Singapore to have driverless pods by end-2016

Back in April, Mashable carried an article about driverless vehicles that is expected to ply Singapore's roads as early as year-end. Chances are if you spend your Christmas holiday in Singapore later, you could be hopping on these battery powered pods.


This cool driverless pod will run on Singapore's roads by end of the year. Image by SMRT Corporation


In 2010, Dutch company, 2getthere, specialising in developing sustainable Automated Transit Networks for personal and group transportation, together with SMRT produced 10 similar vehicles for Abu Dhabi's cleantech business park, Masdar City.

It is understood that 2getthere also built similar system for Rotterdam's Rivium Business Park, supplying 6 electric vehicles for the park with the capacity of 20 passengers per car.

For the Singapore case, these pods - 24 of them that can handle up to 8,000 passengers per hour - are said to be suitable for gated communities, schools, universities and other smaller roads.



The concept vehicle for Singapore will run on batteries.



The car that's currently running on Masdar City's roads - built by 2getthere. Image: 2getthere. You have got to like this cool, quiet pod for your community! 


TheGreenMechanics: This may be suitable for UMS. The campus occupies large area of gated community with increasing number of students. In fact, this is one of the biggest campus in Malaysia in terms of land area.


Source: Mashable

Switch to LED lamps, save 90% of energy...

Ok, 90% may look a lot and you thought that 'it's too good to be true'.

While you can't be blamed for thinking it's a total bull*, there is truth to it. A 100W incandescent lamp can be replaced by a 20W compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) of an equal luminosity. Today's technology can offer a LED lamp equivalent of 10W to 12W power consumption.

So, comparing to incandescent lamps, switching to LED saves you about 88% to 90%.



However, most of us are no longer using 'traditional' incandescence lamps nowadays, hence, that 90% efficiency claim is not attractive to us anymore. The reference now for efficiency gain is the CFL, which is a big improvement from the energy guzzling filament lamps. Still, LED is the way forward.

In 2012 the Ministry of Green Technology and Water announced that to government is phasing out traditional light bulbs (incandescent bulbs), which would eventually lead to a complete ban in 2014.

I don't know if everyone has thrown theirs in favour of LED lamps yet but for me the announcement was a 'hasty' one.


Should we change to LED light bulbs now?

Ideally yes. But there is issue with this type of lighting, apart from the PF issue (though it may not be anymore), the manufacturing of LED lamps is highly unregulated unlike the conventional ones. The LED component itself may last 10 years, perhaps 15 or 20 years, but the driver unit's lifespan varies and is significantly shorter.

Due to the unregulated (not standard) construction of drivers, one that's fabricated by Osram for instance, would not fit one that's fabricated by Phillips.

What this means is that, you end up buying the whole set of lamp instead of just replacing the faulty parts - which is an expensive exercise. You will then be stuck with one brand, without having the flexibility of switching between Philips, GE, Panasonocs, Osram, etc. Moreover, LED lamps are still very expensive and you don't want to replace them after just 2 to 3 years due to faulty drivers.

Doesn't this remind you of the convenience - you currently enjoy - of replacing your 36W fluorescent tube with a brand of your choice?


The Green Mechanics: Prices of LED lamps are dropping but not appealing enough for me. I'm currently more inclined towards replacing mine with the CFLs. I use them a lot - 20W, 23W and 25W - equivalent to traditional bulbs of 100W, 125W and 150W respectively.

Schneider Electric's Efficiency Quotient to help customers with energy assessments

Energy management specialist Schneider Electric wants Malaysians to use its online Efficiency Quotient tool to help improve energy conservation.

The quick and easy online questionnaire that was launched last year, provides customers with an energy management assessment, including cross-user comparisons and recommended steps for reducing energy costs and improving efficiency.


           It covers industrial plants, data centres, buildings and energy & infrastructure


Although the tool is just a fundamental guide (available at the company's website) but it is useful enough and it can help Malaysians conduct their own energy management assessment to compare their spending to other users.

"According to the International Energy Agency, we are the third largest energy consuming nation in the Association of South-East Asian Nations and as our economy continues to grow, so will our energy needs."
- Soo Pow Leong, Schneider Electric Malaysia country president


Upon completing the survey, the corporate and individual users will receive their energy efficiency 'score' on a rating of 1 to 5 and they can share and compare their scoring against other participant in the survey.

Based on this score, Schneider Electric will provide them with recommendations and access to relevant educational materials including relevant white papers, links and other tools to help guide their energy efficiency improvement process.

Interested users can consult Schneider Electric specialists to further assist them to plan and implement technologies, strategies and services to increase business performance and efficiency. This way, the assessment would be more suited to specific requirement of the orginasation.

Try it today at Schneider Electric EQ Survey Centre


TheGreenMechanics: At the very least, the Efficiency Quotient tool will be useful in educating users about effective ways of using energy and help them identify easy steps to lower energy bills.

I tried to register online today but the server seemed to have some issues and I got stuck at the country selection drop-down menu, even after several attempts.

Toyota unveiled zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, start selling in 2015

I hope Toyota does it right this time around by building a nice looking green vehicle.

The Prius and Prius C don't look that appealing aesthetically. So is Honda's Insight which is quite unsightly. Mitsubishi's iMiEV zero-emission electric vehicle is lacking the appeal of a mid-size sedan.

The yet to be named Toyota fuel cell vehicle is at least looking good from the many pictures captured by reporters covering the currently on-going Las Vegas 2014 International CES. 

Toyota showcased two fuel cell vehicles at the show:-

• The FCV concept, and 
• The fuel-cell powered prototype 

The fuel-cell prototype has been used for extensive on-road testing in North America for more than a year, so, there should be some baseline for the Japanese auto giant to move forward from.

The hydrogen fuel cell car seen at 2014 International CES. To be launched next year in the US, Toyota said this would be "the car of the future." AFP photo

'Camouflaged to hide its identity'. The prototype that has gone through extensive on-road testing. Photo credit: Toyota


Toyota announces hydrogen powered vehicle at CES 2014

Toyota will launch a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2015, but at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the auto giant gave a preview of it.

Toyota says that fuel cell electric vehicles will be in our future sooner than many people believe, and in much greater numbers than anyone expected.

After testing the prototype on North American roads for more than a year, Toyota claims that it consistently delivers a driving range of about 300 miles (480 km) and only takes 3 to 5 minutes to refuel the hydrogen tank.

Media reported that California has already approved more than $200 million in funding to build about 20 new stations by 2015, a total of 40 by 2016, and as many as 100 by 2024. It is only appropriate that, when the Toyota fuel cell vehicle launches next year, it will initially be launched in California.

Further readings at ClimateProgress

TheGreenMechanics: With hydrogen fuel cell powered car, what is emitted into the atmosphere is just water vapour. No smoke and no CO2.

Changing your incandescent and CFL light bulbs to LED

You may have heard that the federal government has started phasing out incandescent light bulbs (filament bulbs) since 2011 and they are supposed to be banned completely this year (2014). The policy to phase these bulbs out is being implementation in two phases:

• Phase 1 (2011) - ban on the sale and import of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs
• Phase 2 (2012 - Dec 2013) - ban the manufacture, import and sale of the 100-watt lights.

No news on smaller wattages yet, but they are also expected to be banned in time to come. What is clear now is that we can still see tonnes of RM1.50 to RM2.00 apiece 60W, 75W and 100W incandescent bulbs at shopping malls.


Learn from others

The following video clip explains similar situation in the US but is very relevant to consumers in Malaysia as well. The Federal Energy Independence and Securities act began in the US in October of 2012, where 40W and 60W incandescent light-bulbs were phased out beginning January this year.

I saw this from Inhabitat and I thought I should share it with you, fellow readers.



Come on, give it a go. Go ahead watch it. It's only 6 minutes and it might give you an idea on how to lower your energy consumption by switching from incandescent light bulbs and CFL to LED. You may also learn a thing or two on how to recycle your old incandescent bulbs.

LED light bulbs are now readily available at local electrical stores and their prices are dropping at a faster rate than CFLs'.

Source: Inhabitat


TheGreenMechanics: The price of a typical 60W equivalent LED light bulb (6W to 8W) is now down to as low as RM25.00 so I may consider this as replacement for the 40W fluorescent tubes in the near term.

2013 Convention on Sustainable Energy

This year's sustainable energy convention in Sabah is held in Kota Kinabalu as follows:

Date           : 14th - 15th November 2013
Venue        : 1Borneo Pacific Ballroom, Kota Kinabalu Sabah
Officiated  : YAB Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman, Chief Minister of Sabah

Organizers :
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA)
Malaysian Energy Commission
Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd




Among the papers and presentation during the 2-day convention:

• Enhancing Energy Efficiency (EE) Through Policies and Legislation
• RE Technology Development & Feed-in Tariff in Malaysia
• Renewable Energy Development in Sabah
• Industrial Energy Efficiency
• Towards the development of Smart Building: Solar PV System & Energy Audit 
• Towards the development of Smart Building: Elements of Energy Management
• Solution for Future Sustainability in Malaysia
• Renewable Energy Development in Malaysia: The Solar PV industry Perspective 

Selected papers will be highlighted in this website. Stay tuned.

Global green event 'Xperience Efficiency' includes Malaysia

A global event, promoted by energy management specialist, Schneider Electric, shares knowledge on energy and sustainability with governments and companies.

For Malaysia, the event, called Xperience Efficiency 2013 Malaysia will be held in Selangor next week.

Xperience Efficiency 2013 Malaysia is a free event.

Series of the 'green' roadshow began in June with events in the United States, China, Colombia, Brazil, and Russia, will be held at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, Selangor, on 24-25 September this year.

Schneider Electric noted that green movement in Malaysia is considered in its infancy, but the focus on sustainability and the drive for corporate social responsibility, is paving its rapid expansion.


"This event is a step taken to inculcate and highlight the value of saving of energy among Malaysians. With the participation of government agencies, businesses and community leaders, Malaysia will be moving in the right direction towards a green environment."
- Peter Cave, President, Schneider Electric Malaysia


The event will show the future of efficiency with solutions that deliver energy management, energy access, and business-process performance answers right across the energy chain.

Participants to the free event will get to experience the followings:

• More than 12 breakout sessions addressing market, industry and solution trends
• Latest developments in systems, solutions, and technology
• Internationally renowned experts from government, business, academia, and industry
• First-hand stories of companies experiencing efficiency today

For more readings, log on to the company's website.

With tariff revision looming, here are some tips to save electricity in your home

The government is planning another electricity tariff revision real soon. And for Malaysians living in Sabah, this will come as another quick slap on the face as we have just had our revision in July 2011.

When the happen, you can choose to get angry and complain, do nothing, or do something to conserve energy and save money.

Monitor and plan your energy usage

The biggest electricity users in the home tend to be heating (mainly for temperate countries) and/or air conditioning, water heating, washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, lighting, and the refrigerator. When looking to save electricity, spend the most time focussing on these big energy hogs to get the biggest effect for your efforts.

Here are a selection of tips to help you to reduce your electricity consumption:

1. Turn off your television, video, hifi, playstation, and other entertainment devices when they are not being used.


2. Do not leave your television etc in standby mode. Devices can use up to 90% as much power in standby mode as when they are on, so it is a serious waste of energy when a device is left constantly on standby. 


3. Replace all of your inefficient incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient CFL bulbs. Replace halogen spotlights with much more efficient and longer lasting LED Spotlights.


4. Hang your clothes out to dry rather than using an electric tumble dryer. Ideally use a spin dryer before using the tumble dryer.


5. Cook many items at the same time when your electric oven is hot.


6. Use a microwave to reheat food or to cook small portions. Although a microwave uses a lot of power, it does so over a very short time and so saves energy overall.


7. Purchase energy efficient appliances - washing machines, tumble driers, fridges etc. Although they usually cost a little more initially, the cost savings in electricity will cover that many times over. As an added benefit, efficient items are usually better made and last longer than inefficient models.


8. Vacuum clean the condenser coils at the back or underneath your fridge freezer. Accumulated dust reduces their efficiency by up to 25% adding that cost to your electricity bill.


9. Keep your fridge full, but not so full that air cannot circulate properly.


10. Cool cooked food before you put it into the fridge.


11. Do not put uncovered liquids into the fridge. Their evaporation will make the fridge have to work harder. 


12. Heat only as much water as you require for drinks and cooking. If you keep forgetting, purchase an energy efficient eco kettle.


13. Use a convection oven. A small fan inside circulates hot air throughout the oven, cutting cooking times by up to 30%.


14. Don't keep opening the oven door. Every time you do so, your oven loses 20°C of heat.


15. Put lamps in the corner of a room so that the light is reflected off two walls.


16. Turn down the temperature on your washing machine. Heating the water uses the majority of the electricity, so by doing a warm wash instead of a hot wash, big savings are possible.


17. Defrost frozen food in the fridge since this helps to cool the fridge.


18. Running a full load in an efficient dishwasher will use less hot water than washing up by hand in the sink! Save money, save time, and save electricity.


19. Boil water in a kettle rather than on a hob (flat metal shelf) to save 50-70% of the energy and to get your water boiled faster.

For those living in temperate countries, these are more pertinent, but it certainly is good for reading and for general knowledge:

1. In the summer use ceiling fans on a fast setting instead of air conditioning to keep cool. In the winter, running the fans slowly will push warm air collected at ceiling height down to where you want it. (If the slowest setting on your fan is too strong, reverse the direction of the fan in the winter so that the accumulated warm air is blown up against the ceiling and bounces more gently down around the walls and into the living space.


2. Turn down your heating system thermostat. For every degree you lower your heat between 60° and 70° F you can reduce your heating bill by up to 5%. Wear an extra layer of clothing in the house so that you stay warm. Turn down individual radiators - for example, 16°-18° is warm enough for bedrooms whereas 20°-22°C is more comfortable in bathrooms. Rooms that are rarely used can have their heating turned all the way down or off.

Source: SESB archive

Calculating power factor from electricity meter reading

Power factor, PF,  in the electrical installation can tell us about how efficient the plant, factory, building, or installation load is operating at.

Low power factor cost money and  in most cases is against the law. In Malaysia, TNB/SESB set a minimum power factor of 0.85 that every consumer must achieve and if yours falls below this value, you will be charged with power factor penalty in a staggered manner.

Calculating power factor without taking your toolbox with you

kVA² = kW² = kVAR²


From this equation, we derive the power factor:




In the case of SESB, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, the power factor penalty is calculated as follows:-

If the Average Power Factor of any consumer in any month is found to be:

(a) Below 0.85  and up to 0.75 lagging, a supplementary charge of 1.5% of the bill for that month for each one-hundredth part (0.01) below 0.85 will be added to the bill for that month; and

(b) Below 0.75 lagging, in addition to the charge above, a supplementary charge of 3% of the bill for that month for each one-hundredth part (0.01) below 0.75 will be added to the bill for that month.


Example:



Say, a premise is categorised under Commercial Tariff Class 1, CM1, and billing meters show the followings during January 2013 monthly meter reading:

kWh meter     : 2,660
kVARh meter  : 2,190

The average power factor for that month, according to the formula is

PF  = kWh / [SQRT(kWh² + kVARh²)]
       = 2,660 / [SQRT(2,660² + 2,190²)]
       = 0.77

which is below 0.85 but above 0.75, and hence a PF penalty of 1.5% supplementary charge for every 0.01 part applies.

Supplementary charge	=	100*(0.85 - 0.77)  x  1.5% x  Monthly bill
	=	8 x 1.5% x RM890.10
	=	RM106.81

Calculate monthly bill
First 200 kWh	=	200 x 33.0 cents     = RM66.00
Next 2,460 kW	=	2,460 x 33.5 cents  = RM824.10
Hence, monthly bill	=	RM890.10
Total bill	=	RM996.91

The PF penalty is about 12% of the monthly bill and for a larger installation/premise, this could be a lot of money. Plus, if you continue to register PF of below 0.75, the utility company has a provision to stop supplying power to your premise until you rectify the situation.


Reason for posting this? I'm putting this formula up here for ease of future reference. I can refer to it from my mobile device, too. Also, this maybe useful for the accountants and administrators who receive the bills and in need of quick answer on how/why they were penalised.

8 energy hogs in your home - What are they?

While I don't necessarily agree with the use of the term 'hog' here, it is necessary to illustrate the miscellaneous energy loads (MELs) in your home. These are the electrical appliances that use up way more than their fair share of energy.

I read the article and it surprises me that fan is one of the identified energy hogs. I thought leaving 10 fans switched on the whole day uses less energy than turning a single  2.5HP air-conditioner on for 8 hours.

*Size of bubble represents annual energy consumption (AEC) in TWh/year. Source: GTMedia

Surprising 8 energy hogs

GreenTech Media reported a finding by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which listed the following eight technologies in the home that are due for an energy efficiency makeover:-

Televisions. Even though your television has gotten slimmer, it is a growing part of energy use in your house. More than half of homes have at least three televisions. New TVs, such as LCD and LED models, are more efficient, but they are also usually larger, which offsets efficiency gains.

Set-top boxes for cable or satellite TV service. The energy use continues to climb with the popularity of DVRs, which require the box to be active for more times of the day.

Personal computers. More efficient active and sleep modes as part of Energy Star standards have made some gains, but increasing numbers of laptops and tablets mean that many of us are more plugged in more often.

Video game consoles. Like personal computers, video game consoles have gotten more efficient over the years, but they have also gained in popularity and are used for a lot more, and many are left on all the time.

Ceiling fans. Overall ceiling fan energy use is going up and is expected to increase through 2030. ACEEE estimates savings of 84% are possible if current fans were all replaced with the best available technology.

Microwaves. Even if you only use the microwave for popcorn, it can still suck up a lot of energy in standby mode.

Monitors. Standalone computer monitors have gotten more efficient in recent years, but usage has outstripped the gains. Since 2006, computer monitor usage has increased about 35%.

Cordless phones. This includes all rechargeable electronics -- including everything from cordless and cellular phones to electric toothbrushes and power tools. The cordless phone continues to be responsible for about half the energy consumption amongst rechargeable electronics in homes.


Read more at GTM (link provided above)

Cities get creative on Energy Efficiency

World's major cities, led by Los Angeles, are improving their energy efficiency - a great sign towards achieving sustainable business activities, and more importantly making the cities "a better place to live and work".

110 cities were studied including our neighbouring Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok, and CDP came back to report the following:


Energy efficiency is managed largely by retro-fitting street lights. KK Port photo by: de engineur


World cities look to improve energy efficiency

LONDON: Some of the world's largest cities are improving their energy efficiency, a report said Thursday, while nations struggle to forge a global response to climate change.

Cities are taking action to reduce their carbon emissions and better manage their water strategy, said a report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which runs a platform for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share environmental information.

The 110-city report found that one out of every two actions cities take to reduce emissions are focused on efficiency.

Los Angeles led the way, managing annual energy savings of $13 million (9.85 million euros) -- largely by retro-fitting traffic signals and street lights --followed by Washington and Las Vegas with $6.3 million, the CDP found.

"Cities are hotbeds of innovation, and local governments have been quick to implement many new ways to combat and adapt to climate change and resource scarcity."- Conor Riffle, head of CDP's cities programme.

"These leading cities are enjoying multiple paybacks for their economies and communities. National governments should pay close attention."

Cities that took part in the study included Toyko, Seoul, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Singapore, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Moscow, Paris and London.

The study found that the European cities surveyed produced $12,502 gross domestic product per metric tonne of carbon dioxide emissions, with South American cities producing $6,816, East Asian cities $5,831 and North American cities $5,550.

It found that 62 percent of such actions had the potential to attract new business and investment.

Meanwhile it found that 55 percent of the cities studied were undertaking initiatives to reduce emissions that promote walking and cycling.


Reference: IndiaTimes

Fire risk: GM recalls 43,500 hybrid cars in North America

Oh no. This is not a good news at all for hybrid vehicles big community.

In a rare incident, GM is recalling hybrid car models for issues related to 'potential overheating of the circuit board' that could lead to a loss of battery charge and cause the engine to stall. Models affected are:

• Chevrolet Malibu Eco 2013
• Buick LaCrosse 2012 - 2013
• Buick Regal sedan 2012 - 2013

Recalling is uncommon in vehicle industry, but let's hope this will not halt the progress and dim people's enthusiasm for energy-efficient cars.

BTW, this hybrid is powered by a combination of a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and a 15-hp electric motor, is priced at $25,995 in the US. That's about RM77,036 in Malaysia in dollar-to-dollar conversion. I bet it will cost you no less than RM160,000 in our 'import-friendly' car market!

The Chevrolet Malibu Eco

As reported by the press:

General Motors is recalling nearly 43,000 hybrid vehicles in the United States and around 500 in Canada to fix a defect that could cause a fire in the trunk, the automaker said Monday.

The recall affects Chevrolet Malibu Eco models from the 2013 model year and Buick LaCrosse and Regal sedans from 2012 and 2013 which are equipped with eAssist hybrid gas-electric engines.

"The issue is the potential overheating of the circuit boards in the generator control module, but it does not involve the eAssist battery," GM said in a statement.

GM said an overheating circuit board could lead to a loss of battery charge and cause the engine to stall.

"In addition, there may be a burning or melting odor, smoke, and, in rare instances, a fire in the trunk," GM spokesman Alan Adler said in a statement.

Most of the incidents occurred within the first 1,000 miles of operation, GM said and only two led to trunk fires. One was during an October screening in a dealership and the other occurred in March.

No injuries or crashes were reported as a result of the defect, GM said.
Source: The Bangkok Post

Take advantage of Thailand's LED Lighting market: MATRADE

If you have outgrown the domestic demand, venture globally. This seem to be the message of MATRADE to local manufacturers and exporters.

But is our domestic demand that high? I doubt it.

Malaysia has more than 20 local LED companies involved in the assembly of LED lighting products. Some of the bigger ones are Osram Opto Semiconductors (M) Sdn Bhd, Globetronics Technology Bhd, Elsoft Research Bhd, MyLED Opto Technology, and MMS Ventures Bhd.

Malaysia's LED lighting market is not that big compare to that of China or even Thailand but what's more disappointing is the lower than expected usage of LED lighting locally. For example, Osram in Bayan Lepas, Penang is expanding its production plant because it is anticipating the huge demand in China beginning 2013.

Why can't we expand domestic consumption instead. (Again) are we happy with just being the manufacturer and exporter but not using the product itself?

Thailand's LED lighting market is currently 12% of the nation's total lighting market share

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

I've appended Bernama's article herewith for your reference, in case the news portal decides to archive it and becomes unavailable for free:


Malaysian exporters urged to take advantage Of Thai LED Lighting market

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is encouraging Malaysian exporters of LED lightings to take advantage of the huge demand for LED products in Thailand.

In a statement, Matrade said Thailand continues to encourage energy saving, and plans to reduce energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2030.

"Thailand's current LED lighting market is about US$27 million (RM84 million) or 12 per cent of the Kingdom's total lighting market share.

"Market demand is anticipated to increase further between 30 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015. The market has shown a positive growth trend with revenue of more than US$10 billion (RM31 million) in recent years," it added.

Matrade's Trade Commissioner in Bangkok, Niqman Rafaee Mohd Sahar said the Provincial Electricity Authority is planning to replace one million street lights nationwide with (LED)bulbs. He said other areas that require LED lighting are public and private infrastructure projects, including the construction of a new stadium, the Parliament house, residential areas in the city and provinces, commercial areas such as shopping malls, hospitality and entertainment projects.

"Malaysian companies should focus on the requirements of LED products for massive government projects in Thailand, as well as to explore and support the growth demand of LED lighting in the electrical, electronics, and automotive industry," he added.

The number of cars with LED headlights will grow from 1.5 million this year to five million in 2015 with the value of LED components growing from US$130 million (RM406 million) to US$300 million (RM938 million).

Last year, Malaysia's total trade with Thailand grew 5.4% to US$74.01 billion (RM231 billion) with a positive export growth of 5.5% to US$37.71 billion (RM118 billion).

Full LED street lighting by 2014 for Shenzhen, China

It seems that many are benchmarking themselves against 2014 for going Energy Efficient in lighting their streets.

The nation is targeting 2014 for full use of LED street lights. While incandescent lamps will be banned in Malaysia by 2014 as they are very inefficient.

Shenzhen aims to be the first city in China to adopt full LED street lightings. Photo: Urbanista.net


In December last year, the municipal government of Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city bordering Hong Kong, issued the Implementation Plan of LED Lighting Promotion and Application in Shenzhen, calling for the installation of LED lighting in all public areas in two years.

This means that the implementation will be completed in 2014.

Shenzhen’s LED industry, valued currently at 70 billion yuan annually ($11.2 billion) accounts for nearly half of the China's LED output and there are promotional efforts to double the output to over 130 billion yuan ($20.9 billion) in 2015.

The Shenzhen government’s plan suggests that LED lighting applications be first deployed in public areas, including city roads, public facilities, government agencies, state-owned enterprises or institutions, and other projects and facilities invested by state-owned capital. Lighting in these areas are to use LED street lamps, yard lamps, landscape lamps. Other forms of lighting are to be converted in stages, with full conversion completed by the end of 2013.


Project financing

Green Prospect Asia reported that, to finance the LED lighting project, the plan requires the city treasury to use revenue collected as part of electricity tax, or to seek funds from other public sources. As for the financing of new projects undertaken by government departments, each department is responsible for the financing of its own LED projects.

Thera are obstacles in such a futuristic project such as high cost and the fact that LED road-lamp technology is still at a developmental stage and hence, not very scalable. But I'm sure the city planners can sit down and iron out plans to mitigate project financial risks.


TheGreenMechanics: There you go. Kota Kinabalu's plan to install energy-efficient light bulbs in the city by 2014 is not far fetched, isn't it. Just go for it!



To read the full article, visit Green Prospect Asia.

LED lighting for SK Randagong, Ranau

Being far away from the development of the urban area should not stop you from being efficient in your energy usage. Especially so if you happen to have been adopted by big corporation such as SESB (Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd).

Energy efficiency is what we want to drive home to the younger generation and SESB did just that to the school children at SK Randagong in Ranau.

SK Randagong - children will learn about energy efficiency early. InsightSabah photo.


Called Energy Efficient (EE) Light programme, SESB started the initiative off in the rural area by 'acting' rather than 'preaching'. SESB came to the school and changed all its conventional light bulbs with energy saving LEDs in September last year, and helped reduce the school’s electricity bill by about 30% the next month. The less-than-expected saving is probably due to power consumption by other appliances that are not energy efficient.


How much?

The  total cost of changing all 35 lights at the school is RM5,350 which works out to be about RM135 per unit. A check with online retailers shows that LED tubes will set you back at RM130 to RM190 per set. Comparing this to the conventional fluorescent tube which is retailed at about RM14 (36 W), it is still a very expensive affair at the current market price.

But life span of LED lights are also about 10 times longer and are brighter,  plus there is virtually no heat generated compared to incandescent/filament and conventional tubes.

Coverage by local dailies, DE, NST and BP was not conclusive as to whether SESB replaced all lights with LED tubes, compact fluorescent tubes or combination of both but looking at the cost involved, I'm convinced they are LEDs.


Why LED? (The LED Revolution)

LEDs are evolving much faster than any other lighting technology. They offer advances in:-

• Efficiency. Energy savings from 50% to 70% compared with conventional technologies result in similar cuts to carbon emissions.

• Controllability. Better control over light colour,  intensity and direction allows lighting system designs that can deliver a wide range of social co-benefits. 

     Examples:

1. Outdoor LEDs offer improved visibility for pedestrians and traffic, as well as reduced light pollution.
2. Indoor LED smart control systems have been shown to improve student behavior and study performance.

• Lifespan. Well-designed LEDs are expected to last for 50,000 to 100,000 hours or more. Lifespans can be extended even further by coupling LEDs with smart controls.

According to LED 2012 Report by The Climate Group (Supported and sponsored by HSBC & Philips), when smart controls allow LEDs to dynamically change lighting levels in response to conditions, total system energy savings can reach up to 80%.*

While fluorescent tubes have doubled in efficiency since 1950, white LED efficiency has increased by a factor of ten since 2000. Today LEDs are among the most efficient lighting sources available, but in the near future they will reach far beyond any competing technology and become the technology of choice for most applications – with energy savings reaching up to 90% compared to today’s conventional technologies. [The Climate Group]


TheGreenMechanics:

SESB should not stop there. Move on to other schools, higher learning institutions, and collaborate with other GLCs or even local authorities. Get the involvement of the people. Involvement would instill the sense of belonging.

Thumbs up and many thanks, SESB!


* LED June 2012 Report by The ^oClimate Group.

Spread the Word about Energy Effeciency and get rewarded

One of the ways to encourage participation from the people towards Energy Efficiency at home is through contest/competition.

I know we have had this SAVE Program whereby the government gives out RM200 rebate for purchase of efficient refrigerators and RM100 for energy-efficient air-conditioners quite recently. It was a decent effort but for some unknown reason it was not that popular.


Yarmouth town won $8,000

There is this competition to promote energy efficiency at home in the State of Massachusetts, USA, that caught my attention and the very similar concept can be adopted by our Local Councils here in Malaysia.

In that competition, CLC, an intergovernmental organisation in Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard region invited individuals and organisations to recruit and invite households to sign up for free energy assessment through  “Home Energy Assessment Recruitment Competition”.

Each household that went through with an energy assessment was allowed to vote once for the town or organization that recruited them. Town or organization who recruits the most energy assessments will win our top prize of $8000 (approx RM24,000).

After a period of 6 months, votes was counted and Yarmouth town won it with 77 votes beating 16 other towns and organisations.


List of prizes (winners list can be viewed at the link below):

1st Place             - $8,000 (town of Yarmouth)
2nd Place           - $5,000
3rd Place            - $2,000
4th Place            - $1,000
5th Place             - $1,000
6th – 8th Place    - $750 each
9th – 16th Place  - $500 each

All participating towns and organisations receive money as long as minimum requirements are met.

Pic: Reps from the winning town. CLC (Cape Light Compact) photo.



Find out more about the fun and fulfilling competition here.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

This competition is interestingly engaging and can be adapted to our Energy Efficiency campaign in Malaysia. For a start, Energy Commission may want to collaborate with the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (under Datuk Hajiji Hj. Noor) to carry out competition at municipal level.

Why not!

Malaysia to unveil policies for energy efficient vehicles by first half of this year

Good.

But one announcement after another is not good enough. Come up with the Policies then talk, not the other way around, shall we?

In October last year the same minister stated that 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. This is because the Government is already giving incentive to automotive players to open up their production here.

Is this considered a standard Policy or just bits and pieces of a "tailored policy for each manufacturer"? I think we are not sincere in liberalising the automotive industry in Malaysia. No wonder cars - both local and imported - are still overpriced after so many years of trying.

Bottom line is - GIVE ME A COMPETITIVELY PRICED CAR!

______________________________________________

Policies for energy efficient vehicles in 1H2013
Published: Jan 22, 2013
Via: The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will unveil policies on energy efficient vehicles (EEV) by the first half of this year, which would see the opening up of the segment in the automotive industry.

Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said this would provide good opportunities and a level-playing field for local and foreign players in the industry.

"This is one of the segments that we think is important under the ongoing revised National Automotive Policy (NAP). We have decided this is the segment that we need to open up in the near future," he said at the launch of the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS13) here on Tuesday.

He said the government is ironing out policy details such as on technology, fuel emission, standards and quality, adding Malaysia is the only Asean country focusing on the EEV market.

"All the stakeholders in the automotive trade have agreed on two things that we should make the production and marketing of EEV the future focus of the industry and that we should seek to establish a leadership position in the region for this sub-sector," he said.

Mustapa said although the government has not announced the final shape and form of the revised NAP, it will first introduce the pre-package customised incentives to support the development of the EEV sub-sector.

This is all part of the transition period towards the opening up of the automotive market towards 2015 and 2016 with the realisation of Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the implementation of free trade agreements between Malaysia and trade partners like Australia and Japan.

"With 2015 and 2016 around the corner, everyone in the motor sector are aware that they have to open up and all of them are gearing up to face new reality and new competition," he said. - Bernama

Solar and Wind powered prefabricated office

Imagine you are building a temporary office in a remote area where connecting to the power grid is impossible or not practical. Or, for the 'kick' of it, you want a self-sufficient small office behind your backyard.

Why not consider a pre-fabricated one such as this, designed by Victor Vetterlein. In case you were wondering, this is an actual practical unit published at inhabitat, (well sort of) it's just a concept but it's workable):

Ready-made and easy to install

Power is obtained from wind and solar 

It is modular, so, you can add few units in series to build bigger home/office.

What is it

The designer calls it the MOSS, a prefabricated 13 foot octagonal structure intended for home office, powered by clean, renewable energy.


Energy efficient design concept

It has very minimal environmental impact while still providing a comfortable and professional working environment. The main structural frame is laminated tree farm wood and steel connection plates, while the interior consists of insulated panels for energy efficiency.

During daytime, lighting is provided by natural light via the provision of 'sunroof'.


Renewable initiative

The rooftop solar panels provide energy for electricity, as well as providing shade from the scorching sun during hot weather. Shading is achieved by slightly lifting the solar PV panels off the roof to provide ventilation. Small wind turbine is also fitted.


For further reading, I suggest that you visit inhabitat where you can read the full article. All images were adopted from the website.

MI: Recreate tornadoes to produce Electricity

Could this be billed as Mission Impossible? A man-made vortex that is 200 meters in diameter and goes up 10 kilometers into the air?

Not according to a retired engineer from ExxonMobil. The idea is to create a huge vortex of warm air to cause a change in pressure at the bottom in order to drive a turbine-generator. An idea derived from the tornado formation.

The concept of creating a vortex with Atmospheric Vortex Design. Illustration by vortexengine.

The unusual idea, but possible

Fossil fuel power plants generate ample waste heat that can be used to make more electricity. The idea is unusual, and for 35 years Louis Michaud, a retired engineer from ExxonMobil, has mulled over how to bring the concept into reality. Michaud just got some backing, and it’s coming from a prominent Silicon Valley technology investor. A foundation by Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal, just awarded Michaud a $300,000 grant to show that his idea could work, said Michaud from his home in the Canadian province of Ontario.

“I think there is a huge potential here, and I don’t want to let it go,” Michaud said.

The money will allow Michaud to experiment with and document the creation of a mini vortex for electricity generation at the Lambton College in the city of Sarnia. The college, located in an oil drilling region, has the proper lab equipment for his project.


How it works: The vortex

The concept for creating a vortex, like a tornado, is based on the fact that air, when heated, will expand, become lighter and rise up. As the air rotates and goes up, the pressure at the bottom of the vortex becomes lower. As surrounding air enters at the bottom, and the difference in pressures then drives a turbine generator to produce electricity.

The diameter and height of the vortex make a difference in how much energy can be produced. A vortex that is 200 meters in diameter and goes up 10 kilometers into the air could have the production capacity of 200 MW, Michaud said. He envisions power plant owners to set up vortex-building equipment at existing facilities to make use of the waste heat and increase the overall electricity-production efficiency of the power plant.


Existing technology

There already are technologies that exist today to harness waste heat at power plants. A combined-cycle natural gas power plant takes the heat byproduct from burning natural gas and makes steam to run a turbine generator. Doing so increases the efficiency of a power plant from the 40 percent range (simple-cycle design) to just over 60 percent (combined-cycle design).

Michaud claims that his vortex station could make use of the waste heat a second time and boost the efficiency by another 20 percentage points.

For his prototype project, he plans to build a much smaller one that goes up 15 meters into the air and shows how it could turn a turbine. Michaud hopes to produce enough results to prove the technology concept by the end of the summer of 2013.

If he can demonstrate the idea’s feasibility, then he will eventually need some willing power plant owners to give him a chance for a field demonstration. To make this happen will be especially difficult because power plant owners aren’t known to take technology risks. For one thing, they have to abide by a host of regulations, including safety rules, and often under law they could get penalized for not maintaining a reliable supply of electricity. Trying out new equipment could throw their energy production out of whack.


Source: REW

12 Government buildings save RM3.5mil in electricity bills

Electrical Energy Manager requirement in Malaysia

Efficient Management of Electrical Energy Regulations 2008 (EMEER) that was gazetted on December 15, 2008 is aimed at getting big energy users to meet requirements in respect of the efficient use of electricity. This Regulation, among others require users with total consumption of 3,000,000 kWh or more over 6 consecutive months to appoint a Electrical Energy Manager (EEM) and implement efficient electrical energy management.

If your organisation is drawing 700 kW of power consistently, energy consumption would be 16,800 kWh per day or 3,057,600 kWh over 182 days (6 months). This will qualify you - or rather require you - to notify Energy Commission and appoint a EEM. It's a legal requirement!

As a guideline, if you have a 1,000 kVA transformer installed at your premise, you most likely fall under this Regulation. Example: hotels/resorts, universities, water treatment plans/pumping stations, big shopping complexes, government buildings, sky-scrappers, etc.


Government took the lead-by-example approach!

This was in the news, so, expect stricter implementation of the Regulation by Energy Commission, EC, in the near future. You might get a surprise visit from EC officials:-

Government Buildings Saved RM3.5m In Electricity Bills This Year
Putrajaya - Nov.30, 2012

Twelve government buildings identified as the biggest consumers of electricity, registered savings of RM3.5 million or 10.3 per cent in power usage, between January and October.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said, this was achieved after an energy manager was appointed for each building which used more than 3,000,000 kilowatts per hour in six consecutive months, and suggested steps for energy conservation for implementation.

Among the buildings are the Finance Ministry building which recorded savings of 20 per cent and the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry building with 9.8 per cent, he told reporters after meeting with ministry personnel here today.

Chin said, they could increase savings by using energy-saving bulbs such as light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), whereby RM800 million could be saved a year, should all buildings be fitted with such bulbs. He said the ministry was still discussing with the Finance Ministry on implementing the change to energy-saving bulbs as it would involve high costs.

"We are now looking at working with producers to come up with their proposal on how they can implement this for the government.

"If they can work with us on the implementation, for example, they are paid according to the savings (made from the usage of the bulbs). Then, the government will be able to implement this much faster," he said.

Government buildings currently spend more than RM2.7 billion on electricity a year. - Bernama