Friday, September 30, 2011

TNB: No knowledge of break-up plan

PETALING JAYA: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) said it has no knowledge of any plan to break-up the power company into three units to reform the energy sector.


It said this in a filing with Bursa Malaysia in responding to a news article that a proposal on the break-up was being looking into.

The company said this “was never discussed with TNB and that TNB has no knowledge of this matter”.

On Wednesday, StarBiz quoted Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Loo Took Gee as saying that the Government was looking into the proposal to split TNB into the three units but said the matter was “under study” and declined to elaborate further.

Source:The star

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Cypark, LG in solar farm deal

SEREMBAN: Cypark Resources Bhd, the country's largest publicly traded renewable energy company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea's LG Electronics to help develop a solar farm in Pajam, Negri Sembilan.


Under the deal, the South Korean company will become Cypark's technology partner and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor for the RM94 million solar project.

Cypark had on Thursday, after the market close, sought a one-day trading suspension, presumably to announce the deal.

Yesterday, the company signed a financing agreement with HSBC Amanah Malaysia to finance the Pajam plant.

It also announced that the company had received a letter from the state government, granting rights for a 21-year lease of the land.

Chief executive officer Daud Ahmad explained that the bulk of the capital expenditure for the project is via debt.

Cypark has secured RM75 million financing loan from HSBC Amanah for the project, while the balance RM19 million will come from internally generated funds.

The solar park will be developed in three stages on a 12.15ha land and will consist of two plants, which will eventually be connected to the power grid.

The first phase, a 160 kilowatt solar project, was launched in March by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak

The second phase, an eight megawatt (MW) solar energy plant, will start operating in December, while the third phase for a 2MW biogas energy will be operational by March 2012.

"Currently, we are connecting in progress ... It is very important that we do the first phase because the first phase will set whether the remaining of the other phases is viable," Daud said.

He also said renewable energy will become a major contributor to Cypark's revenue.

He expects the energy business to generate some RM20 million a year for the company.

"Our main focus will be on the landfills in Negri Sembilan before moving into land in states such as Perlis and Terengganu," he said

Read more: Cypark, LG in solar farm deal http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/cypark2/Article/index_html#ixzz1YrQwMMIC

Gas shortage, fuel cost affecting rating performance of TNB

PETALING JAYA: Gas supply shortage and high fuel cost are affecting Tenaga Nasional Bhd's (TNB) rating performance, with analysts dowgrading the stock on concern that solutions are nowhere to be seen.


TNB closed at RM5.02 yesterday, up two sen, with 3.98 million shares changing hands.

ECM Libra Investment Research, in its downgrade of TNB to “hold”, noted heightened risks as a result of the prolonged gas curtailment.

This was following a news report that TNB had bought 105,000 tonnes of fuel for October delivery and expected to continue purchasing steady volumes until next year.

ECM Libra said the news signalled that the much-awaited gas recovery at the Bekok C field, offshore Terengganu, had been delayed again.

"The previous timeline for Bekok C gas to be back online was by end-September. With this latest purchase of oil delivery in October, it looks very likely that the gas recovery has yet again been delayed,” it said.

TNB had estimated that for every 100 million standard cu ft per day of gas shortage that was met by burning oil and distillates (which was six times more expensive), the negative impact to the bottom line was about RM7mil to RM7.5mil a day.

Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohd Noh was quoted in the media as saying that TNB was incurring an additional RM400mil a month in fuel cost to replace the gas shortfall.

“On a separate note, the utility giant has realised its 11-month electricity sales figures, which showed a year-on-year unit demand growth of 3%.

“This is within our full-year estimate of 2.2%. August's demand is expected to be weak due to the Hari Raya festive season,” ECM Libra said.

The brokerage has pegged the utility's financial year 2012 (FY12) earnings per share estimate to a lower price/earnings multiple of 12.8 times, which was a 15% discount to the five-year average of 15 times.

“We currently do not have good visibility as to when the gas shortage issue will be solved. The many delays in getting back gas supply from Bekok C field have been disappointing,” it said.

“Right now, nobody knows for sure when the Bekok C gas field will be back online or whether Petroliam Nasional Bhd's gas fields will have further unplanned maintenance shutdowns.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Kenanga Research downgraded TNB to “underweight” from “neutral” as the utility company faced longer-than-expected gas supply curtailments.

This was largely due to the delay in the Bekok gas line, resulting in higher usage of medium fuel oil and diesel fuels which, based on per unit cost, is six times higher than that of gas, it said.

Exim Bank evaluates RM500m green loans

KUALA LUMPUR: Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Bhd (Exim


Bank) is evaluating loan applications close to RM500 million for green echnology projects in sync with the government’s call for financial nstitutions to support such projects.

Managing director and chief executive officer Adissadikin Ali said the bank ad received several applications from Malaysian companies involved in green echnology projects overseas particularly in the Asian region.

"We are currently evaluating loan applications for construction of public housing projects using the industrialised building systems (IBS) concept in a few countries in South Asia, the Middle East and Australasia,” he told BERNAMA.

Adissadikin said over the last three months, the company received many enquiries for green technology and renewable energy projects in some Asian countries and these include mini-hydro, biomass and incinerator projects.

He is bullish on the green technology sector and expects to receive overwhelming response from domestic firms for such projects.

"The world is going green and the first to go green are the developed countries. The developing and less-developed nations will follow suit,” he said.

Adissadikin also said Exim Bank, which sees a growing number of loan applications for cross-border trade finance, targets 30 per cent of its total loans to be approved next year to come from the sector.

The bank aims to approve deals worth RM3 billion for next year. “We are growing our trade financing numbers. There are now demand for trade finance from non-traditional markets like Kazakhstan,” he said.

For the last six months, trade finance projects made up about 40 per cent of the RM1.7 billion that was sanctioned to finance 54 deals, he said.

"These are financing for Malaysian companies such as the small-and medium-sized-enterprises (SMEs) that produced locally and sell overseas.

They are involved in palm oil, processed rubber and other products that are manufactured locally and exported.

The major destination of palm oil is the traditional export market for Malaysia, particularly China, India and other developed countries,” he said.

Adissadikin also said the current world economic situation may not severely affect the bank as the slowdown has also hit other parts of the world, mainly in Europe and the United States.

"Asia is still going strong and 60 per cent of our exposure is in Asia,” he added. - Bernama

Read more: Exim Bank evaluates RM500m green loans http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20110921110716/Article/index_html#ixzz1YpHd0F9c

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Those with energy bills of between RM3 and RM285 can claim RM200 rebate

PUTRAJAYA: From today, more people can qualify for the RM200 government rebate when they buy energy-efficient refrigerators.


The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry has decided to allow those with energy bills of between RM3 and RM285 per month to claim the RM200 rebate for refrigerators it rates as effi-cient.

Previously, only households in peninsular Malaysia with energy bills of between RM43.60 and RM117 per month could claim the rebate when buying new refrigerators.

Consumers can also look forward to more choices for refrigerators under the rebate programme as the ministry is including more brands. Currently, it only covers 12 brands.

The ministry's Sustainability Achieved via Energy Efficiency (SAVE) programme head Zaini Abdul Wahab said it was important to extend the eligibility for the rebates as Malaysia was now becoming a “dumping ground” for non-energy saving appliances.

“In the future, only products with a certain efficiency level will be able to enter our market. Many other countries are already doing this,” he said, adding that the Government wanted to regulate the market in terms of energy performance.

He said allowing more people to enjoy the rebates would also increase awareness among Malaysians on the importance of saving energy.

Zaini said the original power usage range under the programme between 200 and 400kWh per month had been introduced to encourage middle-class households to buy energy-efficient appliances.

He said since the programme was launched on July 7, more than 17,000 customers had downloaded and printed the SAVE rebate coupons from its website at www.saveenergy.gov.my.

“The response has been positive. Of those who printed coupons, 77% bough a five-star rated electrical appliance.

“The ministry will now open the offer to more households by expanding the qualifying range to 0-800kwh power usage per month, which means an energy bill of between RM3 to RM285,” said Zaini.

Under the programme, consumers can download the rebates of RM200 for refrigerators and RM100 for air-conditioners from the website.

However, although the qualification for the RM100 rebate for air-conditioners is automatic, not every household in the peninsula can be eligible for the refrigerator rebate, unlike households in Sabah and Sarawak.

He said one reason that all households were automatically eligible for air-conditioner rebates was because the market in Malaysia was growing very quickly.

“We feel that the rebates for refrigerators and air-conditioners are sufficient for now because these two are our biggest markets. We cannot afford to offer rebates for every appliance,” he said.

The rebate is one-off and the downloaded voucher is valid for only a certain period. Once it expires, consumers cannot download the voucher again.

Consumers need only enter their Tenaga Nasional account number at the website to see if they qualify before they can download and print the voucher.

Currently, 4,000 retail outlets are registered for the programmes.


SAVE has set aside RM41mil for the rebate programme for consumers including RM14.4mil for energy-efficient chillers for commercial users like shopping malls and hotels.

source : The Star

Monday, September 19, 2011

California schools saving with Solar Power

Courtesy: CNN
(CNN) -- California schools are hurting. Budget cuts in the millions are causing school districts to find ways to save cash.

Some schools have laid off staff. Others have increased class sizes. And some have spent millions on solar panels to trim their electricity bills.


With the help of low-interest loans from the federal government, the San Ramon Valley Unified School
District installed 10,000 photovoltaic panels at five schools.

It was one of 90 systems in California, including some colleges, to do so.

Those panels should create enough electricity to offset  67% to 75% of each school's electrical use, a San Ramon Valley official said. The savings initially will be used to pay back the loans, which came from federal stimulus funds, officials said.

My favourite comment: " Until the Chinese got involved big-time, the price of photovoltaics dropped about 10 percent over a twenty-five year period, In the last two years, they have dropped 70 percent. Good for the Chinese."


Some people claim this is a bad business move, let's see what they say in 6 years time when the solar installation has been paid off! I personally think this is a great move for the long term.


Best Regards,

Mark & Michael,

The Greencrusader.org Team

Saturday, September 17, 2011

TNB to issue RM5bil sukuk for Janamanjung plant soon

PETALING JAYA: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will raise RM5bil from a 20-year ringgit-denominated sukuk issuance at the end of next month to finance the extension of its Janamanjung power plant.


This comes at a time when the national utility company is facing a severe gas supply shortage that may result in it incurring additional fuel cost.

In a Bernama report on Thursday, TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohd Noh said the group would do its book-building exercise in the third week of October. “The timing is good as the domestic market is now flush with liquidity,” he said.

In April, TNB awarded French group Alstom a 650-million-euro (RM2.8bil) contract to build the Janamanjung 1,000-MW supercritical coal-fired power plant.

Alstom will engineer, procure, construct and commission a 1,000-MW steam turbine, a generator, a supercritical boiler and auxiliaries. The plant is expected to come online in 2015.

The plant will be the single largest in South-East Asia and will produce enough electricity to power nearly two million households in the country.

The project follows TNB's 1999 contract with Alstom to build the currently operating 2,100-MW Manjung coal-fired power plant.

The supercritical power plant operates at a higher temperature than regular coal-fired power plants. Its high temperature increases the pressure at which it operates, which in turn improves its efficiency, increasing the amount of power output and decreasing emission per unit of fuel burned.

Meanwhile, TNB is still bogged down by cost concerns whereby it may incur additional fuel costs of up to RM3bil.

On Tuesday, Che Khalib said the company's fourth-quarter performance would be weak and his earnings estimate for 2011 had gone haywire and had been cut by more than 50%, marred by a continued gas supply shortage.

Analysts have said the gas shortage might only be permanently resolved by the second half of 2012, when Petronas Gas' regasification terminal in Malacca was operational and Malaysia started importing liquefied natural gas at market prices.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/9/17/business/9517953&sec=business

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Proton goes electric

PUTRAJAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd’s global compact electric and hybrid car, Emas, could enter the market in two to three years, its chairman, Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, said.


The electric vehicle, designed by Italdesign Giugiaro and developed by Proton, was first unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show last year.

Emas, short for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, is a plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV).

The compact car’s powertrain could include a turbocharged small engine of 1.2-litre capacity, or lower.
Proton is currently fleet-testing the Exora REEV and Saga EV to assess their potential.

The national car maker yesterday handed over five Exora REEVs and three Saga EVs to the government to be test driven. This would be the first step before mass-producing them.

The vehicles were received by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a ceremony witnessed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also Proton’s adviser.

Others who took delivery of the vehicles at the PM’s Department were Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.

This is the first phase of fleet testing, a collaboration between Proton, the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry and International Trade and Industry Ministry.

Nadzmi said 250 electric-powered cars would be handed to the government in phases for fleet-testing by the year-end or early next year.

“We want to deliver them as fast as possible.”

Proton will get feedback from the testing, covering the technological aspects, design and performance of the vehicles.

Charging stations provided by Proton will be at the Prime Minister’s Department and the four minis tries.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, in a statement, said that a charging system for home use would be supplied to motorists who will be identified from the PM’s Department and the four ministries.

According to Dr Mahathir, Proton took three years to develop the vehicles.
“We hope that Proton will one day produce trucks and buses using this system which reduces the use of petrol by relying on batteries to power the engine.”

Read more: Proton goes electric http://www.nst.com.my/articles/Protongoeselectric/Article//Article#ixzz1XykP2yVP

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

TNB: Gas shortage may force us to borrow

Kuala Lumpur: For the first time ever, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) may have to go to the banks to seek money for its operational expenditure if the gas supply shortage persists next year.

TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said the company had spent close to RM2.1 billion from January 2010 to August this year to substitute gas with distillates (diesel) as a temporary measure.
Distillates cost five times more than gas.

"We have never asked for opex (operational expenditure) before. This would be our first time ever. All this while we kept going to the banks for capex (capital expenditure)," he told reporters after TNB's Hari Raya Open House yesterday.

We cannot go on like this. Right now, the additional cost is being incurred by us through our reserves. We used to have RM5 billion (in reserves) which have depleted and we cannot finance that kind of money for next year all by ourselves anymore," Che Khalib added.

TNB has proposed to the government that the extra fuel costs be shared between the utility, Petronas and IPPs (independent power producers).

"This is bleeding the company now. If that proposal comes through, then we won't go to the banks for opex, but if it doesn't, then we have no choice, but to head to the banks," he added.

TNB expects the cost for distillates to reach an estimated RM3 billion by the end of this year.

"This is why we don't think we can do well this year. Don't expect our fourth quarter results to be good, it will be bad or possibly the worst ever result," Che Khalib added.

However, he said consumers will not have to worry because any additional cost will not be passed on to them.

The gas problem would only end after Malaysia's first liquefied natural gas import terminal in Malacca is up by next July.

"We really hope it comes up on time," he added.

Read more: TNB: Gas shortage may force us to borrow http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/jrtnb/Article/index_html#ixzz1Xt8nLv8w

Monday, September 12, 2011

KL to go car-free for a day

KUALA LUMPUR: Could city folk, particularly those in congested business districts, be willing to do without their cars for only one day -- the World Car-Free Day on Sept 22?


Although awareness of environmental concerns brought about by emissions and the need to ease traffic congestion seemed to be on the rise, little efforts to garner public involvement towards solutions have been in place.

The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) is calling attention to the World Car-Free Day from the public and the authorities.

"This is now a global effort, but so far, Malaysia has never been part of the World Car-Free Day, let alone organise our own car-free days," said MNCF deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad.

The World Car-Free Day was initiated in 1994 upon a presentation by the EcoPlan team at the International Accessible Cities Conference in Toledo, Spain.

The project states that car-free days should generally be held on Thursdays as they demonstrate the effects of doing without cars on a regular working day.

This has resulted in cities around the world, even some of the most congested like, Jakarta, adopting the project, either on a once-a-year basis, or with more frequency.

Jakarta holds car-free days on Sundays fortnightly, where a triangular connection of the city's three busiest roads are closed to motorised vehicles.

Millions of the city's inhabitants swarm those streets to cycle and jog on those car-free Sundays.

"A car-free day is when people do without cars and find other means of commuting, be it by public transport, bicycles or a combination of the two," said Naim.

He added that the MNCF had been part of discussions to conduct programmes with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and other government agencies to promote bicycles as a healthy and environmentally-friendly means of commuting.

"Nothing has been done before, but we can start with this year's World Car-Free Day. The government, too, has to take notice."

Naim said the MNCF's Cycling For All Committee was willing to work with the government and the public to draw up plans to ensure cities were made more conducive for those willing to commute by bicycles.

"The public transport system needs to be more bicycle-friendly.

"We need to find out what the barriers are and propose projects to solve these issues. The public needs to be heard and the government needs to listen."

The MNCF has monitored the growth in the recreational segment of cycling and believes there is room for such an idea to be developed.

"A number of corporate figures and even politicians are avid cyclists who cycle for fitness," said Naim.

"We have respected figures who can set the example, but whether they see their bicycle as a suitable mode of commuting remains to be seen."

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek will begin his quest to lead by example today, when his entourage rides from his office in Putrajaya to Bukit Jalil, where he will evaluate the progress on the ministry's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house venue.

Read more: KL to go car-free for a day http://www.nst.com.my/articles/6cars/Article//Article#ixzz1XhJE29mK

Friday, September 9, 2011

Do you want to earn money from your home ?Selling Solar energy to Grid in Malaysia

The implementation of Feed in tariff  will launch very soon.However, alot of info such as how the RE funding and the objective of RE Act and related info are available for Malaysian as below link:

http://www.mbipv.net.my/content.asp?zoneid=6&categoryid=34
One of the most interesting for us is to find out how much we can earn if we install solar panel at our home and sell the solar generated electricity to TNB (Malaysia Utility company).  From the official website, below is the Feed in Tariff rate offer to customers that interested to participate this special RE programme. This RE programme expected to effective up to 21 years with annual degression rate of 8% of from the initial offer price.


source: Malaysia Feed In Tariff Handbook


Q What is a ‘degression’? What does it mean and why is there a need for one?


 Tariff degression refers to the annual reduction of renewable energy tariffs. The rate of reduction depends on the maturity and the existing cost reduction potential. Tariff degression  applies to all technologies and will only affect a developer every time he/she comes applies for the FiT.

For example, a home owner (A) installs a Solar PV system in year 1 and signs an agreement with TNB at an FiT rate of RM1.75 per kWh. Home owner (A) will continue to receive this rate throughout his/her agreement duration of 21 yrs. A year after home owner (A) installs the system, his/her neighbour, (B) decides to install a PV system in his/her home too. By year 2 the FiT rate has now reduced by 8% to RM1.61 per kWh. Therefore, home owner (B) will now have a 21-year contract with the TNB selling their PV electricity at RM1.61 per kWh. This form of degression rewards the early movers of RE in the country and also promotes cost reduction  of the RE technology.


Source: FAQ Feed in Tariff

電費逾RM77.40多繳1%‧供設永續基金‧12月起生效

吉隆坡9日訊)能源、綠色工藝及水務部長拿督斯里陳華貴宣佈,從12月1日起,每月用電逾300千瓦特或電費77令吉40仙以上的家庭用戶,需額外繳付1%費用,以成立永續能源發展機構(SEDA)基金。


他說,政府每半年將檢討1%的收費是否足夠,以回購再生能源;同時,政府將不斷評估,以瞭解這項新機制是否奏效,再決定未來是否需要調整收費。


他說,政府是於9月1日成立大馬永續能源發展機構,以管理和執行“電力收購制”(FEED-IN TARIFF,FIT),推動國內再生能源的發展。國能向用戶收取的額外1%電費,將轉交給該機構作為發展基金。

舉例說,如果家庭用戶每月的電費是200令吉,用戶需額外繳付2令吉。

陳華貴在新聞發佈會上說,人民若欲追求更干凈和更有效的能源,就需繳付更高電費,這屬於全球趨勢。

馮鎮安受委主席

他也宣佈,前人力資源部長丹斯里馮鎮安受委為“大馬永續能源發展機構”主席,該機構將從12月1日起正式運作。

陳華貴指出,如果用戶在住家建置太陽能,投資年限長達21年,若是生物氣體(bio-gas)和生物質量(Biomass)則是16年。

陳華貴鼓勵家庭用戶向大馬永續能源發展機構申請再生能源發電系統。有關家庭用戶將裝置兩個電費錶,一個是國能的電錶,另一個則是SEDA機構的電錶,以輸出或“賣電”給電力分銷商。

目前全球已有68個國家採用FIT制度,包括德國、泰國、韓國和日本。大馬的起步已落後其他國家。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

新聞背景

再生能源賣回給分銷商


2011年再生能源法令制定了“電力收購制”,以把再生能源生產者生產的再生能源,銜接至電力供應線,同時由電力分銷商優先採購這些再生能源。

所謂的FIT,即是政府提供給建置再生能源發電系統的業者、團體或個人一個保證購回電價的價格,並持續一段時間,以讓投資者可以得到一定的回收。

(星洲日報)

GE, GreenTech in green initiative pact

General Electric International Inc (GE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Malaysian Green Technology


Corp (GreenTech), a government agency under the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, to collaborate on green initiatives of strategic interests in Malaysia.

Regional managing director of business development, GE Asean, Rahul Gupta, said under the MOU, GE and GreenTech would endeavour to cooperate and explore the feasibility of an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and framework for private, public and commercial application.

"We will work towards developing the blueprint for an EV infrastructure framework in Malaysia," he said at the signing of the MOU here today.

The signing of the MOU was held in conjunction with the second annual International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia 2011 (IGEM), which is held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Sept 7-9.

GE is showcasing its flagship "Sustainable Cities" concept at the IGEM. Rahul said the initiative would entail joint lobbying to raise public and government awareness on the EV framework, as well as running EV pilot tests in several locations across Malaysia and working with GE's partners and stakeholders with regards to this effort.

"We believe that a strategic collaboration is beneficial for both parties as we work towards the development and promotion of green technology and services in Malaysia, in transforming the country into a green technology hub," he said.

GE and GreenTech, he said, would also collaborate on public awareness campaigns to promote green technology and sustainability initiatives.

Chief executive officer of GreenTech Malaysia, Dr Nazily Mohd Noor, said the MOU would explore collaborations in projects involving the design, planning and implementation of a new government certification or standards for green technology development.

"The collaboration will also provide a platform for both parties to jointly influence policy formulation and regulatory framework through consultation and participation in relevant roundtablde discussions with the Malaysian government on the National Green Technology policy and related policy initiatives," he said. -- Bernama

RM3m 'green' spending for each Tune hotel

Tune Hotels said today it will be investing about RM2 million to RM3 million on green technology for each of its hotel the next two to three years.
Its Group Chief Executive Officer Mark Lankester said the move is expected to help the company reduce 30 to 40 per cent of its existing cost for the next three to four years.

He said this to reporters following the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration with General Electric (GE) for sustainable development, here today. "As we drive down our costs through investment in such technology, we also can provide better rates to our guests," said Lankester.

He added that the investment in green technology would cover building management system, lighting, heat recovery and wiring in all of its hotels.

Lankaster said the hotel chain would be also opening 30 new hotels next year in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, United Kingdom, Australia and India.

Each hotel would have an investment cost of US$6 million to US$8 million.

"We are also targeting about 100 new hotels in those countries by 2015 or 2016," said Lankester.

Tune Hotels would also be unveiling its first hotel in Australia in 2013. It will be located in Melbourne.

Lankester said discussions were also being held in other parts of Europe and Latin America for the company's expansion plan there.

"For Europe, we have just signed a deal to open a hotel in Vienna in 2013. "As for Latin America, we are now looking at Brazil namely Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, an exciting market ahead of two major sports events there," said Lankester.

Brazil is set to host the FIFA World Cup and Olympics Games in 2014 and 2018 respectively.

The signing ceremony today also saw the attendance of Chief Executive Officer of GE ASEAN, Stuart Dean and it was witnessed by Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Kah Fui.--Bernama

Read more: RM3m 'green' spending for each Tune hotel http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20110909152544/Article/index_html#ixzz1XRGvf5YJ

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

IGEM 2011-International Greentech & Eco Product Exhibition in KL

The Second International Greentech  & Eco Products Exhibition & conference  Malaysia
7-10 September 2011

at Kuala Lumpur Conventional center  (KLCC), KL




Schedule:

7 - 9 September 2011 10.30 am-6.00 pm Trade visitors Only

10 September 2011 10.30 am - 5.00 pm Trade & Public Visitors


Admission



Free Admission. Registration is required.

Trade days are only open to professionals, trade and business visitors by invitation or business card registration only.

Proper business attire is required for trade days.



More info
Pls visit the official website
http://igem.com.my/2011/index.html

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Using Solar to Charge up your Modenas-Electric Bike


Upon the arrival of Modenas Electric Motorcycle to our workplace, an outspoken workmate was complaining about this e-bike.He mention that he didn't see any good reason to purchase so called environment friendly electric bike as it is still consuming indirect  fossil fuel burning via charging up the Modenas's battery from our local electricity utility company -TNB.

Ya..If you talking to typically  rigid mind set people who are talking about dollars and cents, believe me or not, he wouldn't even consider to replace existing running petrol powered motorcycle with this e-bike after taking consideration of return  investment and etcs.....But if you meet someone who is environmental mentality, like our friend  Mr Foo, he would definately tell you how your electric motorcycle able to ride without burning the fossil fuel!

The secret is using solar energy from the sun via solar panels on his house rooftop to charge up his Modenas Electric bike daily. Output of the wall socket in the parking bay is AC (in the pic) after going thru the inverter unit.Stay tuned and more info about solar charging rate and performance will be posted here soon.


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Friday, September 2, 2011

電器商:回扣措施反應淡‧推行五星級省電電器

雪蘭莪‧八打靈再也1日訊)國內電器商認為,政府與其實施“節能電器回扣”措施計劃,不如加速在國內推行五星級省電標準電器,以真正達到節省能源的目標。

電器商認為,政府目前應將五星級省電標準電器統一化,即仿傚泰國、新加坡、香港及菲律賓等,在市面上出售符合五星級規格的家電。

一些州屬沒反應

本報探悉,政府從今年7月起實行“節能電器回扣”措施以來,市場不僅沒有掀起購潮,反觀消費者對這項回扣計劃反應非常冷淡,包括一些州屬沒反應的情況。

馬來西亞家電商總會會長吳智儒今日告訴星洲日報說,“節能電器回扣”措施推出以來反應奇差,讓商家始料不及。

他指出,政府必須就這個現象進行探討,包括是否涉及太多繁文縟節、宣傳不足或是教育消費者工作不全面。

他表示,電器商家歡迎政府放寬“節能電器回扣”受惠限制,即從目前的每個月用電量平均每小時400千瓦提高至800千瓦,以便讓“綠色家電回扣”措施更加普及化。

限購省電電器落實節能

針對五星級省電標準電器課題,吳智儒強調,一旦政府強制實施五星級省電標準電器,屆時消費者僅限購買五星級規格的入口電器,自能落實節省電能的目標。

“這項計劃不意味政府排斥外國家電,而是選擇入口節能的五星級電器。”

根據瞭解,五星級省電標準電器又號稱綠色工藝節能電器,意味著環保及節能,而市場目前的電器可分三個等級,由高到低分別為五星級、四星級和三星級,越低等級,耗電量越高。

讓更多消費者受惠

回扣應包括洗衣機風扇

部份國內電器商認為政府可擴大綠色電器範圍,包括讓購買節能洗衣機或風扇者享有“節能電器回扣”優惠。

電器商家認為,由於消費者對綠色家電的概念及認識不深,加上綠色家電選擇有限(目前僅限節能冷氣機及電視機),導致這項回扣優惠計劃反應不佳。

“我們也認為目前受惠的消費者範圍有限,政府有必要進一步檢討,以便讓更多消費者從中受惠。”

不過,也有部門電器商家認為洗衣機或風扇等小家電不耗電,政府沒必要給予任何回扣。

(星洲日報)