Malaysia will soon implement the feed-in tariff like Germany to enable users to sell excess power to the power grid, said Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
There is no reason for Malaysia, which has all-year-round sunshine, not to be among the leaders in the solar power market, he said.
” If Germany with such a low sunshine can be a global solar market, then it is a crying shame why Malaysia cannot be better, with our all-year-round sunshine,” he said in his keynote address at the Sixth National Utilities Summit 2009 this week.
Germany generates about 3,800MW (Megawatt) solar power, almost half of the world market.
Malaysia is also contemplating other measures to promote photovoltaics, he said in his text of speech read out by the ministry’s Deputy Secretary-General ( Green Technology and Water) Datuk Nor Azmal Mohd Nazir.
If not for households, at least facilities with huge roof spans such as the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, National Sports Complex, Kuala Lumpur City Centre and factories in industrial zones should implement BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics), Chin said.
Such an installation was recently completed by Singapore-based Phoenix Solar, the regional subsidiary of Phoenix Solar AG.
It recently completed the installation of a 71.4 kilowatts peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system on the “Diamond Building”, which is the Malaysia Energy Commission’s new headquarters, in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Phoenix Solar, together with local system integrator partner Solamas Sdn Bhd, used state-of-the-art thin film modules from leading global manufacturer First Solar.
The modules were shipped from their RM2.0 billion (US$570 million) manufacturing plant in Kulim Hi-Tech Park, the largest thin film solar PV manufacturing plant in the world. First Solar’s other manufacturing facilities are in the USA and Germany.
“The Diamond Building is an excellent example of aesthetic integration of mass-produced PV modules into a rooftop. It’s much more cost-effective than using customised modules”, says Christophe Inglin, Managing Director of Phoenix Solar.
Phoenix Solar also equipped the system with sensors to measure ambient and module temperature, solar irradiance and wind speed. Data loggers are in place to track daily data to verify system performance. The unique design of the Energy Commission building also means that modules were placed on all 4 sides, facing North, South, East and West, making it an excellent
benchmark for performance data.
“We are pleased to see our modules installed so prominently in Malaysia and hope that this will be the first of many such projects”, says P’ng Soo Hong, Managing Director of First Solar Malaysia Sdn Bhd. “The project demonstrates the versatility of our products and sets a standard for green design.”
The installation is complete, and awaiting connection to the grid by end-2009. Upon connection, it will be the first commercial building using First Solar panels in ASEAN.
