government too will have to contribute a certain share of the total project cost,” said a top official with the Kochi Corporation. He said that once the work for the DPR preparation is awarded, the selected agency is likely to submit the report within three months. The Solar City project mainly aims at installing solar energy systems to power streetlights, garden lights, households, hotels and restaurants and major administrative offices. “Along with installing new solar-based devices, the project will mainly focus on increasing the energy efficiency of the existing system, thereby saving energy. For instance, the Kochi Corporation is paying nearly `5 crore to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) annually on electricity charges for street lighting and administrative offices. Under the Solar City project, the major spots in the city will be illuminated with solar lights, thereby promoting increased use of renewable energy,” an official said. He added that under the scheme, automatic switching system will be introduced for street lighting and this will help the KSEB in preventing energy loss as a majority of the street lights are not switched on and off on a timely basis. The Corporation had already constituted a special committee led by Mayor Tony Chammany for the project. The Council had already approved the project and the DPR, once completed, will be presented at the Council fore its nod. “Once the Solar City project is completed, the Corporation can bring down its annual electricity charges to ` 2 crore, which is a huge marginal gain,” the official added. Under the project, along with the main office of the Corporation, the zonal offices under it and the Ernakulam Town Hall and Subhash Chandra Bose Park will be installed with solar lights.