Keep Birds in their Natural Environment

Birds are better of left in their natural environment,flying in their natural habitat, instead of being dragooned as domestic pets.

Mustapa: No plans for cash rebate as incentive to buy electric and hybrid cars

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government does not plan on cash rebates as an incentive to buy energy-efficient vehicles (EEV) similar to that implemented in the United States or other European countries, Parliament heard Wednesday.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamedsaid such a subsidy to attract buyers to purchase electric cars would cost a lot of funds, which will be taken from other ministries.

"Currently, to attract consumers, the Government has lifted the import duties for EEV while major car companies were given incentives to draw them to set up their manufacturing operations locally," he told Datuk Ismail Kassim (BN-Arau) during Question Time.

Ismail had asked whether the Government would consider handing out cash rebates like in the US or European countries to attract more people to buy EEV or hybrid vehicles.

Mustapa said the incentives given by the Government to major companies had attracted companies such as Honda, which recently set up an EEV factory in Malacca, attracting some RM1bil worth of investments.

"The new factory enabled 1,000 new job opportunities for the locals as well as the production of some 50,000 EEV assembled locally to be sold locally and to other Asean countries," he said.

He also noted that the reduction of import car excise duty needed to be studied carefully to avoid any negative implications to the economy.

"We believe that the vehicle ownership cost is still considered cheap compared with other Asean countries if we take consideration of other factors such as oil and gas subsidies, maintenance costs, insurance and others.

"We must also look into the impact on used car dealers, public transportation as well as congestion problems before we consider reducing the import duty," he told Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR-Machang), who asked whether the Government intended to reduce the excise duty for cars.

source:http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/24/nation/20121024125553&sec=nation

Local LED firms riding on innovation

High-brightness LED market to grow by 13.4% this year

BH Electronics workers working on LED proucts

GEORGE TOWN: Local light-emitting diode (LED) companies are riding on innovation to tap into the high-brightness (HB) LED segment, which is expected to grow at 13.4% this year.

Globetronics Technology Bhd has just released new HB LED modules in a single bin of white colour for the US market, using a special US technology, while Elsoft Research Bhd has come out with the next generation of LED radiation pattern test equipment.

BH Electronics Sdn Bhd, an electronics company with a 26-year old history in Penang, has also released a new range of LED tubes, lamps, and bulbs with cost-effective designs that can better compete in the global market.

Elsoft will ride on its new range of light-emitting diode testing equipment to overcome the mediocre performance of the group in the second quarter.

According to the Taipei-based Digitimes Research report, the global high-brightness LED industry this year will see the value of output rising to US$10.1bil (RM31.1bil).

However, the HB LED industry would not be able to return to the high levels of growth seen in 2010, as there was a huge drop in metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) equipment, used for manufacturing LEDs, the report said.

Heng expects a very good financial year for the Globetronics group

In 2010, the LED industry grew an impressive 67% to US$10.2bil from US$6.1bil in 2009, according to a TechEye report.

Globetronics managing director Heng Huck Lee said that in order to compete in a challenging global economy, the group used a special US technology to produce HB LED modules.

“The technology we use converts violet light to a single bin of white light, compared to the conventional technology which can convert only blue light to different bins of white light that may have limited usage or are not suitable for the general lighting industry.

“If not all the bins of white light can be used, then there will be a high inventory of LED white lights in the general lighting market.

“This is why we are confident of performing well in the US general lighting market, which is worth US$4bil this year.

“We expect to see contribution from this new range of HB LED modules for the 2013 financial year,” he said.

Heng said the group expected a very good 2012 financial year, driven by the strong demand for HB LED modules of 100-200 lumens for a single module and high-accuracy timing sensors for the US and Asian market.

Elsoft chief executive officer C.E. Tan said the company had released in the second quarter its next generation of LED radiation test equipment with innovative features used for measuring the spatial radiation of 3D light in a high brightness LED module.

“The market for such equipment is growing especially for large display applications and in the automobile's back lighting,” he added.

Elsoft's other new LED test equipment are for testing 110/240 high voltage LEDs used in the illumination, smart phones, and tablet sectors.

“Currently, the volume of 110/240 high voltage LEDs in the market is still very small, but are gradually becoming more popular, as the demand for high brightness LEDs is growing. They have been shipped to customers in Asia Pacific and are expected to drive the growth of the group in the second half,” he said.

Tan said the group would start the development of LED test equipment for customised high brightness LED modules used in branded consumer electronic products such as microwave ovens and refrigerators soon.

“The new RM12mil facility, currently being constructed at the same premise in Bayan Lepas, will cater for the development of new products for the next five years, when completed early next year.”

For 2012, the group expected strong performance compared to 2011, driven by the sales in the third and fourth quarters, Tan said.

“The second quarter was down slightly against last year's corresponding period,” he added.

BH Electronics managing director Khoo Hun Poh said the company had recently introduced for the global market higher-value LED lighting products with cost effective designs and special coating on the casing that reduced over-heating, increasing the products' life-span.

These new LED products, because of the cost-effective designs developed by BH Electronics, used less raw material, enabling them to be priced competitively in the market, Khoo said.

The company's LED products are primarily exported to the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Japan, and the United States.

“Europe generates over 50% of the company's revenue. We expect flat growth for the company this year, due to the European economic crisis.

“While Europe is experiencing a slowdown, we expect an increase in orders from the US market, which is currently contributing 10%-15% of our revenue.

“Next year the US LED lighting market, driven by the food, automobile, industrial, and household sectors, is expected to generate about 30% of our revenue,” he said.

Khoo said the pricing of LED lighting had come down significantly since 2011 due to cost-effective production technologies and competition.

The company is now constructing a new RM30mil LED assembly facility in Bayan Lepas, scheduled to start operation in the first quarter of 2013.

“Located on 1.5 acres, the three-storey facility will have over 120,000 sq ft of built-up area,” he said.

The Digitimes Research report also said that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will together account for some 61.3% of the high-brightness LED market in 2012, as the trend towards Asian dominance of the LED industry is becoming even more pronounced.

In its September report, Digitimes Research said Asia-based firms would take up 90% of market demand for MOCVD equipment in 2012, an increase of 10 basis points compared to 2011.

“In particular, equipment demand is highest in China, with an expected share of 68% out of total global demand in 2012,” the report added.

source:http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/22/business/12195051&sec=business

TNB bangun pusat cas kereta elektrik

Peter Chin ketika melancarkan stesen pengecas kereta elektrik, di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini. - Foto hiasan

Projek berhampiran Bukit Bintang, persediaan awal infrastruktur EV 

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) sedang membangunkan sistem grid pintar (Smart Grid TNB) berpusat di kawasan segi tiga emas berhampiran Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur sebagai persediaan awal pembangunan infrastruktur stesen pengecas kereta elektrik (EV) di seluruh negara. Projek itu, akan membolehkan TNB menguruskan penyaluran dan penggunaan elektrik dengan lebih cekap selain meraih penjimatan besar dengan mengurangkan kadar kehilangan tenaga yang tidak digunakan.

Sumber industri berkata, syarikat utiliti itu memperuntukkan pelaburan besar bagi menerapkan teknologi Smart Grid yang mampu mengumpul maklumat dan bertindak balas berdasarkan pembekalan dan permintaan yang diperoleh hasil kecanggihan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT). 

Katanya, teknologi itu amat berguna bagi membantu negara memperkukuhkan lagi pembangunan teknologi EV yang dijangka dilaksanakan secara komersial menjelang 2014. 

“Apabila kereta EV diperkenalkan secara komersial, keperluan kepada stesen pengecas akan meningkat sekali gus memerlukan bekalan tenaga elektrik yang mapan untuk kegunaan pengguna EV, premis perniagaan dan persendirian di kawasan terbabit. 

“Bekalan tenaga perlu ditingkatkan atau ia boleh diuruskan dengan cekap bagi memenuhi keperluan ini, maka TNB mencadangkan sistem grid pintar sebagai penyelesaiannya membolehkan syarikat menyalurkan bekalan elektrik secara optimum mengikut keperluan semasa. 
Meter pintar 

“Sistem ini menekankan elemen meter pintar dan dikawal secara jarak jauh, selepas pengujian di kawasan segi tiga emas selesai kita akan tahu kriteria grid pintar di Malaysia dan hasil kajiannya akan digunakan sebagai model rujukan untuk dibangunkan di kawasan lain pula,” katanya kepada BH di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini. 

Teknologi Grid Pintar kini digunakan secara meluas di negara maju khususnya Eropah bagi mengawal selia dan menyelaras pengedaran bekalan tenaga secara automatik. 

Katanya, cadangan projek itu sudah dibentangkan kepada pihak industri terbabit dengan teknologi EV dan mereka menyambut baik rancangan itu yang membuktikan komitmen kerajaan dan agensi kerajaan kepada hala tuju teknologi EV negara. 

Pertambahan permintaan 

Mengulas perkembangan itu, Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui yang ditemui pada Pameran Produk Teknologi Hijau Antarabangsa (IGEM 2012) baru-baru ini, berkata kini pertambahan permintaan bekalan elektrik masih belum ketara kerana jumlah stesen pengecas EV masih rendah. 

Katanya, pada masa depan apabila jumlahnya melebihi 20 hingga 30 stesen EV di satu lokasi ber-hampiran ia akan menjejaskan bekalan kuasa di kawasan terbabit. 

“Dengan pertambahan jumlah stesen pengecas bermakna TNB perlu mengukuhkan sistemnya di sana, kalau terlalu banyak bekalan elektrik disedut oleh kenderaan EV akan timbul pula masalah bagi keperluan premis lain di sekitarnya. 

“Maka kementerian juga perlu melakukan kajian bagi mengumpulkan data bagi mengetahui berapa banyak kuasa diperlukan di satu-satu tempat,’ katanya.


source:http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/TNBbangunpusatcaskeretaelektrik/Article/

Energy Audit at Home-Laptop

To save Energy at home, firstly.. we need to identify which appliance at home is inefficient and how much we spend per day and per year for electrical equipment if we let it power up.

Recently, I bought an energy monitoring socket to conduct energy audit  on my home appliances. The first item under my energy audit item is my 14 inchi old  Hp compaq 4400 laptop which i used to surf net all the time.

This energy monitoring socket looks cool as i can measure my laptop energy usage once i press reset (using pen to touch the reset point) and the built-in counter/timer start to calculate how much my laptop power consumption per day and even per year. I set the cost tariff as 1kwh=$0.22  and it able to estimate the cost that i am going to spend for a year  (365 days and 24 hours running) about RM43.80 if i leave my laptop working all the time.

Currently , my laptop is consuming about 26W as shown in the picture.(The figure may varry from standby mode up to battery charging mode -63W).

According to the given manual, the working voltage :150V-276V and operating current :13A max  with the accurancy +/- 2%. 

From my observation, this product is not bad for rough checking power consumption and  it is able to give you a snapshot about energy consumption and estimated cost such as how much you need to spend for that particular domestic appliances when the power supply On.It is so simple, safe and easy for average people to use it because what we need to do is just plug the energy monitoring socket with the appliances and it auto detect and calculate for us without hassle and dangerous.

This energy monitoring socket offer affordable and competitive low end pricing (below RM200), end user need to compromise with some accuracy problem. From my finding and comparison with expensive energy monitoring unit, the error might up to 5% or more and it is not advisable to use it for any profesional report writing purpose.  Again , a high end power quality energy monitoring system can cost us up to RM60,000 or more based on high sampling rate and high accuracy.I don't think any of average household who  willing to fork out money to buy high precise which commonly  used in industry application. Therefore, with that affordable price, i think the money spent is well worth because this simple gadget is sufficient for us to monitor our power usage and save energy is the end of objective.

Govt to ban incandescent bulbs by 2014

PETALING JAYA (Oct 16, 2012): The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry has announced phasing out traditional light bulbs – also known as incandescent bulbs, that will eventually lead to a complete ban in 2014.

The policy is part of the government's initiative to reduce carbon intensity by 40% by 2020, and to enable consumers to use energy efficiently by using energy-saving lights such as the compact fluorescent lights (CFL), T5 tube lights and light emitting diode (LED) lights.

The implementation of the policy is being done in two phases, with the first phase in 2011, seeing a ban on the sale and import of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs.

The second phase is currently being carried out from Jan 1 this year until Dec 31 next year where the government will ban the manufacture, import and sale of the 100-watt lights.

This will save consumers about RM336 million a year if they buy energy-saving lights as incandescent bulbs are less energy efficient and are not as environmentally friendly.

Other countries have also initiated similar policies, with China banning imports and sales of certain incandescent light bulbs starting this month, and gradually extending the ban to those over 15-watt in Oct 2016.

Anticipating huge global demand for LEDs, the Department of Standards Malaysia will help local companies adopt international standards and speed up the industry's adoption of Malaysian Standard (MS) to ensure production of high quality LEDs for export and domestic use.

A total of 12 MS have been published so far, covering safety, testing and performance of LEDs. These international standards were adopted from the International Electrotechnical Commission, where compliance to MS will increase local manufacturers' access to international markets.

International certification within Malaysia is also available, with the first LED-SSL certification centre outside of the US was set up in Penang in 2011 to perform testing in accordance with the standards of the American National Standards Institute.

SOurce: The Sun daily
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/516403

Peter Chin to talk to Bank Negara about easier terms for green loans

KUALA LUMPUR: Talks will be held will with Bank Negara to ease the loan regulations for companies that wish to develop green technology, said said Energy, Water and Green Technology Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.

Chin said financial institutions should take a more positive attitude to supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that require funds to embark on greentech projects.

“What banks should think is “how much businesses can I create” instead of “how much bad debts I will make” when evaluating loans by SMEs who want to develop green technology,” said Chin at the 3rd International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM 2012) on Friday.

Chin was speaking at a ministerial dialogue held at the conference, which was entitled “Green Technology for Growth”, and among the issues touched on were funding for research and development of green technology.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, when unveiling Budget 2013 recently, had announced that businesses would soon be able to use intellectual property (IP) rights as a form of collateral to obtain financing from financial institutions.

“This is an innovative method of getting funding, instead of the traditional way where land, assets or capital is used by banks to evaluate loans. IPs have high value.

“Companies like Microsoft are among the biggest corporations in the world because of their IPs. I will be speaking to the Bank Negara governor about this,” Chin told reporters after the dialogue.

Other speakers at the dialogue session were Janusz Zaleski, Under-secretary of State, Environment Ministry of Poland, Brunei Energy Minister Datuk Seri Awang Mohammad Yasmin Umar and High Commissioner of Singapore Ong Keng Yong.

source :http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/12/nation/20121012155501&sec=nation

Chin: Power tariff to remain at current rate

KUALA LUMPUR: Electricity tariff rate will remain at its
current level until June next year, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, said today.

He said the earlier plan of the government was to review the tariff every six months but the final authority was the Cabinet and it had rejected the plan.

He disclosed that his ministry had presented the paper on the tariff recently to the National Economic Council.

"Cabinet does not approve it. So I think there will not be any review and the tariff will not be changed," he told reporters after launching the International Best Practices Seminar here today.

The last time the government increased electricity tariffs was in June last year, following an increase in the natural gas price for the power sector.

Chin also said the renegotiation of the power purchase agreements (PPA) for independent power producers will result in a more competitive rate.

"We should wait for the Energy Commission to make the appropriate
announcement soon," he said, declining to comment further.

Meanwhile, Chin also urged Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to come out with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in implementing the new digital meter.

He said his ministry has had a discussion with TNB following complaints from customers that they were paying higher electricity bills.

The ministry has taken note of the problem and has urged TNB to come out with the SOP which will give confidence to customers.

"They need to explain to the customer that the new meter is good and it has nothing wrong," he said.-- BERNAMA

Read more: Chin: Power tariff to remain at current rate http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20121009154525/Article/index_html#ixzz28mr3TmFE

Green tech won't put you in the red

PEDAL POWER: Chin cycles with iGEM green ambassador, Shriya Biaspal to power up a toy car at a media briefing leading up to iGEM 2012.

By JO TIMBUONG
bytz@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not enough to go around proclaiming that green is good for the environment and healthier living.

The masses must also be shown that going green in their lives is not going to be expensive, said Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water.

He said the people must also learn that environmentally-friendly products and services are cost efficient, meaning they can help them save money.

He was speaking at a briefing for news media on the upcoming iGEM (International Green Tech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia) 2012.

Among the event's objectives is to show the many green technology products and services available; these range from home appliances to industrial clean-energy solutions.

Chin said the adoption of these technologies will help reduce the country's carbon footprint.

Malaysia aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 40%, following a pledge made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen three years ago.

But there is no point in just encouraging the use of green technologies if too few or no one uses them, Chin said.

He said the uptake of these technologies rests on teaching more people about employing such products and services, and we see iGEM helping us to achieve this goal.

The Government is doing its part via its Save (sustainability achieved via energy efficiency) initiative - which provides discount vouchers to consumers who want to buy energy-saving home appliances.

"Results have been encouraging and my ministry is thinking up more initiatives to further encourage consumers to adopt an environmentally-friendly lifestyle," Chin said.

iGEM 2012 is scheduled to open at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre tomorrow. It will last until Saturday.

There will be about 600 booths by more than 300 exhibitors, and visitors can look forward to seeing how green technology is employed in different countries and industries.

Also there, will be a Green Book Resource Centre where visitors can go learn more about green technologies.

The theme for iGEM 2012 is Green Tech for Growth, and the organisers are expecting about 100,000 visitors this year. Last year iGEM drew about 68,000 visitors.

For more information, point your web browser at www.igem.com.my/2012/.

source: http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2012/10/5/it_news/20121005201807&sec=it_news

Schneider Electric lauds green tech allocation

KUALA LUMPUR: Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, has applauded Budget 2013 that saw the allocation of an additional RM2 billion for the green technology industry to further boost the production and utilisation of green technology-based products.

"The support from the government not only cements the commitment for a greener economy, but will also encourage businesses to invest in green technology.

"This is a boon to businesses looking to invest in energy efficiency solutions to achieve business sustainability and long-term financial gains," said Peter Cave, the Malaysian Country President of Schneider Electric, in a statement today.

The company recommends businesses to practise active energy efficiency through their four step strategy of measures, Fix the Basics, Automate & Monitor. 

"At Schneider Electric, our main aim is to help Malaysians make the most of their energy,' he added. 

The fund which will now be extended till Dec 31, 2015 enables companies which are producers and users of green technology to obtain soft loans, with the government subsiding two per cent of the interest rate and providing a guarantee of 60 per cent on the amount of financing. 

To date, about RM800 million has been approved to 50 local companies since the fund's creation in Budget 2010. - BERNAMA

source:http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20121005114049/Article/index_html

50 green projects to be approved next year

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Green Technology Corp expects over 50 green projects to be approved by financial institutions under the Green Technology Financing Scheme (SPTH) next year, compared with 30 this year, acting chief executive officer Ahmad Zairin Ismail said.

Zairin, who is also the corporation’s Energy, Manufacturing, Building and ICT Division senior vice-president, said banks were now more keen to approve green projects as the Government, through the Finance Ministry, was also ready to promote this line of business.

The ministry has allocated another RM2bil to the SPTH to further push up the production and use of green technology-based products, with the scheme extended until Dec 31, 2015.

“So far, RM805mil worth of projects have been approved by over 21 participating banks in the country, while over RM250mil worth of loans have been disbursed,” he told reporters at the media sneak preview of the International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (iGEM) 2012.

He said the time taken by banks to approve green projects has also decreased significantly, from over a year to between six weeks and two months.

Under the funding scheme, between RM10mil and RM50mil is allocated for a project, depending on the criteria.

The iGEM 2012, to be held on Oct 10-13 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors.

Also present at the media sneak preview was Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui (pic). “We are targeting the four-day event to generate more sales leads this year, compared with last year’s RM1.35bil, and this year’s exhibition will include 330 companies with over 600 booths,” he said. — Bernama

source : http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/2/business/12109268&sec=business