Creating a Roadmap for Zero Carbon Buildings in Kochi

The Kochi Municipal Corporation (KMC) is partnering with World Resources Institute India (WRI India) to develop a roadmap and action plan for all buildings to achieve zero carbon potential for Kochi city. A kickoff workshop will be held on 7 June 2018 to initiate the roadmap development process for Kochi. The objectives of this workshop are:

• Communicate KMC’s commitment towards achieving transition of all new buildings to Zero Carbon Buildings (ZCB) for Kochi city.
• Identify and engage a diverse set of stakeholders who are important in the preparation of the ZCB roadmap
• Identify ZCB scope and definition and priority building typologies for the roadmap
• Discuss project tasks, activities and timelines
• Assess data availability and needs for development and implementation of roadmap actions
• Establish a shared body of knowledge among stakeholders with different levels of technical expertise
• Identify partners who are interested in assisting the city achieve ZCB vision

BACKGROUND
A Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) is an energy efficient building that, through design strategies and energy efficiency measures, reduces its energy demand and then uses renewable energy generated on-site (e.g. solar PV) or outside the building’s premises to meet the balance of its energy needs. ZCBs offer direct economic benefits in the form of reduced needs for investing in capacity addition, improved energy productivity and energy security. ZCBs contribute to reduction in emissions from energy use and help in managing urban heat islands through interventions like green and cool roofs. Government of India smart cities and solar cities programs prescribe targets for energy efficient or green buildings.

In 2016, India’s buildings were responsible for 33%[1] of the total electricity consumed and will account for 55 percent of the electricity demand by 2047[2]. Mitigating emissions from this sector should become an immediate priority in order to avoid the lock-in effect of inefficient building stock. Energy use in buildings is also one of the key contributors to Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in cities. Cities globally have woken up to the challenge of growing smartly and sustainably by gradually decarbonizing the buildings sector through ZCBs.

  Kochi is both a solar city and smart city and therefore has a unique opportunity to initiate transition to ZCBs. Depending on the development path of Kochi, the vision of its planning agencies and development authorities, a roadmap for ZCBs will respond to local climate, building stock, markets and institutional capacities and the needs of its people. Priority actions to realize the ZCB vision and goals could include implementing enabling policies and regulations (e.g. mandates for buildings energy performance disclosure), adoption of technologies and design strategies (e.g. mandating application of passive design principles), incentives and financing mechanisms (e.g. risk mitigation instruments for ZCB projects) for creating viable markets for achieving zero carbon for the building stock of the city.

AGENDA
3:00 pm to 3:10 pm: Welcome and introduction

3:10 pm to 3:40 pm: Roadmap for Zero Carbon Buildings for Kochi
Setting the Vision Defining ZCBs for Kochi and potential pathways Benefits of ZCBs for Kochi city ZCB vision for the city and project goals

3:40 pm to 3:50 pm: Kochi Building Stock and Energy Performance

3:50 pm to 4:00 pm: Achieving ZCB in Kerala
Dineshkumar A.N., Energy Management Centre, Kerala

4:00 pm to 4:10 pm: Tea Break

4:10 pm to 4:50 pm: Kochi ZCB Roadmap and Work Plan Review
Methodology Activities and Timelines Data Availability and Needs Working Groups and their Roles

4:50 pm to 5:00 pm: Next Steps and Wrap-Up

Contact Sumedha Malaviya (sumedha.malaviya@wri.org) for more information.