Apply green technology in development projects

It maybe too soon for some developers to aim for GBI rated buildings now, but it is achieveable and in a long run, it will benefit both the environment and the future generations. We already have our   first green building - the Art Gallery Conservation Centre located in Jalan Penampang which can save as much as RM400,000 a year in energy.

In simple terms, buildings will be awarded the GBI rating based on 6 key criteria, namely Energy Efficiency,  Indoor Environmental Quality, Sustainable Site Planning & Management, Material and Resources, Water Efficiency, and Innovation.

Datuk Hajiji Hj. Noor (centre) representing the Chief Minister at the conference. Photo: Insight Sabah

Let's go for green building

Recently, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman called on everyone, especially developers, to apply green technology in all development projects and programmes in Sabah so as to ensure a clean, safe and harmonious environment for the people.

Speaking at the launching of the Sabah Planning Conference, held in conjunction with the World Town Planning Day 2012, he said, the event is aptly conducted and in line with the government's effort to ensure development with a green technology concept.

"The conference also displays the commitment of the government through its agencies in implementing green development in Sabah," he said in a speech delivered by Local Government and Housing Minister, Datuk Hajiji Noor.

Development, he said, is a measurement stick to gauge the level of progress of a nation or state.

But, he said, apart from the various development programmes that were carried out, the green wealth and natural beauty of the State must be preserved.

It is for this reason, Musa said, that all professionals and researchers from the public and private agencies as well as NGOs should continue cooperating with one another in developing the State without sidelining the natural environment.

"I am confident and believe that if we create green towns in the State, and at the same time ensure the development that we are implementing are integrated, the people would surely live in an environment that is clean, safe and harmonious," he said.

Hence, he urged everyone involved to ensure the application of green technology in all development for the common benefit of everyone.

He said a well-planned and well-organised development must also provide spaces for leisure and recreation activities by integrating green technology into the project, be it housing, commercial and industrial development. - D.Express

SOGO saves RM80,000 in energy by replacing old chillers

Attention hotels, shopping malls, universities. This has got to be a very interesting read, and action.

A departmental store in Kuala Lumpur, SOGO, will be saving about RM80,000 monthly in energy bill when the new chillers are fully operating. The store spent more than RM3 million to replace 4 chillers and qualified for a RM260,000 rebate. Going by the RM80,000 saving the simple payback should be 3 and a half to 4 years, excluding the rebate. Cool!

For more info, go to the website provided here.

Energy Efficiency, via SAVE Program

SAVE or Sustainability Achieved via Energy Efficiency, is a program spearheaded by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), to improve energy efficiency in Malaysia through several initiatives. One of them is the pilot initiative is to stimulate sales of energy-efficient chiller by providing rebates to qualified business owner to replace existing chillers with new energy efficient ones.


Objectives of the SAVE Program

1. To create a culture of efficient use of energy among general public and business entities.
2. To save daily energy costs by consumers from reduced energy consumption and manage growth energy demand.
3. To accelerate the transformation of consumer electrical appliances market and increase the share of Energy Efficient models in the market.
4. As one of the initiatives to mitigate GHG emissions reduction.

What's in store for those willing to take it up

The government of Malaysia has allocated the budget for the Chiller SAVE Program and funding will be awarded on a first come, first served basis to eligible business owners who replace existing chillers with new energy efficient chillers for their buildings during the rebate offer period.

The rebate amount will be RM200 per RT (Refrigeration Ton) which has been proposed and calculated based on total budget allocation and capacity to be applied throughout 2011 and 2012. This is not including the added bonus of saving through lesser energy consumption, and the lower maintenance for newer equipment.

+       +       +       +       +       +       +       +       +       +      +       +       +

SOGO to save RM880,000 in electricity bills by replacing old chillers
Bernama, Nov 15, 2012

Kuala Lumpur. SOGO Department Store Sdn Bhd has managed to save up to RM80,000 monthly in electricity bills, by replacing its old chillers with new energy-efficient units. Sogo Building M&E Department Senior Manager Yong Yau Wah said the decision on the chillers was made at the right time as the government is providing a rebate to encourage the use of energy-efficient products.

"Our consultant informed us about this programme. At the same time, we are also in the green initiative programme," he told Bernama.

He said the company needed to undertake the replacement as the four chillers were already 20 years old.

When the government introduced the green building concept, SOGO also tried to obtain certification for its building, but could not, as the premises is considered old. "But we knew we can still support the green initiative. The first thing we took into consideration was the chillers, as over the years, technology wise, this is where we think we consume the most energy," Yong said.

For chillers, the government, through the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and under the Sustainability Achieved Via Energy Efficient (SAVE) programme, is giving a rebate of RM200 per RT (Refrigeration Ton) for companies for replacement. Yong said SOGO invested more than RM3 million to replace the four aged chillers and was entitled to a rebate of RM260,000.

He said currently, it took seven chillers to cool the shopping complex, and the other three are expected to be replaced in early 2014.

"On average, we expect to save between RM75,000 to RM80,000 in electricity bills monthly, which translates to nine per cent savings, when compared to previously. "The initial cost is high. But looking at long term planning, we can reduce the operations and maintenance costs. We hope the rebate programme can be extended to other equipment.

"It should be promoted broadly so that more people want to participate," added Yong. Meanwhile, SEDA Deputy Director of Corporate Communications, Nurdiyana Mohd Jonis said the SAVE programme was introduced, as chillers were found to consume the most energy.

"With this rebate programme, we encourage companies to replace their old chiller to energy efficient ones," she added.

Under the SAVE programme, rebates will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the post-marked date of a complete application received by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry during the offer period through participating retailers.


TheGreenMechanics: It pays to go green!

What determines the brightness of an energy-saving bulb

Left     : Energy-saving bulb, CFL
Right  : Incandescent bulb (filament)

Energy-saving bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) produce light more efficiently than their old incandescent counterparts. CFLs have done away with glowing filaments and instead contain a mixture of argon and mercury vapour.


A small electronic circuit called a ballast produces a rapidly oscillating current passing through the gas. The excited vapour molecules give off ultraviolet light that is converted into visible light by the coating on the inside of the bulb.


What determines it?

Like a conventional lamp, a CFL’s brightness depends on how much power it uses. Manufacturers vary properties like the volume and mix of the gas inside to increase or decrease consumption. For a given light output, CFLs use about a fifth as much power as their incandescent ancestors. As such, the lifetime cost of a CFL is so much lower.

The following table shows the comparison between LED, incandescent and CFLs. The figures are a year old and performance and cost may have since improved.

LED vs. Incandescent vs. CFLs. Source: iconnectdots

Reference: Sciencefocus

No cash rebate as incentive to buy electric and hybrid cars

No. Not our way.

Because such incentive to attract buyers to purchase electric cars would cost a lot of funds - that's according to International Trade Minister, Mustapa Mohamed. Apart from the US and some European nations, handing out cash rebates has been done in Japan, too.

If such exercise costs too much, why not do it the other way - review the tax and duties for such vehicles. Price range of RM97,000 to RM100,000 for hybrid cars such as Honda Insight and Toyota Prius C is still way too much. If such review looks drastic that it affects the current value of existing models, formulate mechanism such that it happen gradually. Policymakers just need to think harder and dig deeper.

Above all, make owning-a-car a painless experience by lowering the car prices across the board. Price of hybrid and electric cars is about RM100,000 currently and is beyond reach of many low to medium income Malaysians. Possible subsidies and cash incentive will unlikely be enjoyed by low income earners!

Face-lifted Honda Insight 1.3 litre IMA starting at RM99,800 OTR

Mustapa: No plans for cash rebate as incentive to buy electric and hybrid cars
The Star, October 24, 2012

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 Mohamed said 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.

I like to have one but I don't like the price tag. Or, should I say tax !?

Electric car, i-MiEV from Mitsubishi on display in Langkawi Island. Mitsubishi plans to start selling them in Malaysia within this financial year. Photo: CBT

Government to ban incandescent bulbs by 2014

Really? Can we do it? Or shall we do it? Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against green technology; in fact I'm all for energy saving. I advocate renewable energy.

Also widely known as filament lamp

Incandescent light bulbs are electric lamps that produce light with a filament wire heated to a high temperature by electric current passing through it. The heated filament glows at high temperature and gives out light. There is a lot of energy dissipated during the heating process making incandescent light very inefficient.

The following report from The Sun suggest that banning the product is the best option to reduce CO₂ emission. But the 2-year timeframe is too short if you ask me. Cost of the more energy-efficient CFL and T5 lamps are more than 10 times of incandescent. You can buy CFL for as low as RM16.00 to as high as RM50.00 a piece depending on brand while incandescent lamp can be bought at RM1.50 to RM2.00. LED lamps would be even more expensive. The majority of us will not be able to afford it to be honest.

CFL and LED have very low power factor (pf). In contrast filament bulb has unity pf. When the ban is fully enforced and millions of people are forced to use LED lamps, you can imagine the power utilities headache with severe pf issues.

Furthermore, the energy saving lamp tubes are filled with mercury.

Technology will improve over time where pf and mercury issues would have been taken cared of. But the banning should also be timed in tandem with technological advancement. I'd say, 4 to 6 years is more appropriate instead of 2014 as cut off date. Don't commit ourself hastily to manufacturers lobbying for early adoption. There could be something up their sleeves.


The appended article:

Govt to ban incandescent bulbs by 2014
TheSun daily

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.

Malaysia: 5.5% total energy capacity from Renewable sources by 2015

In less than 2 years from now, Malaysia expect to generate 5.5% of its total energy capacity from renewable source. Going by what's hot on the list of Sustainable Energy Development Authority, these sources would most definitely be Biogas, Biomass, Hydro-power and Solar PV.


Wind turbines and solar PV in Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Terengganu. Photo by TNB via Pemandu.


Facts from PM's keynote address

Objective             : National energy generation mix to have 5.5% from renewable source
Timeline               : 2015, and 11% by 2020
Job created          : 50,000 (by 2020)
Economy             : RM70 bil worth of economic activity (by 2020)
CO2 avoidance    : 42.2 mil tonnes, or about 40%


As reported by the media

The Prime Minister said the government had created support mechanisms, including the Feed-in-Tariff, which pays a premium rate for green electricity to achieve the goal.

"We have pushed renewable energy into the spotlight and now aim to secure 5.5 per cent of the total energy capacity from renewable sources by 2015 and 11 per cent by 2020," he said in his keynote address at the official opening of the third International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM 2012) here on Thursday.

He said it is estimated that renewable energy will generate RM70 billion worth of economic activity by 2020 and support 50,000 jobs.

"It will also avoid 42.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions, about a 40 per cent reduction, which I promised at the Copenhagen Climate Conference," he added.


Energy efficiency and other green initiatives

Alongside generating more clean electricity, Najib said Malaysia must also strive to conserve it, as energy efficiency can save Malaysia RM14 billion in Gross National Income (GNI) by 2020.

"So, we are developing Energy Services Companies to help users find savings, encouraging energy efficient appliances for homes and businesses, and supporting efficiency drives with tax incentives," he added.

He said Malaysia had good potential to become a regional hub for electric vehicles, with a vibrant, world-class industry. "That is why we reviewed the National Automotive Policy, to stimulate investments in electric vehicles, with research grants and tax incentives," he highlighted. He said Malaysia's green industries are already worth some RM67 billion and grew by six per cent between 2010 to 2011, outstripping the global green sector.

"One of my ambitions is to encourage green industries to expand and innovate, and not just for the environment, but because it is so plainly good for our economy," he added.

Najib said it is estimated that all the green projects under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) will generate a total GNI of RM53 billion by 2020.

TheGreenMechanics' two cents: We are still waiting for the launch of more affordable Electric Vehicles (EV) in Malaysia. Much has been talked about full EV and let's hope that sky-high motor vehicle prices exclude environment friendly models like EV.

Secondly, the FIT should cover other states like Sarawak and Sabah and not just those in Peninsula Malaysia. It is still unclear if the suspension on FIT scheme in Sabah has been lifted.

Source: The Star

Energy Commission HQ in Putrajaya wins top award for Energy Efficiency

When Malaysia scoured the region to study some of the sustainable and energy-efficient buildings around South-east Asia back in 2005, there was going to be only one outcome - 'a first'.

It is the first building outside Singapore to obtain the island state's Green Mark platinum rating. Also, it is the first office building in Malaysia to obtain the Green Building Index, GBI platinum rating. Let's hope this will become a catalyst for other corporations and individuals to build more green buildings in the future.

The Diamond Building, double-platinum award winner. Picture by ACICC Malaysia Sdn Bhd via The Star


The most energy-efficient building in SEA

Energy Commission headquarters, the Diamond Building in Putrajaya was named the most energy-efficient building at the Asean Energy Awards (AEA) 2012 held on September 12, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Diamond Building won the top prize in the category of “New and Existing Buildings”, which was open to buildings that were not more than 5 years old. The AEA, which began in 2000, is an annual awards programme that recognises “outstanding work for excellence, creativity, practicality and dedication to a cause in the field of energy”.

The seven-storey Diamond Building is the first office building in Malaysia to obtain the Green Building Index platinum rating and the first building outside Singapore to obtain the island state's Green Mark platinum rating.

Local firm NR Architect was involved in the design of the building, with Thai architect Dr Soontom Boonyatikam as the principal architect and IEN Consultants as the sustainability consultant.

The Diamond Building uses mostly natural light and its energy consumption is about one-third of a normal building. - via The Star


Quick facts about the Diamond Building

Officially launched           : May 2011 by DPM, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Owner                            : Energy Commission of Malaysia
Principal Architect           : Dr Soontorn Boonyatikarn (Thailand)
Main Contractor              : Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd
Savings                          : RM1mil annually in operating costs – about RM950,000 from energy efficiency
                                       and RM45,000 from solar power generation.

Reduced CO2 emissions : 1,400 tonnes per year, equivalent to taking 700 cars off the road.
                                        (Assuming each car has travelled 12,000km.)
Building energy index      : 65kWh/m2 per year (without solar PV), 56kWh/m2 per year (with PV).
                                       (The index is the annual amount of electricity used per sq. metre of a building)

Solar PV cells installed   : 71.4kWp, which yields about 1,400kWh/m2 a year.

Energy savings              : 53% to 61% in overall electricity usage, including lighting and computers,
                                      and 34% in cooling.

Lighting savings of 77% compared to the Green Mark base, but is expected to increase once task lights are distributed. The Green Mark base uses a reference building which is representative of buildings in the country.

The eco-friendly measures cost RM3.4mil – about 6% of the total construction cost. The estimated payback period is 3.5 years.

Water-efficient fittings, rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling (water saved corresponds to consumption of 12 households)


Source: IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd (The consultant for the Diamond Building) & The Star.

Malaysia’s first green library

Not too long ago, I wrote about Sabah's first ever Green Building in the form of Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre in Luyang Kota Kinabalu. Of course there's another one, the IEM Centre at KKIP but I'm unsure if the engineers' building has been completed yet.

The new library in Tanjung Aru will be the first Green Library in Malaysia when completed and made available to the public in 3 year's time.

"Itu dia!" (That's it), says Deputy Chief Minister, Yahya Hussin as Wong Vui Ying, director of Sabah Library nodded in agreement. Together with him are Azizah Dun, Welfare Minister and Jainab Ayid, an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Resource Development and IT. Photo by: Ille Tugimin


Green library gets support from private sector

It is Malaysia’s first green library. But half of the RM40million ($12.9mil) of the cost of the Kota Kinabalu regional library has come from a private company, the Lahad Datu Water Supply Sendirian Berhad. It is also the first such building funded by the private sector, according to Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin who launched it at a groundbreaking ceremony in Tanjung Aru on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.

“This is a very good cooperation between the private sector and the government,” he said. The library is expected to be ready by 2015.

Like the Sabah art gallery, the library will turn to solar energy, harvest rain water and use materials that will not add to carbon dioxide emission to keep global warming in check.

Steven Tan, managing director of Lahad Datu Water Supply Sendirian Berhad, says the funding is part of his company’s corporate social responsibility. - via Insight Sabah


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

It's really good that we are waking up to realise the need to conserve energy and save the environment. This is the common practice for many architects and building designers in West Malaysia. I should make the trip to Tanjung Aru and take a look at this building soon.

But the real deal is Singapore with its achievement of more than 1,000 green building as at the beginning of this year.

LED : Lighting the Future

It is very interesting to note that the country intends to use Light Emitting Diode, LED to light up its streets by 2014.

Light-emitting diodes (LED) are solid-state devices that convert electrical energy directly into light of a single color. LED do not waste energy in the form of non-light producing because they employ ‘cold’ light generation technology, in which most of the energy is delivered in the visible spectrum. It could offer long service life and high energy efficiency, although at this juncture, initial costs are higher than those of fluorescent and incandescent lights.

LED street-lighting: Image - Soltron Corp.

Although costlier, LED's offer a variety of advantages compared to conventional lighting; among the more commonly known are:

Long-lasting

LED light can last up to 50,000 hours or 10 times as long as compact fluorescents, and far longer than the conventional incandescent. Very little maintenance is required through out the life span of the lamp.

Durability

LED are filament-free, solid and robust. Thus, they are not easily damaged under the same circumstances where regular incandescent bulbs would.

Environmentally Friendly

No mercury. More environmental friendly. LED's are made of non-toxic materials, unlike fluorescent lights that contain huge amounts of mercury and other hazardous material.

Cold Temperature Operation

Cold temperature is one of the challenges of fluorescent lights. On the other hand, LED light output and efficiency increase as operating temperature drops, making LED a natural choice for refrigerators, freezer cases and cold storage facilities.

More efficient

LED light produces more light per watt compared to incandescent light, a feature that would be useful in battery powered devices. In addition, LED light can emit an intended color without the use of color filters employed by traditional lighting methods. The following Table shows the comparison of the equivalent wattage and light output of Incandescent, Compact fluorescent, and LED lights.

Table 1: Equivalent wattage and light output of Incandescent, fluorescent (CFL), and LED Lights


LED lights are fast becoming the light source of choice for many general lighting applications, such as architectural lighting, down lights, freezer case lighting and retail display lighting. Even street illumination using LED is quite a common sight nowadays. Due to the low power consumption of LED lights, they can be solar powered and installed off-grid at remote locations.


General Lighting Term used

• Illumination:  The distribution of light on a horizontal surface.
• Lumen:  A measurement of light emitted by a lamp
• Efficacy: The ratio of light produced to energy consumed. It is measured as the number of lumens produced divided by the rate of electricity consumption (lumens per watt)
• Color Rendering Index (CRI): The Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a 1–100 scale that measures a light source’s ability to render colors the same way sunlight does.

Reference: Buletin ST, Issue No.1, 2012

Nurture practice of efficient energy use

Illustration of Energy Efficient house.

The practice of using energy efficiently should be nurtured and cultivated in the society and should be applied at home or at the office to avoid power wastage.

During the launching of the Energy Efficiency Audit Demo Programme on Monday August 13, 2012 in Kota Kinabalu, Minister of Infrastructure Development, Pairin Kitingan, said although society has developed significantly in the past hundred years, consumer behaviour has not changed much due to lack of awareness and concern for natural resources and the environment.

Electricity generation mix in Sabah in 2011 is as follows (DE, Aug 14, 2012):
50%    : fuel gas,
40%    : diesel and medium fuel oil (MFO),
6.5%   : hydro sources
Others : renewable energy sources.

The industrial sector and electricity generation represent two-thirds of the total emission of carbon dioxide, and Malaysia is the 3rd biggest contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in ASEAN and the 31st in the world per person, at 4.5 tonne/person. It also recorded one of the highest growth rate of CO2 emission in the world at 7.9% and sits at 27th in the world as the culprit of CO2 emission at 0.69%. We apparently did not fare badly in the race for environment pollution.


Energy Efficiency Audit Programme

An Energy Efficiency Audit Programme funded by Electricity Supply Industry Trust Account (AAIBE) saw two large buildings in Kota Kinabalu city picked for a one-of demo Energy Efficiency Audit exercise  worth more than RM160,000. They are Wisma Sedco and Kinabalu Daya Hotel.

Wisma Sedco, Kota Kinabalu. Photo: lokmansunggim.blogspot

The energy audit is the first step towards a better energy management system. Generally, energy audit is a survey to review how energy was utilised in a building and to identify opportunities to save energy.

Consumers can save between 10% to 30% of their electricity bills if they adhere to the recommendations made by the auditors.

Best Western Kinabalu Daya Hotel in Kota Kinabalu. Photo: virtualtourist.com

So this programme should encourage owners of the two demo buildings to implement the efficient energy initiative, and as catalyst for other building owners to take similar initiative to get the Green Building status. This reminds me of Sabah's first Green Building, the Art Gallery Conservation Centre I wrote about last month.


What you and me can do to contribute

There is this policy adopted by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry for government buildings' temperature to be maintained at  24° Celsius. You and me can help conserve energy by setting our office temperature at 24°C or higher. Of course, you don't have to be a government servant to practice this.

FIRST GREEN BUILDING: Art Gallery saves big on power

The Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia’s industry recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness about environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations.

Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre in Kota Kinabalu. Photo by Oliver Majaham/Insight Sabah

Sabah’s first Green Building is the Art Gallery Conservation Centre located in Jalan Penampang which can save as much as RM400,000 ($125,000) a year in energy. The followings are the brief details of the environmentally-friendly building:


Building and energy
Building                    : Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre
Build-type                 : 4-story
Cost to build             : RM16 million ($5million)
Location                   : Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu
Power supply            : Solar + utility, SESB
Energy saved            : up to 1MWh
Energy consumption  : RM107,000 per year. Compared to RM480,000/year without the green setup
Accreditation            : GBI certificate in 2012


How is energy saved
It is designed to use natural light and solar panels for lighting and air-conditioning. Energy saving lights switch off by themself when there are no visitors at the art gallery. While the main power supply (SESB) is triggered on days when natural light is lacking or solar panels are unable to cope with the power requirement.

Water usage
Water saved               : 330,000 litre/year, or equivalent to 32% of the building water need
Saving                        : RM297.00 at RM0.90/m3 water tariff
Water consumption    : 226 litre/day average per person
Equivalent                  : water saved is enough for 1,460 people per day.

Currently, Malaysians use an average of 226 litres of water per person daily, which is way above the rest of our ASEAN neighbours. Singaporeans use 154 litres (and intend to lower it to 147 litres by 2020) while the Thais manage with 90 litres.


Carbon dioxide emission
Emission               : reduced by 780 tonnes/year
Equivalent to         : CO2 emitted by 390 people/year
Benchmark           : 1.8 trillion tonnes of CO2 release will raise the temperature by 1^oC



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The original article from the Government portal, Insight Sabah:
"First green building in Sabah helps fight global warming" - Nurhafizah Yusof & Oliver Majaham

Sabah’s first green building is helping to stop the world from getting warmer. The 16m-ringgit ($5m) Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre can save the government as much as 400,000 ringgit a year in electricity, 297 ringgit in water and cut carbon dioxide emission down by 780 tonnes that will help keep average global warming below 2oC to prevent an environmental disaster.

Natural lighting from the sky. Photo by Oliver Majaham/Insight Sabah

“This building can save up to one megawatt of electricity per year,” said Masidi Manjun, minister of tourism, culture and environment, as he received the Green Building Index certificate from Boon Che Wee, chairman of the GBI accreditation panel on June 29.

The four-storey building at Jalan Penampang is designed to reduce power consumption by using natural light and solar panels for lighting and air-conditioning. Energy saving lights switch off by themself when there are no visitors at the art gallery. And the main power supply is triggered on days when natural light is lacking or solar panels are unable to power lights and air-conditioners.

Thus electricity consumption will be greatly reduced to 900 kilowatt-hours a day, according to Jennifer Linggi, the curator of the gallery. Power cost will thus be a relatively low 107,000 ringgit a year against about 480,000 ringgit if the building were to run on supply solely from Sabah Electricity Sendirian Berhad, the state’s power company.

The art gallery will also save about 330,000 litres of water a year by harvesting rainwater to flush toilets, clean the building and water the garden. This represents a saving of 32% of the water need of the building. That is enough water for about 1,500 people. But 330,000 litres cost only 297 ringgit because water at 90 sen per 1,000 litres is comparatively cheap.

But making the building environmentally friendly will reduce carbon dioxide emission, blamed for global warming, by 780 tonnes a year. That is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by 390 people every year.

The figure may not seem significant considering that it takes 1.8 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide to raise atmospheric temperature by one degree Celsius. But then there are thousands of buildings, many of them many times bigger than the art gallery in Sabah. And taking all the millions of buildings in the world, carbon reduction of the Sabah art gallery is indeed a significant step in the fight against global warming.

Buildings use up 40% of energy, 12% of water and send 40% of waste to landfill. And they thus are responsible for much of global warming and pollution.

For more readings, go to Insight Sabah website http://insightsabah.gov.my/article/read/1852

China considering subsidies to develop energy-saving vehicles

There are many ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and one of them is through large scale use of energy-efficient vehicles. The impact of the intended reduction is made more significant if it is done in countries with the most number of vehicles. China is one of them and it is currently eying subsidy provision to develop energy-saving vehicles, together with the necessary infrastructures.

New stylish car charging station by GE Energy. Image: ge-energy.com

China's subsidy plan

Reuters cited a report by Shanghai Securities News last week that China is considering tax exemptions and subsidies for buyers of energy-saving vehicles in an attempt to boost its low-emissions auto sector. 

In 2009, Beijing introduced a similar stimulus package with tax incentives for cars with engine sizes of 1.6 liters or smaller and subsidies for rural residents. That move spurred car sales and helped China surpass the United States as the world's largest auto market.

Under the new proposal, those purchasing electric vehicles or hybrid cars would be exempt from a vehicle purchase tax, the paper said, citing Zhang Xiangmu, secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The paper separately quoted a car association official saying that electric car buyers would also get a sales rebate as well as a reduction in the value-added tax. While plans to construct charging facilities for electric vehicles would support the country's demand for a raft of base metals, including copper.

The government said in May that it plans to spend up to 2 billion yuan ($315.06 million) from this year to help develop energy-saving vehicles to cut carbon emissions.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-china-cars-idUSBRE85I02J20120619


Malaysian car buyers incentive?

Not really a subsidy, but Malaysia government encourage the purchase of energy-saving cars - in particular hybrid vehicles - by exempting import duty and and excise tax for such vehicles. Unless there changes in the policy, this will be enforced until the end of 2013.

The Honda Insight has been upgraded for 2012. Image: blog.travelpod.com

As a result of the tax exemption, a 1.3 litre Honda Insight is marketed in Malaysia at RM99,800 and recently some adverts put a RM97,000 price tag (on the road). Toyota Prius has also seen the launch of a new 1.5 litre Prius C or known as Aqua in Japan, for the same price tag of RM97,000. From the consumers' perspective this is good as it gives options and promote improvement via competition.

Apart from that, there have not been many incentives for electric vehicles in Malaysia. National car manufacturer, Proton, has been talking about designing and producing electric cars for sometime now but the end result is yet to be seen.

LED streetlights by 2014

If the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment has its way, by 2014 Malaysia will be using Light Emitting Diode (LED) to light up its streets. By doing so, the government is expected to save RM300 million every year on energy expenses for streetlights.

    A typical LED streetlight, powered by solar. The ministry's initiative will be on grid power.

An example of a widely use of LED lamp application bright sighboards and traffic lights. Due to its directional light beam, when angled correctly, LED lamp is very bright and suitable for traffic lightings during daytime.


Initiative by KePKAS

According to Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister (KePKAS), Datuk Bolkiah Hj Ismail, the move to use LED for street-lighting is to achieve a sustainable development through the adoption of green technology. It is the government's desire to look into more development plans that are environmentally friendly.

Through the use of green technology via LED lights, there is an expected saving of up to 75% (I'm quoting Datuk Bolkiah) of energy compared to conventional lights. A pre-qualification registration and consulting service on the use of LED lights to contractors was held on Monday, organised by Realkey Solutions Sdn Bhd.

The Federal Government is expected to roll out the budget on the installation of LED lights nationwide soon. State governments, agencies and departments may also receive a huge allocation to phase out conventional lights.

To help the nation reduce carbon emission, the State Government would take the LED lights installation as one of the steps towards the adoption of green technology. At the federal level, LED lights will be installed at Ministry of Health premises and streets under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department.

Teluk Likas street showered with LED lights? Maybe, soon.

TheGreenMechanics' two cents: Massive funding, don't screw it!

Do up some rough mathematical calculations and using 5 to 6 years of ROI, the total investment in the LED street lighting could cost the government a whopping RM2 billion to RM2.5 billion. But with the large number of lights to be replaced the amount should be much lesser than this. The intention is noble, so, don't screw this by turning the exercise into a national scandal.

LED lighting technology is still evolving and lamp manufacturing code has not been standardised yet, unlike the conventional lights.

What this means is that each manufacturer (e.g. Philips, Osram, GE, Siemens, etc) will have their own standard on fittings, rating, lifespan, build and so on, making compatibility a big issue.

For instance, when you buy a Philips LED bulb c/w fitting, 6 to 7 years down the road you would want to replace a faulty 'bulb'. You can only do so using a Philips 'bulb' and not Osram's or Siemens'. If you insist on other brand, you would then need to replace the whole fitting which is a very expensive affair.

In short, plan properly at the beginning and don't blow the budget halfway.


Reference: http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=81885

ASEAN Energy Awards 2012

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Title: ASEAN Energy Efficient Building Competition and ASEAN Energy Management Competition

Organiser: ASEAN CENTRE FOR ENERGY
Coordinator: SEDA Malaysia
Invited:  Owners/managers of buildings and factories in Malaysia
Deadline: Report must be submitted before 11th April 2012

Who to Contact: Scroll to the bottom of this article, or visit SEDA Malaysia website.



The Competition is divided into five (5) categories, each of which are detailed in the following table:
(Note: Guidelines and Forms can be downloaded from here)

Interested Building Owners or Building & Factory Managers are invited to participate and report must be submitted BEFORE 11 April 2012 (Wednesday) at:

The AEA 2012- Secretariat

Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA Malaysia)

Galeria PjH, Aras 9, Jalan P4W,

Persiaran Perdana, Presint 4,

62100 Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Phone : +603-8870 6198 Fax : +603-8870 5900

Contact Person: Ms Sazlinda Ayu Arshad (ayu.arshad@seda.gov.my)

Further information on this competition can be obtained from http://www.aseanenergy.org

Flywheels

If you ever work in wood processing mill you’d be familiar with band-saws. The saws are attached to two big flywheels driven by AC motors. The wheels don’t need high initial torque to start rotating but once spinning, the band saw is capable of tearing apart even the biggest and hardest log.

Image: chinasawmills.com

Or, if you own a small diesel generator set – typically 5kVA to 10kVA – you’d be familiar with the tiring starting method. You need to spin a small but heavy flywheel to get the diesel engine going.

These are example of age old applications of flywheel. Let’s look at how flywheel is still relevant in today’s advance engineering. The following is an article I read from Daily Express:

What is a Flywheel?

A flywheel is a wheel that’s spun at high speed and used to store energy. They’ve been used for years in everything from traction engines to toy cars. But now Jaguar and Volvo want to see if they can be used to drive up fuel efficiency.

How would that work?

The car’s wheels would spin the flywheel, which would continue to spin until the stored energy was needed to drive the car. The stored energy would then be transferred back to the wheels via a transmission.

Are they currently used in cars?

Flywheels are an alternative to the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) most Formula 1 teams have been using last year. But although they’re permitted by the sport, no team currently uses them and neither are they found in road cars. F1 designers have worked on improving the technology but developing a flywheel is a headache; a great deal of stored energy can be lost to friction.

So what has changed?

F1 engineers have reduced the weight of flywheels using composite materials and cut friction by sealing the wheels inside a vacuum chamber. But it’s hard to make the seals between flywheel and transmission perfect. In F1, the seals only need to last for a short period of time. In road cars they need to be far more durable.

Is there a solution?

Engineering firm Ricardo has built a magnet-based system in which there’s no direct contact between flywheel and transmission. Jaguar is working with Ricardo and others on a flywheel, and Volvo is also looking into the technology for use in its vehicles.

Hope this will work towards energy efficient vehicles in the near future.

Source: Daily Express, Sunday Feb. 26, 2012

Testing of Feed-in Tariff Application

Poor Very poor response.

That was my conclusion of the 3-day Gamma Testing of Feed-in Tariff Application on the e-FiT Online System. Only 50 nos feedback received as at the time of this posting, including myself.

My response page to SEDA

Say, 10% of the population (28.3mil in 2010) is aware of the Government Renewable Energy (RE) initiative and incentives. That would be 2.83 million and as we don't expect every 'aware' person to respond we'll take a 1% as poor. A humble one percent is 28,000 but would you actually believe that out of 100 persons being aware of a rewarding initiative only 1 or less person would respond?

If I tell 100 farmers that I have been blessed yesterday with a lot of money and I would reward anyone for planting paddy according to a prescribed method and for achieving certain quantity of rice produced, I am quite sure half of them would at least ask what sort of reward and how much can they expect to get in return.

In the case of Malaysia Feed-in Tariff, the lack of response from the public is a strong indication that the population at large is not aware of such reward program. What we hear on the mainstream media is the government's commitment to reduce the CO2 emission and the policies drafted to achieve this. What we don't hear is that you and me can take part in achieving this and at the same time reaping monetary benefit from our participation.

Energy Commission is quite aggressive in promoting energy efficiency in this country, and SEDA should emulate EC's effort by:

1. Conducting nationwide workshops, seminars and trainings on Renewable Energy initiatives, its objectives and their benefits to the people,
2. Gamma test - redo the gamma test during weekdays, after publicizing it through the mainstream media,
3. Advertisement - consider this as business venture and advertise it periodically. Don't keep things at SEDA office.

I have mentioned nationwide but I'll stress it again that SEDA need and must conduct seminars and promotional activities in Sabah and Sarawak. After all these two are the least served states in Malaysia in terms of electricity supply.

Give them alternatives to generate their own electricity through Renewable Energy.

Energy Efficiency by SESB

Being the sole licensee for the supply of electricity in Sabah, SESB has initiated a drive to promote energy efficiency in the State. The Energy Efficiency Steering Committee (EESC) meeting is to be called this week at power company's head office in Karamunsing, Kota Kinabalu.

The main focus is to accomplish noble objectives such as:

1. To identify challenges and solutions to the promotion of Energy Efficiency or energy saving initiatives amongst consumers in Sabah,
2. To build a strong and effective collaboration of ideals, efforts and results amongst key industry players,
3. To accelerate a culture of responsible consumerism and an effective energy demand management in Sabah.

There were few other initiatives by SESB in the past but let's hope this one - with the involvement of some ministries and key industry players - would bring about better results towards preserving energy via efficiency.

Stay efficient, save energy, save money!


Let's see if this'd come out in the local dailies tomorrow.