Renewable energy a growth sector for Malaysia

source: TheStar
Saturday August 28, 2010


Renewable energy a growth sector for Malaysia

By ELAINE ANG

THE renewable energy sector is fast gaining ground as a new growth area for many countries worldwide with the vast potential it presents environmentally and economically.


Renewable energy plays a major role in meeting a country’s energy needs, enabling businesses to reap energy cost savings and revenue while combating global warming.

On the homefront, renewable energy is seen as a growth sector that will help propel the country into a high-income economy.

The sector, however, is still relatively undeveloped in the country as reflected in the low achievement of renewable energy targets under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services associate director (sustainability and climate change) Mark Wong, the 9MP targeted the production of 350MW of grid-connected electricity from renewable sources, translating into 1.8% of electricity mix.

However, only 53MW was achieved by the end of 2009, or 15% of the targeted capacity,” he said.

The 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) re-emphasised the use of renewable energy to meet Malaysia’s growing energy demands, in particular hydro power for electricity generation and blending of biofuels for transport sector.

Two of the steps taken by the Government to help boost development in renewable energy sector is the plan to implement a feed-in tariff programme later this year and the mandatory blending of biofuels for transport sector in 2011.

Sarawak Energy may again seek lower tariffs

 YAP LENG KUEN

lengkuen@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak Energy Bhd, the state utility firm that will buy power from the Bakun dam, is expected to put in a fresh proposal for lower tariffs during the ramp-up period between 2011 and 2015, sources said.

Bearing in mind that power usage in Sarawak is likely to take off only in 2015, it is asking for lower tariffs probably to mitigate the situation while trying to cement some of the investment deals from heavy users such as aluminium smelters.

“It is a chicken and egg situation,’’ an industry observer said. “The state should be encouraged to make a commitment to its end users and to take the next step to negotiate with the power guzzlers.”

“Looking at the situation, they have gone nowhere close to cementing the deals although they have identified the large players,’’ a source told StarBizWeek.

The smelters are said to be willing to buy power at 12 to 13 sen per kilowatt-hour (KwH). Sarawak Energy is offering six to seven sen per KwH while Sarawak Hidro had asked for nine sen per KwH.

Industry observers indicated that even if Sarawak Energy were to buy from Bakun at nine sen per KwH, pay an additional two sen per KwH for transmission costs, it can still earn one or two sen more.

“Sarawak Energy should be realistic – a one sen profit allows it to make RM150mil per year at full load of 15.5 gigawatt hours. But it looks like it is aiming for a bit more,’’ a source indicated.

At this juncture, the view at Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the developer and owner of the RM7.3bil dam, is that it must assess the situation over the 30-year concession period, where ultimately it will need to get to a market-driven scenario, be able to service its debts and obtain a reasonable rate of return.

If Sarawak Hidro agrees to the proposal for lower tariffs for the first five years, it will then have to assess the future tariff levels against its projected costs.

“It looks like the Federal Government will have to support the Bakun dam for the next few years while trying to recover its costs,’’ an industry observer opined.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) talks between Sarawak Hidro and Sarawak Energy recommenced early this week amid the ongoing tussle over tariff rates.

Sarawak Energy is believed to be sticking to the original offer of six to seven sen per KwH and is not giving up the water levy of one sen per KwH of electricity generated.

In earlier talks, Sarawak Hidro had asked the state to drop the water levy, on the argument that dams like Pergau and Kenyir pay only 0.5 sen per KwH.

Tenaga proposes 1-for-4 bonus issue of up to 1.12b shares

Written by The Edge Financial Daily

Thursday, 26 August 2010 23:42
KUALA LUMPUR: TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [] has proposed a one-for-four bonus issue of up to 1.12 billion shares of RM1 each with the entitlement date to be announced later.

As at May 31, 2010, its paid-up capital stood at RM4.35 billion, comprising 4.35 billion shares, while there were 129.85 million outstanding ESOS options.

In a statement to Bursa Malaysia Securities yesterday, Tenaga said the bonus issue would be carried out by capitalising up to RM1.12 billion from its share premium account, which amounted to RM5.27 billion as at Aug 31, 2009.

It said the proposal would reward existing shareholders and increase its capital base that would better reflect its size of operations, as well as improve the liquidity of its shares in the market. AmInvestment Bank Bhd has been appointed as the adviser to the proposal, which is expected to be completed by first quarter next year

Toshiba plans solar power push in Europe, US

Toshiba plans solar power push in Europe, US


Written by Reuters

Wednesday, 25 August 2010 10:02

TOKYO: Japan's Toshiba Corp said it plans to launch solar power projects in Europe and the United States, hoping to generate ¥150 billion (RM5.59 billion) in overseas sales from solar power operations in the year to March 2016.

Toshiba will initiate the push with the CONSTRUCTION [] of a 10 megawatt Bulgarian facility scheduled to come on stream next financial year.

The firm is also weighing forays into Italian and US markets and aims to use its expertise in solar power plants to tap demand for smart-grid infrastructure, a market poised to grow worldwide, a Toshiba spokesman said.

Toshiba sees the solar power business as one of its growth areas and is targeting combined sales of ¥200 billion from domestic and overseas operations in the financial year ending in March 2016.

The plant in Yambol, Bulgaria, is expected to cost about ¥4 billion to build and will have the capacity to power about 2,000 households.

Instead of owning the plant outright, Toshiba will sell it to local financial funds and other investors.

Toshiba plans to be build eight large solar power plants a year in Europe alone in 2015 and may consider local acquisitions of firms with construction knowledge, the spokesman said.

Toshiba shares fell 0.7% to ¥406 on Wednesday morning, Aug 25, in line with the benchmark Nikkei average. — Reuters

TNB will develop new 1,000MW coal fired power plant

The government has offered Tenaga Nasional to develop the first unit of 1,000MW coal-fired power plant on the power giant’s existing power plant site in Manjung, Perak. Tenaga said the main fuel would be coal and commercial operation date is March 1, 2015.

Solar Plant in Andalusia Spain

Total Photo Voltaic (PV) installed capacity= 13.6MW . It constructed since 2008 in Andalusia,Spain.

DEIA rejection temporary setback to power project (LAHAD DATU)

DEIA rejection temporary setback to power project


Courtesy from: RUBEN SARIO (The Star)

KOTA KINABALU: A rejection of the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for a controversial coal-fired power plant in Sabah’s east coast appears to be only a temporary setback for the project’s proponents.

Officials of Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd (LDE), the company undertaking the 300 MW coal plant project, said they were closely studying the Department of Environment’s (DOE) notification to reject the DEIA.

“The department gave its reasons for rejecting the DEIA. In that letter, it also gave us the opportunity to re-submit the DEIA. We are looking into this,” Lahad Datu Energy project manager Ahmad Farid Yahya told StarBizWeek when contacted yesterday

The site of the proposed 300 MW coal-fired power plant at Kampung Sinakut, in Lahad Datu district. Tan Sri Leo Moggie says TNB has considered various options before deciding on a coal-fired plant for Sabah’s east coast.

(LDE is 80% owned by Lahad Datu Holdings while Yayasan Sabah has the remaining 20% stake).

Lahad Datu Holdings meanwhile is a company formed by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB-51%), Eden-Nova Sdn Bhd (35%) and Maser (M) Sdn Bhd (14%).)

Sabah Environmental Protection Department (EPD) director Yabi Yangkat had said on Thursday that he had been been informed of the DoE’s decision by the department’s director-general a day earlier.

Yabi said the main reason for the rejection was that many important environmental parameters in respect of the proposed project was not addressed in the DEIA.

He said the DOE also took note of the range of shortcomings and queries raised at the DEIA panel review meeting at the department’s office in the state capital on Aug 27.

Among those at the panel review were representatives of a group of NGOs under the umbrella name of Green Surf (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) comprising among others WWF Malaysia and the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa).

Immediately after DOE’s decision became known, Green Surf spokesman Wong Tack said the DEIA rejection was enough reason for the project to be scrapped.

Wong, the SEPA president, said it was time for all stake holders to work together to come up with alternative solutions to dirty energy like coal, in solving Sabah’s power supply needs.

State power supply provider, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) had estimated that by 2025 Sabah’s demand for electricity was expected to reach 2,330 MW.

The present capacity is 755 MW, with reserve margin at less than 20%. This margin goes to below 10% if the risks of existing aging diesel-fired power plants are taken into account.

With rapid development, including various initiatives generated by the Sabah Development Corridor, the state would require at least 820 MW by this year.

TNB may need alternative power plant solutions for Lahad Datu

TNB may need alternative power plant solutions for Lahad Datu


Courtesy from :By LEONG HUNG YEE  (THE STAR)

PETALING JAYA: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) may need to to find alternative power plant solutions for the east coast of Sabah given the rejection of the 300MW Lahad Datu coal plant Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment by the Department of Environment (DOE).

It was reported that the main reason cited for the rejection was that the assessment report did not address numerous important environmental parameters in respect of the proposed project.

Earlier, it was reported that TNB expects its 300MW coal-fired plant, costing more than RM1.3bil, to generate enough power supply to spur the development of the palm oil industrial cluster.

TNB had yet to revert StarBizWeek queries at press time.

“The DOE’s rejection of the Lahad Datu coal plant’s DEIA will likely mean that TNB needs to find alternative power plant solutions,” OSK Research Sdn Bhd research head Chris Eng said.

"Given that the DOE has exercised independent judgment on the matter, we believe TNB which has a 40.8% stake in the Lahad Datu plant, would be forced to consider other alternatives such as biomass given the abundance of oil palm plantations in Sabah or the long discussed Liwagu dam in central Sabah,” he said.

However, he pointed out that the cost of investment for using biogas would be more costlier than a coal-fired powerplant.

To a question, he said the terrain in Sabah, which was “too mountainous,” would make it costly to get the power across from Bakun.

“TNB needs to sit down with the environmental groups to discuss the issue and come up with an economically feasible solution,” Eng said.

He said for now, given the uncertainty over possible alternatives, OSK left its assumptions on the Lahad Datu plant unchanged as an investment in associates in TNB’s balance sheet.

Another power analyst said the rejection was just a temporary setback. “It is still uncertain but it does not mean that the plant is cancelled. It is just a temporary setback.”

He said there was a need for a power plant in Sabah given the power shortage in the state.

Japan makers expected to outsource 10% of LED lighting production to Taiwan in 2010

Courtesy: Siu Han, Taipei; Willie Teng, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 17 August 2010]


Japan makers expected to outsource 10% of LED lighting production to Taiwan in 2010

Taiwan-based makers of LED lighting products could receive outsourced orders from Japan-based lighting device vendors worth up to 10% of the country's total shipments in 2010, according to industry sources.

Japan's LED lighting products market is growing at a ferocious pace, with LED light bulbs accounting for 19.7% of total light bulb sales by volume and 64.2% by value in July, according to research firm Gfk Japan. LED light bulb prices have also fallen substantially by 20% since January to an average of 2,900 yen (US$34) in July, which has put more pressure on Japan-based vendors to control costs.

Several heavyweights including Sharp, Panasonic and Toshiba have reportedly visited manufacturers in Taiwan to discuss increasing cooperation, the sources revealed.

SLOW DOWN!

A Good Article in Times News Paper


It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results..

Therefore, we have come to possess a need to see immediate results.

This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

1. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
2. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
3. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo even supplies NASA.


The first time I was in Sweden , one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work).

The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second or third days. One morning I asked him, "Do you have a fixed parking space?
I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot."

To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, don't you think that whoever gets in late will need a place closer to the door?" Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart, Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being".

Using Your BlackBerry Off-Hours Could Be Overtime

Courtrsy: National Public Radio

A BlackBerry may be convenient, even essential for some jobs. A lawsuit in Chicago contends employees should be compensated for using the devices to work after hours.

Published: August 14, 2010
by Cheryl Corley


Can't put your BlackBerry down? Your boss may come to dread that if you're working while you're off the clock. A police sergeant in Chicago is suing the city. He says he's due plenty of overtime back pay because he logged in on his BlackBerry to continue working even though his shift was over.

Go to any office, any coffee shop, ride a train or take a bus and you see them -- people's eyes glued to those tiny devices in their hands getting rid of e-mails or taking care of some other work.

"I have a BlackBerry and I have an iPhone," says Catherine Merritt, who works at Ketchum Public Relations. She say her iPhone is personal; the BlackBerry is for work.

"Definitely it's a little bit of a crackberry," she says, with a laugh.
In her office in Chicago, Merritt was syncing up her BlackBerry with her computer so she could check in on work later. "I check it at least a few times probably an hour," she says.

As electronic leashes, mobile devices mean work can go on forever. Zev Salomon, a real estate developer with Belgravia Group in Chicago, doesn't mind, though. He always carries his BlackBerry, and it has a nickname.

"We affectionately refer to it as my binkie," he says.

You know, like a security blanket. It drives his wife a little crazy, but when Salomon goes to sleep, the BlackBerry goes to bed with him, too.

"The ability to continually watch what's coming in and going on in the various parts of the company just feels critical," he says.

Salomon says there's no financial compensation, but he thinks being so connected is just part of the world we're in.

'Doing The City's Work'
Maybe so, but Chicago police Sgt. Jeffrey Allen argues his connection means the city of Chicago owes him lots of overtime. His attorney Paul Geiger says it's a simple case.

"What we are saying is he's using this mobile device at the behest of the Police Department very routinely and very often off duty and not being compensated for all the time spent on the device doing the city's work," Geiger says.

The city gave Allen a BlackBerry when he worked in a unit determining which assets of criminals police could seize. Susan Prince, an attorney with Business and Legal Resources, says the deciding factor in this dispute is likely to be the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs wage and overtime provisions for American workers.

"Basically, it comes down to whether an employee is exempt or non-exempt," she says. "Exempt employees, they make the same salaries no matter how many hours they work during a week, so using a BlackBerry from home at night is not an overtime issue for them. But when you're dealing with non-exempt employees, they have to be paid for all the time they work."

That means hourly workers, like Allen, and some salaried ones too -- like secretaries. Employees who spend an insignificant amount of time -- say two or three minutes of checking e-mail in an evening -- don't qualify for overtime.

Malaysia Plans for another 'green' fund of over RM1.5b

Plans for another 'green' fund of over RM1.5b

Source: Published: 2010/08/13-Business Time


The government may set up another fund of more than RM1.5 billion to provide soft loans to companies that supply and utilise green technology, says Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.


Under the 2010 Budget, the government had set up a RM1.5 billion Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) to encourage supply and usage of green technologies, especially in energy, water and waste management industries.

"When the existing fund is taken up, we will talk to Treasury to launch a second tranche next year," Chin said.

Some 10 per cent, or RM104.8 million, of the existing fund has been approved for disbursement to six projects: building of mini-hydro and treatment plants, water and waste water management, pulp and paper production, and manufacturing of cakes and electronic ribbons.

According to Chin, Green Tech Malaysia has received 60 applications for the GTFS since the start of the scheme early this year, with 43 passing technical evaluation and awarded the green certificate.

"The disbursement of funds to the remaining 37 companies will depend on the banks going through their processes to see the economic viability of their projects. We hope future disbursements will be faster," he said.

Chin was speaking to reporters in Putrajaya yesterday to announce the International Greentech & Eco-Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia 2010 (IGEM2010). The event will be held from October 14 to 17 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.


There will be 500 booths at IGEM2010, most of which are set up by international exhibitors.
Chin said the development of green technology in the country was lagging behind Singapore and Thailand.
He blamed this on the lack of awareness of environmental concerns such as inefficient energy use and carbon emissions.

WORLD'S FIRST SOLAR POWERED STADIUM IN TAIWAN

WORLD'S FIRST SOLAR POWERED STADIUM IN TAIWAN

Taiwan recently finished construction on a solar-powered stadium that will generate 100% of its electricity from photovoltaic technology Designed by Toyo Ito,the 50,000-seat arena will officially open later this year to welcome the 2009 World G ames which features many sports not included in the Olympics Such as parachuting, tenpin bowling and rugby sevens

General Motor to raise Electric Car production

Courtesy: 2010 The Canadian Press

July 30, 2010

GM to raise production capacity of Chevy Volt by 50 per cent.

DETROIT - General Motors said Friday that it is boosting production capacity for its new Chevrolet Volt due to strong public interest in the electric car that goes on sale this year.

GM will now have a production capacity of 45,000 vehicles in 2012, up from previous plans for 30,000 vehicles.

The automaker made the announcement as U.S. President Barack Obama toured the Volt production facility in Detroit. The U.S. government sank $50 billion into GM as part of the broader rescue of the auto industry, giving taxpayers a majority stake in the country's largest auto company.

The Volt, priced at $41,000, can go about 550 kilometres on a single battery charge, according to GM. The vehicle is powered purely by the battery in the first 65 kilometres, and then uses a small tank of gasoline to create an additional charge for the remaining distance.

Chevrolet dealers began taking orders this week for the 2011 model.

GM recently raised the number of launch markets for the Volt from three to seven.







What are the problems at Bakun Dam?

Source:http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/11/business/6832427&sec=business

by Thestar - Yap Leng Kuen

FROM musical chairs to the waiting game ... the Bakun Dam story does not seem to have an ending.

With the current delays in impoundment and possibly supply of a huge amount of power to Sarawak, the million-dollar question is how can the Federal Government recover the money it has sunk into the project?

Another question is how long can the staff hold on as the 2,400MW dam, which is 96% completed, has yet to receive state approval for flooding?

“I have been extending my contract which was initially for six months,” said Manja Khamis, manager (civil engineering). “I just want to see the impoundment through and make sure that everything runs well before I leave. After two years, it is time to move on to other projects.”

There should be more political will to make it happen at the Bakun Dam project which should be turned into a vibrant commercial enterprise instead of allowing it to potentially drift into an expensive white elephant.
Marred by too many disagreements, the RM7.3bil project could very well turn out to be a non-starter as the Federal Government may not be able to decide whether to charge Sarawak in full or take a loss.


Negotiations for the purchase of the 2,400MW Bakun Dam project have come to a dispute over what its cost should entail. While the Federal Government is said to be eyeing an indicative price of RM8bil (which takes into account all the possible delays), Sarawak Energy Bhd is looking at just RM6bil.

On the part of Sarawak Energy, there are a few elements that it feels should be excluded such as compensation for work done by Tan Sri Ting Pek Khing’s companies on the Bakun Dam, resettlement costs as it believes this is a moral obligation of the Federal Government and holding costs for the 10-year delay in the project.

The issue of tariffs has also become contentious. On talk that Sarawak Energy may be prepared to buy power at eight sen per kWh, industry sources said it was asking for a bit less, possibly in the range of six-seven sen per kWh. This is substantially lower than the 10 to 15 sen per kWh range that is envisaged at the Federal Government level, taking into account the various costs, interest and compensation.

Different industries in Sarawak are likely to be charged different rates as their usage patterns differ.

Smelters are said to be eyeing a tariff of four US cents (13.6 sen based on RM3.40 per US$1) but apparently, they could do with a slightly cheaper rate, depending on the terms of the power-purchase agreement.

So far, a total of RM5.75bil has been borrowed from the Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan.

Special Report: Renewable energy, a new industrial sector for Malaysia?

Special Report: Renewable energy, a new industrial sector for Malaysia?


Nadia S Hassan
The Edge Malaysia
August 2, 2010

Even as the power sector gears up for an increase in capacity with the start of Tenaga Nasional Bhd expansion of its coal-fired Janamanjung plant in Perak, renewable energy (RE) is slowly starting to make its presence felt in the industry.

This can be seen not only through Tenaga signing more power purchase agreements for power from biogas, biomass and mini-hydro, but also through the increased interest in setting up RE manufacturing facilities.

According to Matthias Dehner, of the German Federal Foreign office, Southeast Asia is on the radar screen of many German companies involved in RE.

There is currently an export initiative in the works, being driven by the German government, that would allow them contact with companies in Asia. In particular, they have expressed keen interest in Southeast Asia. Further details should be known within half a year, Dehner tells The Edge in a recent interview in Berlin.

One of the companies looking at this region is Enercon GmbH, which is currently among the top three global wind turbine manufacturers.

 We already have a presence in India. The countries we are possibly looking at in the future include Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, says Enercon spokesman Marek Pogodzinski.

However, while the outlook for RE appears bright, the level of investment in Malaysia from foreign players is still relatively low. According to figures provided by the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), as at March total investment in RE came to RM2.8 billion.

Of that, only 24.9% or RM690.7 million constituted foreign investment, with the remaining RM2.1 billion coming from domestic investment. To put the numbers in perspective, according to MIDA total capital investment in Malaysia was RM32.6 billon in 2009. For the first three months of this year, the total capital investment in manufacturing came to RM5.2 billion.

In the past five years, the two major foreign investors in this sector have been South Korea and Singapore. The amount that they are looking to invest varies from project to project and ranges from RM500,000 to RM300 million,says a MIDA spokesman.

He adds that going forward, the current interest in RE investment remains chiefly Asia-centric with companies from South Korea, Singapore and Japan.

The government has also introduced the National RE Policy to promote RE as a whole, and is currently working on the framework,says the MIDA spokesman.

Though there are currently no listed entities with RE as their core business, this could very well change over the next five years.

In February, it was reported that EQ Solar Technology International Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of China s Hangzhou Energy Solar Co Ltd, plans to manufacture solar panels in Johor Senai Hi-Tech Park. According to EQ Solar, the company is planning to invest US$500 million (RM1.6 billion) in the project, and it represents the parent company s first plant outside China.

It was also reported that EQ Solar was looking at the possibility of listing on Bursa Malaysia over the next two to three years, once its facility is up and running. Other prominent overseas players that currently have plants in Malaysia include Q-Cells SE, and US companies First Solar Inc and SunPower Corp.

According to SunPower managing director Robert Vinje, the company chose Malaysia due to a handful of factors including the existing semiconductor sector and government support.

We invested RM2.2 billion initially, and our Malaysian factories can put together an annual solar energy capacity of 1.4 GW and serve our international markets throughout the world, says Vinje.

Another industry player agrees, saying, Although investments are still at the early stages, and most are domestic, the interest is definitely there. Malaysia advantages include a ready supply of semi-skilled labour as well its close proximity to China. China at the moment is the largest market for RE.

Currently, SunPower is expanding its first factory, which will be a yardstick for any further investment.

If this first factory expansion continues well, we would be interested in talking with MIDA to possibly continue our expansion in Malaysia,says Vinje.

Future and local companies  forays
It should be noted, however, that most of the hardware related to RE is all for the export market. While this is not surprising, it places Malaysia in the uncomfortably familiar position of not being the low-cost base that it used to be, but still with issues in moving up the value chain.

What it means is that investors could decide a few years down the road to pull their operations out of the country and move to countries such as Vietnam,â says an industry player.

Another issue is the lack of domestic demand for RE hardware. Although the government has set a target for RE to contribute at least 5.5% to the country s generation mix by 2015, progress has been slow.

This is because the feed-in tariff for RE has not been attractive up until now, says the industry player. This point is further driven home by Pogodzinki s comment that one of the criteria that Enercon look at when investing outside Germany is a country s feed-in tariff.

To be fair, the Malaysian government does appear to be making a substantial push for RE, with the announcement that it plans to implement a new feed-in tariff by 2011, following the tabling of a Renewable Energy Bill in parliament.

And despite the low level of foreign investment in RE, there are definitely plans in motion for a handful of local listed companies to take on domestic and foreign projects.

Berjaya Solar Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berjaya Corp Bhd, has a proposal in the pipeline to develop an RM180 million solar photovoltaic plant in Selangor which it is hoping will be commissioned by 2011, pending a study.

Copyright 2010 The Edge Communications Sdn. Bhd.All Rights Reserved

The Edge Malaysia

Malaysia shortlists 3 sites for coal-fired plant

Three power plants have been identified as the possible choice to house a coal-fired plant that will be built to add 1,600 megawatts to the Peninsular Power Grid by the first quarter of 2015.
They are the Tanjung Bin Power Plant owned by MMC Corp Bhd subsidiary Malakoff Corp Bhd; Jimah Power Plant located in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan; and the coal-fired power plant in Manjung, Perak, managed by Tenaga Janamanjung Sdn Bhd.

There are no clear indications yet as to which of the three will be entrusted to develop the additional capacity.

However, it is understood that the three power plants were shortlisted because of their existing facilities.

It is also understood that an announcement will be made soon on the plant selected to start the project.

Energy Commission chairman Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali said that construction of the coal-fired plant would take about 42 months.

"The additional plant is necessary considering that the power plant in Bakun, Sarawak, is not forthcoming. Initially, it was supposed to provide the power.

"However, the decision on this (new coal plant) has to be done soon as it takes 42 months to construct a coal power plant," he told reporters after presenting a paper at the Energy Forum 2010 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Ahmad Tajuddin said the Energy Commission, the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, and the Economic Planning Unit should decide fast on the implementation of the coal-fired plant to avert the risk of a power shortage in the next five years.

He added that there was a need for the new plant as electricity demand was increasing by the day, especially from the large industries.

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/jrenenee-2/Article/index_html#ixzz0wBzECXnW

SOLAR BLAST JUST MISSES EARTH

Space Weather News for August 8, 2010


http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR BLAST JUST MISSES EARTH: On Saturday, August 7th, magnetic fields around sunspot 1093 erupted. NASA spacecraft and many amateur astronomers photographed the blast, which produced a strong M1-class solar flare and hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space--apparently just missing the sun-Earth line. The explosion also made whooshing sounds in the loudspeakers of some shortwave radios. Visit http://spaceweather.com for audio recordings and movies of this latest solar event.

AURORA RECAP: Last week's geomagnetic storm sparked Northern Lights as far south as Iowa in the United States, and some nice Southern Lights over Antarctica. For the latest images, start browsing here: http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01aug10_page4.htm

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Energy Saving-Smart Lady using Smaller Oven for Cooking

Smart way of saving energy is to use smaller oven with lower wattage, say 300W instead of 1800W when just a small portion of food stuff needs to be heated up!

You will save a lot!

Think Smart for energy usage


Go fot Power Smart!

A Diary of Green Lover

Find out how a green lover practices her self sufficient at home!!

:-)

Her house completes with her own vegetable supply, water for bathing,generating own electricity and producing eggs...

Pls click the below cartoon for your viewing purpose.....

Toshiba to build high-efficiency motor factory in Vietnam

The new company, Toshiba Industrial Products Asia Co Ltd, will be located in Vietnam's Dong Nai province, and will manufacture high-efficiency industrial motors rated at under 100 horsepower, plus their parts, Toshiba said.

The company will build a factory at Amata Industrial Park in Dong Nai province, on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. The start of construction is scheduled for April 2009, and the plant will come on line in September 2010, the company said.

The site has an overall area of 80 thousand square metres, and the total investment in facilities construction and manufacturing equipment is expected to be in the region of 77 million dollars.

When the new facility reaches full capacity in 2015, it will be able to manufacture up to 1.2 million high-efficiency industrial motors a year, including key components, as required by the market, the company said.

The initial product line will include parts for export to North America, later expanding to China, Southeast Asia and Japan.

Toshiba already has three manufacturing bases - Toshiba Industrial Products Manufacturing Corporation in Japan, Toshiba Dalian Co Ltd in China, and Toshiba International Corporation in the United States.

A growing awareness of the need for enhanced environmental protection has spurred demand for high-efficiency motors that consume less power and emit less carbon dioxide, the company said.

courtesy from :Sahil Nagpal on Wed, 12/24/2008

Building Green for a better Tomorrow

Courtesy from Thestar,Satursday July,31 2010



-Malaysia is committed to doing its best in combating climate change by adopting a voluntary national reduction of  carbon dioxide (Co2) emission of up to 40% by 2020 compared with 2005 levels. THis commitment entails of a reduction of 50 million tones of CO2 emission per year by malaysia.


Three major areas will be focus:-

~Energy efficiency


~Reducing and managing of solid waste


~Renewable energy.

Energy efficiency will have to contribute about nine million tonnes of CO2  emission per year.

Pls  refer the below new for further information.

Toshiba-Charge Grid &Electric Vehicle (EV)

You may interested to read the previous post.
Toshiba Corp announced the idea of the Charge Grid

Toshiba Corp announced the idea of the Charge Grid

Courtesy: By Augustus on June 21, 2010

Toshiba Corp announced the idea of the Charge Grid, a charge-discharge equipment system that uses rechargeable batteries installed in various areas and enables us to produce and share energy.

The Charge Grid is basically a smart grid add-on. In Toshiba’s ideal future we all generate and distribute our own energy with photovoltaic (PV) cells and store it in rechargeable batteries. When someone who’s connected to the grid has energy to share, it’s distributed to, for example, EV rapid chargers. The Charge Grid would be a great way to promote EV driving by making charging cheaper and more accessible.

The Charge Grid system consists of bidirectional inverters, lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries and rapid chargers. The electricity grid and the Li-ion batteries are connected via the bidirectional inverters. And the rapid chargers are connected to the lines that connect the batteries and the inverters.

Surplus electricity generated by PV systems installed in, for example, residential buildings is used to charge the Li-ion batteries. And, during nighttime hours, when electricity rates are low, they are charged by using electricity from the grid. Then, the charged electricity is used to rapidly charge EVs and in case of power outage.

Toshiba plans to commercialize the Charge Grid system in a few years.

With the Charge Grid system, surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic (PV) cells is stored in rechargeable batteries and can be used, for example, in EV rapid chargers. The batteries are placed in various areas to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaic power generation.

The Charge Grid system consists of bidirectional inverters, lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries and rapid chargers. The electricity grid and the Li-ion batteries are connected via the bidirectional inverters. And the rapid chargers are connected to the lines that connect the batteries and the inverters.

Surplus electricity generated by PV systems installed in, for example, residential buildings is used to charge the Li-ion batteries. And, during nighttime hours, when electricity rates are low, they are charged by using electricity from the grid. Then, the charged electricity is used to rapidly charge EVs and in case of power outage.

The Charge Grid system eliminates the need for construction work for high-voltage electrical substation equipment, reducing the cost for installing rapid chargers (though there is a cost for installing Li-ion rechargeable batteries)
Also, the system helps make efficient use of the surplus electricity of PV systems. When surplus electricity is supplied to a power grid, the voltage of the grid electricity increases.

Therefore, it is not currently possible to provide the surplus electricity to the grid when the voltage of the grid electricity reaches a certain level. On the other hand, the new system enables to store the surplus electricity of PV systems, which has been discarded thus far, in rechargeable batteries.

Toshiba plans to commercialize the Charge Grid system in a few years. It will sell the system and provide services using the system.

Toshiba's PV systems division wins first major contract for 7.5MW Chubu Electric project

Toshiba has won a major contract to develop a 7.5MW photovoltaic project for Chubu Electric Power, the first multimegawatt order that the company has secured. The solar power system will be installed in the Taketoyo Thermal Power Station in Taketoyo, Aichi. The plant is scheduled to come online in autumn 2011, the company said.


Selected as prime contractor for development of the project, Toshiba will be responsible for all engineering work before the start of construction, procurement of major equipment and components, and plant construction. Although the type of PV modules to be deployed has not been specified, Toshiba will provide its own inverters, which have conversion efficiencies of 97.5%.

Financial terms of the deal or further details on the system itself were not disclosed.

The Japanese company entered the solar integrator business on Jan. 1, 2009, when Toshiba's transmission distribution and industrial systems company established the photovoltaic systems division, which will focus on system integration, particularly high-efficiency inverters and microgrids, and in deploying large plant system engineering

Wind Turbine & solar hybrid Street Lighting in Zhu Hai,China

My holiday  trip to Zhuhai,China  in 2007. This was my first experience  to witness  wind turbine & solar hybrid Street lighting  at Zhu Hai's  Beach.:-)