Mangalore : In its first green step, the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) is set to install solar panels to light up its corporate office at Paradigm Plaza here.

Mescom’s new plan will reduce its dependency on grid power. The company has set new benchmarks in cutting transmission-and-distribution loss from 17.5% to 11.92% in 2011.

Estimates are being prepared for the solar power project, brainchild of former managing director Vijayanarasimha. Officials say the exact cost of the project will be known only at the tender stage.

According to the plan, Mescom intends to generate 25kw solar power to meet the sanctioned load of the corporate office. Surplus power generated will be ploughed back to the grid.

“There is enough space for the solar panels to be installed on top of the corporate office. Since these are heavy panels, we had to make some minor changes in the building,” Vijayanarasimha, now the managing director of Karnataka Vidyut Karkhane, told TOI.

Following Mescom’s green initiative, a similar solar project has now been planned for KEB Engineers’ Association Hall at Kavoor, with plans to generate 10kw power.- Times of India