Fast depleting fossil fuels and rising greenhouse emissions have led to a race among nations to drive the agenda of renewable energy. Malaysia is no exception, with its fast growing industrial and commercial sectors, as well as service industries catering to the needs of its population and contributing to economic growth.
Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said the renewable energy prospects were bright in Malaysia as it had very rich resources which could be readily tapped, such as solar, biogas, biomass and hydro.
However, the development of renewable energy needed the government’s intervention to facilitate newcomers establishing themselves, he said at the opening of the 3rd CUTSE International Conference 2011 here yesterday.
He also said the passing of Renewable Energy 2011 and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (Seda Malaysia) Act 2011 in April this year marked a major milestone in the development of renewable energy in the country.
“Under the Renewable Energy Act, a feed-in tariff (FiT) mechanism is established to enable interested parties to develop renewable energy in a safe and secure manner as the generated electricity can be sold to utility companies over a guaranteed period,” said Chin.
According to him, under the FiT, up to 30 MW of electricity generated from four renewable sources – solar photovoltaic, biogas, biomass and small hydro – can be connected to the national grid and sold back to utilities companies.
“Therefore, this Act is a catalyst for renewable energy generation and it is also aligned with Malaysian government’s aim to achieve 5.5 per cent renewable energy in Malaysia’s total energy mix by 2015,” Chin added.
However, Chin said as our way of using energy was not sustainable, there was a need to change our lifestyle and use less energy.
He pointed out, among others, we have to discard bad habits of wasting energy, resort to energy saving electrical appliances wherever possible, design and build more energy efficient homes and commercial buildings, and most importantly, find alternative sources of energies.
Meanwhile, Chin said Malaysia is now ready to join the league of economies that have eco business and sustainable business through the government’s direct participation in promoting the consumption of more environmentally preferred products, commonly referred to as ‘eco products’.
Also present were deputy pro-vice chancellor Prof Dr Alistair Inglis, dean of School of Engineering and Science Prof Dr Yudi Samyudia and conference organising chairman associate professor Dr Ashutosh Kumar Singh.
The conference attracted the submission of more than 250 papers and the attendance of more than 150 participants from 22 countries. It was jointly organised by the School of Engineering and Science, Curtin University Sarawak and the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM).
