2014 FiT quota release announcement delayed

This is one conference I've really wanted to attend. Unfortunately the dates clashed with another pertinent event in Kuala Lumpur, the Asia Water 2014 Conference which is currently ongoing - 19th to 21st March 2014.


The Deputy Minister of KeTTHA and SEDA officials at the 2^nd International Sustainable Energy Summit 2014 in Petaling Jaya.


Earlier this month, SEDA Malaysia announced in its portal that the new quota for its Feed-in Tariff (FiT) for 2014 would be announced during the 2nd International Sustainable Energy Summit, held in Petaling Jaya Selangor few days ago.


Delayed to refine FiT proposal

The announcement of the 2014 quota for its FiT programme for renewable energy would now be expected to be in April, at the earliest. Energy, Green Technology and Water ministry said this is to make some administrative adjustments.

The Malaysian Reserve reported that  a government official said the release of quotas for 12kW and below may be made as early as April but for larger projects exceeding 12kW, these may now be included in the 2015 quota. One reason why quotas for larger projects may be delayed is the amount of time it will take for some amendments to the Renewable Energy (RE) Act 2011 to be gazetted.

New legislation is needed because the threshold defining larger commercial non-individual photovoltaic (PV) projects has been brought down from 72kW to 12kW. These larger projects would need to go through a power system connectivity check by Tenaga Nasional Bhd, that would take at least 6 weeks, which can only be started once the legislation is gazetted.

Solar PV installations under 12kW do not need to undergo the connectivity test.

Some of the amendments proposed for Renewable Energy Acts 2011 are:

• sections that involved the terms and operational requirements
• FiT approval and FiT rates
• recovery of money
• redefining large commercial solar PV projects to include those beyond 12kW
• regulating the solar PV service providers
• inclusion of geothermal sources as a new RE source in the FiT programme

The Green Mechanics' two cents:

Since gazetted in 2011, the Renewable Energy Act has been revised almost annually to accommodate changing needs of the industry, which is good as we are only at an early stage of the implementation of green technology projects.

With the delay in announcement, it is fair to request that this year's roll-out be spread or extended to 2015 to give individuals and non-individual commercial holders of FiT approval sufficient time to complete their projects.

Fueling the growth of Malaysia's solar energy sector

We have learnt and heard on many roadshows and publications what SEDA thinks are the best ways to fuel the growth of the solar PV energy sector in Malaysia. It's mainly by incentivising the industry by implementing the feed-in tariff.

The feed-in tariff (FiT) mechanism works such that individuals and organisations are paid premium price per unit of energy produced from renewable sources.


MPIA Road Map: Snapshot of the presentation slide of MPIA president, Mr. Ahmad Shadzli Abdul Wahab during the "Konvensyen Tenaga Lestari 2013" in Kota Kinabalu back in November last year.

Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association, MPIA, on the other hand thinks there are other equally important means of boosting the sector. The Star quoted MPIA as suggesting two further methods:

• Implement net metering and establish utility-scale solar farms outside the FiT programme


• Implement fiscal incentive to make PV systems cheaper

Net metering

In this approach, the solar energy generator uses the power first and feeds the unused power to the grid. This differs from the present FiT scheme where all generated power goes to the grid.

Government is gradually withdrawing gas subsidy until 2015 and electricity prices are foreseen to hike further. Commercial and industrial premises will want to install PV systems to produce energy for their own use. The sector now consumes 70% of our electricity supply - 40,000GWh by commercial premises and 30,000GWh by industrial premises in 2010.

MPIA also suggests the installation of large-scale solar utilities of over 30MW as only such sizeable facilities can divert the current dependence on fossil fuel power plants. Currently, the largest solar farm in the country is of 10MW capacity.

Thailand, on the other hand, already has a 84MW solar farm, located in Lop Buri Province. The 10 billion Baht (US$335 million) solar farm was completed in May 2013.


Fiscal incentives

The association urges for fiscal incentives to make PV systems cheaper, such as expanding the current exemption on import duty and sales tax for solar modules and inverters to all PV system equipment and components.

With these incentives, the industrial and commercial sector will be able to get a return on their investment in under 10 years, noted the association. The tax exemptions will also make installation of PV systems more attractive for holiday chalets and small-scale food processing industries in remote areas, many of which now rely on diesel generators.

No doubt this will encourage more people and businesses to invest in PV systems.


Large scale operators vs. residential installation

MPIA also contended that current tax incentives assist companies but not house-owners. For instance, the waiver on sales tax for solar cells and inverters benefits only operators of big solar installations. It will be tedious for home-owners to fill numerous forms to obtain the waiver.

There is also financial support for companies under the Green Technology Financing Scheme whereby the Government subsidises 2% of the interest on loans taken to finance green projects.

Keen to see more houses with PV systems, the association disagrees with Sustainable Energy Development Authority’s (SEDA, the statutory body that administers the FiT scheme) current approach of emphasising commercial projects.

"In Germany, 80% of the quota goes to residential but in Malaysia, it goes to commercial set-ups. With a higher quota for residential, more people will get the opportunity to produce solar power. Since the money is from the people, they should be given the chance to install solar panels. More households will benefit instead of just one company.” - Malaysia PV Industry Association

Source: The Star Online


TheGreenMechanics: Recently during a Q&A session with one of the implementers of solar PV systems in Kota Kinabalu, I asked the gentleman if Kumpulan Melaka Berhad (KMB) got their 5MW quota from bidding or was it negotiated with SEDA? KMB is also already eyeing a second solar farm costing RM20 million, which I reckon would not be less than 2MW in capacity.

The gentleman answered it was through bidding but I could sense the lack of affirmitiveness in his body language. Maybe it is, but my point is that, we only have so much of quota every year and the big chunk of the cake goes to the commercial/industry players.

Japan FIT changes could see the end of Residential PV Program

Japan will announce its new FIT rates sometime in March and it will become effective April 1, 2014.

And the policy change may affect the growth of the Japanese PV market, according to Renewable Energy World (REW). To re-cap, the current support from the government on residential in terms of rebate and feed-in tariff (FIT) programs, has made Japan one of the world's top markets.


End of residential PV program?

The national residential PV subsidy program which started 20 years ago will be ended. When the program closes its door in March 2014, it is expected to have solarized over 1.5 million residential roofs, or added about 6 GW-worth of PV capacity, in Japan.

Japan's residential PV installation from 1994 - 2013. Source: REW

Japan initiated solar technology R&D and field testing under the "Sun Shine Project" in the 1970s. The Project was to bring a safe, stable energy supply to the nation. As part of the Sun Shine Project, the government launched the Residential PV System Dissemination Program in 1994.

REW reported that during the first 10 years of Japan residential PV program, it dominated the world PV market in terms of both installation and production. The average residential PV system cost was greatly reduced to ¥661 per watt even with an incentive rate of just ¥20 per watt (or 3% of the system cost)

The residential incentive was stopped in 2005 and the domestic market declined. So, in 2009 the federal government brought back the residential PV incentive program with an incentive rate of ¥70 per watt. The domestic PV market was revitalized and Japan celebrated its one million solar-roof installations in April 2012.


Focus on large non-residential segment

Japan shifted its focus from the traditional residential segment to the non-residential segment with the launch of the national FIT program in July 2012. The national government believed that deploying the larger, non-residential segment was a quick way to expand the national PV market and to catch up with Germany and Italy.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) approved close to 25 GW worth of PV systems under the FIT program between July 2012 and October 2013. Systems sized over 1 MW represented about 60% of the approved systems.

The agency mandated project status reports to FIT applicants who reserved the FY2012 FIT rate (¥42/kWh) between April 2012 and March 2013 for a system sized over 400 kW. Out of 13.3 GW (or 4,699 systems), METI found that only 8% of the FIT-approved PV capacity has become operational as of this January. In fact, 4.7 GW worth of the approved projects have neither selected a site nor placed a purchase order for the equipment.

Project Status		No. of System	GW
Operational		1,049	1.1
Withdrawn		419	0.9
Not operational	Site decided and system purchased	1,588	3.9
	Either site decided or system purchased	784	2.6
	Neither site decided nor system purchased	758	4.7
Not responded		101	0.2
Total		4,699	13.3

Table: METI Fiscal Year 2012 FIT PV Project Survey

What about delayed projects?

METI announced that it will disqualify uncommitted projects from the FIT program. For example, the projects that are categorized as "neither site decided nor system purchased" will be delisted if they fail to show proof of valid millstones by this March and the projects categories as "either side decided or system purchased" will be disqualified unless they commit both site selection and system purchase by the end of this August.

Cost of system by size: The average installed cost of systems greater than 1 MW increased to ¥305 per watt in the fourth quarter of 2013 from ¥280 per watt in the same quarter in 2012


FIT for FY2014

METI will decide on new FIT rates, which would take effect April 1, 2014. There is a rumor circulating among PV project developers that projects can be disqualified unless a system purchase or installation order is placed within six months of the date of the FIT application approval notice.

Japan is also considering toughening the FIT application approval process and imposing time restrictions to weed out bad applicants.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

During a recent solar PV presentation session by one of the local PV project developers/implementers, we learnt that similar cases of delayed or cancelled projects are also happening in Malaysia. If that is the case, there should be a mechanism to eradicate non-genuine applicants from the electronic balloting system.

Genuine applicants with financial capability that sit low in the pecking order (Malaysia's balloting for quota is on first-come-first-served basis) should move up priority ladder automatically as soon as the 'returned' quota is released by SEDA.

Note: This is an excerpt from a long article in REW magazine published on Feb. 20, 2014 and if you want to read the full report, you can do so here.

Pakistan solar PV to add 772 MW to national grid

Like Malaysia, solar power is quite new in Pakistan.

But if what had been reported is to materialise, Pakistan is on course to develop 772 MW of solar power over the next two years. This is more than what what we will have in Malaysia over the course of 2 years, although we have much more attractive FIT rates.


Ground-mounted solar PV installation in Pakistan. Image: pv-magazine


Pakistan to add 772 MW of solar power by 2016

Pakistan will add 772 MW of solar power to its national grid by 2016, according to figures released by the country's Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB).

There are currently 22 individual solar power projects either under construction or at various stages of development across Pakistan, with a number of these projects awaiting an agreement on a national FIT.

NEPRA has now published its final FIT incentives for PV projects between 1 MW and 100 MW. In the north of Pakistan the FIT will be set at $0.18 cents per kWh (about RM0.60) for an initial ten-year period, halving after that time to just $0.09 cents per kWh (about RM0.30) for the next 15 years.

In Pakistan's southern regions, the FIT incentive comes in a little more generously, at $0.19 cents per kWh for the first ten years, but falling to below $0.09 cents per kWh thereafter.


By comparison, Malaysia's FIT rate for solar PV (as of February 2014) are as follows:

• RM0.5440 (about US$0.16) for 21 years - installation size of 10MW to 30MW
• RM1.0411 (about US$0.31) for 21 years - small installations size of up to 4kW

Pakistan is also pursuing a number of renewable energy projects for the country’s national grid, and has pledged its backing to the solar industry and the wind industry – the latter of which has an estimated 150 MW pipeline in the offing.

The country is set to embark on a campaign to promote the installation of residential rooftop PV systems designed for self-consumption.

Source: pv-magazine

Abbreviations:
NEPRA - National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Pakistan)
AEDB - Alternative Energy Development Board (Pakistan)


The Green Mechanics: We may well be overtaken by Pakistan simply because we are too comfortable with the current cheap, subsidised prices of energy generated from fossil fuels and in the end making RE ventures, particularly solar power, very expensive in relative term.

Paper solar cells: The future for PV?

Another milestone for solar photovoltaic industry? Potentially yes.

Reseachers from the South China University of Technology, alongside their counterparts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have published a report on a new type of paper they claim can be used as material for next generation solar cells.

It said the new wood-based paper product outperforms all other materials in both optical transparency and optical haze, delivering low-cost, high-efficiency and environmentally friendly performance.


Wood fibre close-up. Tests show that a wood-based paper product could be used in solar cell production. Image: pv-magazine


Material for next-gen solar cells

The paper is made of TEMPO-oxidized wood fibers that eliminate micropores and instead produce nanopores, which allow for ultrahigh transparency values of 96%, and optical haze values of 60% - the highest optical haze value reported among transparent substrates.

Typically, materials that boast a high optical transparency (allowing for good light transmission) of over 90% generally have low optical haze values (the scattering and, therefore, the absorption of transmitted light within the material) of less than 20%.


How it is produced

The TEMPO treatment weakens the hydrogen bond between the microfibers that make up typical wood fibers, causing them to swell and collapse into a tightly packed structure that eliminates micropores.

The wood fibers in normal paper have a low optical transparency because the microcavities that exist within the porous structure cause light scaterring. But with the micropores removed and replaced by nanopores, optical transparency is improved.


I'm  sceptical, but...

Mooted low-cost, eco-friendly adaptations of traditional technology are regularly met with a fair amount of skepticism, but the promised efficiencies this paper could bring to the solar PV industry certainly warrant further investigation.


Further readings at: PV-magazine

MAHB and SunEdison launched Malaysia's first Airport Solar Power System

Rooftops and parking lots at airports are some of the facilities that are not multi-purpose, but  at Kuala Lumpur International Airport these 'idle' spaces have been transformed into a clean energy generation facility - namely solar power.

That's cool because it demonstrates the corporate sector's support towards the Government's initiative in introducing renewable energy and in the process reduce carbon footprint.


Malaysia Airport lease deal with SunEdison. Photo: Solar International


The interesting part is that Malaysia Airport did not have to dig into its own pocket to finance the project. They rent those idle spaces out to someone who is willing to invest - to SunEdison. The international company must've seen the great potential in renting the airport's rooftops and parking lots for them to take the bold move to invest RM200 million (about US$60 million) there.


KLIA installed Malaysia's first airport solar power system

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and SunEdison have jointly launched Malaysia's first airport solar power system at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a total investment of RM200 million.

According to MAHB chief operating officer Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohd Ali, the solar power system is expected to save the airport about RM2.1 million annually based on its current energy costs.

The 19 MW direct current (DC) system was the largest in Malaysia where it interconnected and combined ground-mount (5MW), parking canopy (10MW) and roof-top (4MW) systems.

"We don't incur any cost for this project because we provide the under-utilised asset, while SunEdison is required to pay lease rental and royalty to us. In return, we buy the electricity at a much cheaper rate," said Abdul Hamid.

MAHB is looking to expand this system at its other airports especially at the short take-off and landing ports (STOL Ports) located in remote areas.

"Solar energy is one of the areas that we are seriously looking into. We may discuss with SunEdison further on the system for the other airports especially in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

Solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar energy services, SunEdison is the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) approval holder, granted by SEDA Malaysia.

The company is allowed to sell power generated from renewable energy sources to Tenaga Nasional Bhd for a fixed period of time.

"There is an excellent Feed-in-Tariff programme in Malaysia and we are looking forward to help additional airports in Malaysia and around the world," said SunEdison president for Asia, Middle East, South Africa and Australia, Pashupathy Gopalan.

Source: Bernama


TheGreenMechanics:

This sounds like a negotiated quota. If indeed Malaysia Airport can get other airports in this country installed with solar PV granted by SEDA, and enjoy the current FiT rate, it is a clear act of depriving others in the 'open bidding' system.

First-come-first-served, right?

Rooftop solar under the FIT in Sabah - your commitment starts at RM722 per month

One of the earlier service providers and system integrators in Sabah has kick-started their campaign as soon as the FiT mechanism for renewable energy is implemented here.

They held a mini roadshow at Suria Sabah shopping mall earlier this month, followed by a workshop at one of the better known hotel in Kota Kinabalu. I visited their booth but did not attend the workshop.

"Turn the sunlight into cash". Possible if you are willing to invest.

Their brochure illustrates the following investment and income generated from the venture. In this case, it is Solar PV installed on rooftop, with FiT at prevailing rate.

System size	Price (RM)	Financing  Tenure	Monthly Repayment (RM)	Monthly    Income (RM)
12.00 kW	112,000	10 years	1,264.72	1,545.78
9.60 kW	82,800	10 years	1,038.88	1,236.62
7.80 kW	68,400	10 years	858.20	1,004.75
6.60 kW	57,600	10 years	722.70	850.18

From the table, we can work out the estimated income as follows (taking a 6.6kW solar PV as an example):

A solar PV system size of 6.6kW would cost RM57,000 and you would need to come out with 10% down payment. 10 years financing is available and your monthly commitment with the financing bank is RM722.70 and your projected monthly income would be RM850.18 (approximately). Minus the loan repayment, you'd still have a cash surplus of RM127.48

This means that the investment is self-financing and at the end of the 10-year tenure, the generated RM850 is all yours. Good enough to pay up the electricity, telephone and water bills.

In a nutshell, the contract allows you to sell the electricity generated from your rooftop to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) at a much higher price (actual rate to be known during the application process) for a period of 21 years.

This is not an advertisement and therefore, no contact numbers are given. I have their numbers and the name of the persons to contact should anyone is interested.

TheGreenMechanics: This is just one quotation/projection from a single solar PV service provider. Let's hope more service providers come up with more competitive pricing as prices of solar panels continue to drop.

Basic solar power system for the grid-deprived homes at RM6,500

Many villages in Tuaran (Kiulu constituency) are still without electricity and I wanted to find out if it was possible to install small "phone charging stations" at the community halls (Balai/Dewan Raya), and perhaps a couple of LED lamps to help the folks communicate via cellular phones.

The idea is to purchase solar panel to power up a converter with an output of 150W to 200W, provide battery for energy storage, a couple of USB power outlets and a switch socket outlet (AC power). Installation was intended to by DIY.

I made some inquiries last year to find out what would be the cost in Sabah; I know one can get a better deal in West Malaysia. This is what I got from an e-mailed reply:


Battery/charger/inverter in a single module offered by Green Electric. No mention of brand of the solar panel.


An All-in-One (battery/charger/inverter) 150W output system + 135Wp solar panel.
Battery: Lithium Ion, which is smaller and more environmentally friendly
The cost of the system is RM5,000 and the cost of a single 135Wp solar panel is RM1,500.

The 500Wh System specifications:

• 666Wh lithium-polymer battery 
• Battery charger with state of charge indicator 
• Automatic switch-over circuit 
• Note: Min. 1,500 full charge/discharge cycles 
• 135W solar panel 

Total cost of the solar powered system: RM6,500

The local-based company claimed to have installed quite a lot of them in Tenom and Pitas. As price of solar panel falls further, you can expect to get better pricing this year.

RM1,500 for a 135W solar panel means that the cost per watt is RM11.10 which is pretty steep. I was looking at a mini display at City Mall, Kota Kinabalu the other day and the cost per watt is RM8.00; you can actually buy a 135W solar panel at RM1,080.


About the service providers

Green Electric Sdn Bhd which distributes the DIY kit have installed quite a number of the off-grid solar power systems in Sabah through its system implementer, Compugates Sabah Sdn Bhd. Green Electric acts as designer and consultant, and Compugagates acts as the installer and maintainer of the systems.


TheGreenMechanics: Tthe price offered is expensive. If I were to install a system on a DIY pet project, I would look at a total cost of slightly more than half the price quoted.

Yingli claims top spot as world's biggest Solar Module supplier in 2013

If you are contemplating on installing solar PV system on your rooftop, chances are you may be using solar modules manufactured by Yingli Green Energy.

For the second time in a row, Yingli claimed the top spot last year as the world’s biggest supplier of solar modules, according to market research firm IHS.


Yingli shipped more than 3 GW of PV modules in 2013, expanding its market share to 8.3%. Photo: Yingli Green Energy


Overall in 2013, Yingli was the No. 1 producer in both China and Germany, second in the United States and ninth in Japan. China bested the three countries as the largest solar market in the world in 2013.

In all, the four countries accounted for two-thirds of worldwide PV demand last year, according to the latest analysis reported in IHS Solar PV Integrated Market Tracker – Q4 2013.

Shipping more than 3 GW of solar modules last year, the Chinese maker expanded its share of the market to 8.3%, up from 7.4% in 2012, when it was already the world's biggest solar player.


Chinese firms in Germany busy despite trade dispute

Although impacted in Germany by the anti-dumping trade conflict, Chinese solar suppliers continued to see significant activity in the market, with five out of the country’s top 10 suppliers based out of China and only two local German companies - SolarWorld and Conergy.

In the U.S., the world's No. 3 PV market, Yingli came in second after Arizona-based First Solar. Yingli's total shipments of 479.8 MW represented just 70 MW short of First Solar’s delivery in the U.S. market, which grew more than 50% in 2013.

The only market where Yingli did not rank in top three was Japan, the world’s second-largest PV market, where Yingli came in ninth after homegrown producers like Sharp and Kyocera.


Yingli products in Malaysia?

Yes, definitely. In a statement last year, the company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Singapore has signed a framework agreement with RE FIT Solution Sdn Bhd to supply 500 KW of multicrystalline PV modules for the residential market in Malaysia.

Apart from that, the company, through its Singapore subsidiary, will supply 10 MW of its YGE 60 Cell Series panels to solar project at Gemas, Negri Sembilan.


Source: pv-magazine

Solar power saves the day during Australia's record heatwave

I enjoy watching the currently on-going Australian Open with all the top players gathered for a befitting occasion. For folks (including myself) who watch from the comfort of of their home the heatwave would not be an issue but for the spectators at the stadiums, including the players, 42^oC is not a comfortable temperature at all to be in.

I read that one can actually fry eggs by cracking and spreading them on to flat metal surfaces. It's that hot!

Maria Sharafova, in one of her winning matches, lamented about the soaring temperature they have to play their tennis, where organiser as well as the players have no definite answer as to when should matches be played under covered stadium.


Temperatures across many parts of Australia have soared past 40^oC for the last few days, melting plastic bottles where they stand. Photo credit: MICM Property


Solar power saves the day

While tennis players have wilted and bush fires have raged, solar power systems in Australia have come to the fore this week as the nation battles with the effects of the latest debilitating heatwave.

But it is Australia’s coal-fired power plants that have really been feeling the strain. As the middle of the day sees peak demand for power-hungry air conditioning units, the country’s traditional power supplies have had that demand alleviated by solar power systems.

Throughout the country, both rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations have upped their share of power use and generation, helping to rein in wholesale pricing and reduce the number of power outages.

At the midday peak last Wednesday, findings from the Australian Solar Council revealed that the state of South Australia drew 9.41% of its energy needs from solar systems. That figure was 9.13% for Western Australia, 8.64% for Queensland, 3.59% for New South Wales and 2.8% for Victoria.

Read what pv-magazine reported here. This is where I sourced the content of this article from.


TheGreenMechanics: While there are differences in opinion among energy players in Australia regarding 'unfair' benefit enjoyed by households with solar PV, there is clear indication that having your roof installed with solar power system helps in many ways than one.

Cultivate crops and build solar PV on the same farmland

You may have ran out of space (or land) for installing solar PV and you don't want to mess up your roof with the heavy PV modules, but that should not deter you from finding ways to take part in the renewable energy initiative by the government.

So, you started to innovate.

Take a look at this efforts by Japanese farmers. They mixed solar farming with cash crop farming. They keep the traditional farming on their agricultural lands but at the same time reap the benefit via Feed-in Tariff mechanism for generating electricity from solar.



Makoto Takazawa owns a 34.8kW 'solar sharing' farmland in Chiba Prefecture. Photo via REW


How did the 'solar sharing' concept started

Akira Nagashima, a retired engineer, studied and found that the rate of photosynthesis increases as the irradiance level is increased; however at one point, any further increase in the amount of light that strikes the plant does not cause any increase to the rate of photosynthesis.

By knowing that too much sun won’t help further growth of plants, Nagashima came up with the idea to combine PV systems and farming. He devised and originally patented special structure, which is much like a pergola (shaded walkway) in a garden.

He created a couple of testing fields with different shading rates and different crops. The structures he created are made of pipes and rows of PV panels, which are arranged with certain intervals to allow enough sunlight to hit the ground for photosynthesis.



The concept of co-existing farmland and solar PV was first developed by a retired engineer, Akira Nagashima. Photo via REW



Takazawa's solar sharing farm. Photo via REW


Installation cost and FiT rate

In the case of Makoto Takazawa (the first picture above) the cost of the system producing 35,000 kWh annually is about ¥12.6 million (around $126,000). Having secured the first available FIT rate of ¥42/kWh for 20 years, he will earn ¥1.6 million (around $16,000) annually while only making ¥100,000 (around $1,000) annually from farming.

Converted to Malaysian Ringgit, that would be about RM392,000 in installation cost. FiT rate is around RM1.308/kWh and he gets RM49,800 annually from this venture.

Reference and source: REW


TheGreenMechanics: Living in the countryside isn't a bad idea. I wouldn't mind spending my retirement years that way.

50W Solar PV system for the rural folks

Four community learning centres (or pre-schools) in the rural areas of Sabah have benefitted from a noble effort of several philanthropists.

The beneficiaries of the initial 4 sets of solar power system are community learning centres in Tenom, Tongod and Paitan. It is very encouraging to see synergy of effort from various NGOs to help those deprived of the basic necessity - power supply.

The 50W solar photovoltaic systems. Source: DE, Dec 17.

Parties involved in the project:

Inner Wheel Club of Kota Kinabalu	:	Fund raising to purchase and install the systems
Penampang Renewable Energy S/B	:	Design and supply (at cost)
Centre for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology (CREATE)	:	Training provider, especially on renewable energy, for rural youths
Tonibung	:	Installation of the solar PV systems at no cost, including training on their operations and maintenance.

The solar PV systems

Each system, designed and supplied by Penampang Renewable Energy S/B, consist of the followings (I hope the reporting by Daily Express is accurate):

• 50-Watt solar panel
• Solar power pack, c/w charge controller, 12V USB, 5V USB
• 70Ah battery
• 300W inverter
• LED lamps

* The packs are expandable for bigger load if required, which is really good as the folks surely would need more power in the near future. This is something like a modular design where people could donate an 'expansion' or two and they just add up to the existing one.


TheGreenMechanics: As an alternative, there is a similar set on sale which I think is comparable to the above system. I saw one at City Mall with almost similar features - solar power pack with solar panel, USB outlets, 70Ah battery c/w 4 units of 3W LED bulbs. The system is marketed at RM550.00 minus the inverter. A separate 300W quasi-sine wave inverter will cost around RM250 to RM300.

Philippines closes in on 1 GW solar PV pipeline

Back in April this year, a PV research company, NPD Solarbuzz noted that emerging PV markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan are expected to lead the way in the photovoltaic demand.

The five nations will account for 50% of the more than 3 GW cumulative demand in Asia Pacific and Central Asia between 2013 and 2017.

Specifically, Thailand is anticipated to become the region’s largest photovoltaic market, while Indonesia is forecast to rank second by 2017 supported by its impending FiTs.

But wait, the Philippines is coming strongly with its latest announcement of cumulative approved PV projects which is moving close to 1 GW this month.

PV-Magazine reported that the country’s Department of Energy (DoE) is stepping up efforts to triple the nation’s renewable energy capacity by 2030. Currently, the Philippines has a renewable energy capacity of 5.6 GW and by 2030, the country hopes to reach a target of 16 GW.


Ilocos Norte is known for its breeze and surfing; no wonder it is also the place for one of Philippines' wind farms. Next, a 20 MW solar PV project will start here in January 2014. Photo credit: Moving Forward



Department of Energy has awarded service contracts for a total of 38 PV projects in the Philippines this year, taking the country’s PV pipeline to 846.2 MW, of which 844.7 MW (34 of the projects) are grid-connected projects.

Belgium’s Enfinity renewable energy company, via its local Philippines subsidy Enfinity Philippines, has invested close to $600 million to secure contracts for 18 of the 34 approved projects, including three or four that will begin construction in early 2014.

"Next year, three to four PV projects in Philippines should go into construction, but we might move faster than that. The remainder of the company’s planned 18 solar projects will be completed in the next couple of years."
 - Dennis Ibarra, Enfinity Philippines president

Another foreign industry player in the Philippines, South Korea’s Mirae Asia Energy Corp. will begin construction on a 20 MW solar plant in the Ilocos Norte region of the Philippines in January next year. In July, Mirae Asia Energy Corp. secured a certificate for the project from the DoE, and will invest $50 million in the 60-hectare project.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

I remember, last month, our Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water (Dr. Maximus Ongkili) said that Malaysia is one of the earliest nations in the 10-member Asean regional grouping to implement the FiT mechanism to promote and increase renewable energy.

From the available data and announcements, we seem to be at the tail end of several emerging nations in Asean group. Perhaps we are not as aggressive as Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Even Singapore is coming in very strongly in PV installation. Just a personal thought.

Source: pv-magazine

UK ratifies new waste regulations on PV recycling

Someone asked if solar PV is really green, considering the amount of energy to manufacture the panels and the amount of effort required for the disposal of damaged/old ones. It's a good question but that's for the analysts to work it out.

While we let our self get carried away by the NKEA of achieving certain commendable target of Renewable Energy in the national energy generation mix, let's not forget about the electrical and electronic waste we are bound to be creating.

Broken and damaged PV panels - how are we going to dispose them of?

U.K. to introduce new regulations on PV recycling from January 1, 2014

The British government will introduce its interpretation of the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive for the disposal of PV modules ahead of schedule on January 1, 2014, in a move that has been applauded by pan-European recycling organization PV Cycle.

The U.K. has become the first EU member state to officially ratify its own national legislation on the laws, weeks in advance of the official February 14 deadline next year.

The WEEE Directive was updated in August 2012 to incorporate PV modules, with the industry given an 18-month transition period within which all 27 EU governments must incorporate new guidelines on PV waste into their national law.

According to the new directive, all PV modules that have reached their end-of-life (either because their warranty has expired or they have been damaged) must be disposed of in the correct manner. PV Cycle, with local presence in a number of European countries, is an organization that helps coordinate the take back and waste disposal of PV modules, managing a number of collection points across Europe and offering guidance on how PV producers can comply with the law and recycle their products accordingly.


The essence of the regulations

For the U.K. PV market, the new regulations require all importers of PV panels into the U.K. to register with a Product Compliance Scheme, which takes effect from January 1, 2014.

The scheme asks that all producers take full financial responsibility of the waste disposal of the PV panels they supply to the market, in addition to reporting all important data, such as numbers supplied and locations distributed to.



TheGreenMechanics: That's in Europe. They have until February next year to update their regulations to include PV in the waste management.

I'm not sure if we have ours yet. What is clear is that we have the relevant act for proper disposal of e-waste (electonic waste) but nothing's specific on photovoltaic panels.

Back to basic: How solar cells make electricity

As recently announced, we will soon be part of the national drive to encourage use of renewable energy  - in particular solar PV - to generate electricity. Starting Jan 1 next year, consumers in Sabah will join their counterparts in Peninsula Malaysia to invest in RE.

Solar energy is of particular interest as under the FiT mechanism, solar photovoltaic is one of the four renewable sources of energy in Malaysia that falls under the special tariff where everyone can take part. The others are biogas, biomass and mini hydro.

The following diagram shows how solar cells produce electricity:

Note: Diagram shows one type of panel, other panel may use different type of material.

Type of solar panel construction

Efficiency of a panel is the ability to convert sunlight to electricity. Here are example of different panels. Ratings are for comparison purposes, not a specific panel's rating.

• Mono-crystalline panels use silicon produced in a continuous sheet, then cut to fit the panel. Typically the most efficient type, but the high silicon levels make them expensive.
  Efficiency: 18%

• Poly-crystalline panels use groups of small cells instead of one large sheet. Due to lower silicon levels, they are a little less expensive to produce, but slightly less efficient.
  Efficiency: 16%

• Thin-film panels use very thin layers of material, such as amorphous silicon. Versatile, heat-tolerant and the least expensive type, their lack of efficiency requires more panels. Not as long lasting.
  Efficiency: 9%

Sources: Solar Energy Industries Association, National Renewable Energy Lab., US Dept. of Energy, Mother Earth News, California Solar Energy Industries Association. Diagram/graphics via US Solar Institute.

Housing developers urged to use Solar Thin-Film PV technology

You read the Bernama report below and you quickly think of the additional cost it will cause to the  price of your dream house, which would be hefty.

For a conventional solar PV installed on rooftop, 1kWp would cost around RM9,000 to RM10,000 without storage/battery. So, for an average size of 4kWp, a house buyer would have to pay an additional sum of RM40,000 which is about 15% of the price of a medium-cost house. For thin-film PV, there is no price reference yet in Malaysia.

Housing developers will hesitate. House buyers will be reluctant.

If SIRIM (and that would mean, the government) wants housing developers to incorporate solar PV technology in their construction, they need to give these developers carrot.

I don't know what that carrot would be, but both developer and buyer need to be convinced of the quantum of benefit of having solar PV built-in into their buildings.


"Lightweight and flexible solar technology" - as demonstrated here by Solopower System. Photo: Solopower

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SIRIM: Use solar Thin-film PV technology in your construction

Sirim Bhd is proposing that housing developers use Solar Thin-Film Photovoltaics (PV) technology in their construction to further develop the use of green technology and add value to new buildings.

Solar Thin-Film PV is the state-of-the-art renewable energy technology which uses thin layers of semiconductors to absorb solar energy which can be transformed into electricity.

Renewable Energy Research Centre General Manager Mohd Fauzi Ismail said besides encouraging developers to be more competitive, house owners would also be able to enjoy cost savings in electricity consumption.

"The use of this technology can have a far reaching impact on the buildings as indirectly the building structure will have a dual-function.

"Solar Thin-Film PV not only can be used for roofing, walls and ceilings, but also as a source of power generation," he told Bernama after the launch of the Application of Wind Technology System for Energy Generation and Sustainable Thin Film PV Building and, the Renewable Energy Generation projects in Kudat on Sunday (Dec 8).

Solar Thin-Film PV technology had many advantages compared with other technologies as it required only low raw material input, was highly automated and efficiently produced.

The technology can be easily integrated with buildings, had a high performance level and as less sensitive under high temperatures, he added.

He said Sirim was ready to share its expertise with any housing developer who wished to apply the renewable energy in their construction.

Extracted from: Bernama, Dec 8, 2013


TheGreenMechanics: A demo house/building with solar thin-film PV installed on its rooftop would be very interesting. Where can I see one?

Greenhouse PV Demonstration Project launched in Fukushima farmland

The "Greenhouse PV Demonstration Project" in Fukushima is a project to test how much impact the shading caused by the solar panels affects the growth of the fruit and vegetables inside the greenhouse.


Demonstration project on agricultural greenhouse solar PV. Photo: solar-frontier


Solar Frontier tests solar greenhouse

Fukushima, the name synonymous with 2011's Japanese tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident,  is an area of Japan that has been treated with so much care since the disaster two years ago.

It is no surprise then that the Japanese government is much effort in providing power supply from other sources. So, as part of the economic recovery efforts, solar panels have been fitted to an agricultural greenhouse for a demonstration project in Minamisoma, Fukushima.

The project, by companies including Japanese panel maker Solar Frontier and German EPC Belectric, in cooperation with the local prefectural government of Fukushima, sees installation of 324 Solar Frontier panels with 50kW total rated capacity covering 1,300m² of roof space on an agricultural greenhouse.

The results of the project are due to be reported in January, 2014, to determine impacts of shadows from solar panels on high value greenhouse products.


TheGreenMechanics: Would be good to test this solar PV shading on our paddy field and see if there is much impact on the amount of rice produced as a result. At the same time, free electricity from the farm. Sounds good, eh?

Source: Solar Frontier website

1 MW solar PV installed on Verona’s Bentegodi football stadium

Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, is the home of both Chievo Verona and Hellas Verona football teams of Serie A and Serie B respectively.


Impressive! Over 13,300 photovoltaic solar panels are installed on its roof. Photo - Knowledge Allianz


What's interesting is that the dome of Verona’s Bentegodi stadium has now become the largest photovoltaic sports complex roof in Italy. PV solar panels with a total installed capacity of 1MW help reducing annual C0₂ emissions by more than 550 tons.

Commissioned at the end of November 2009, there are a total of 13,321 thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar modules on the rooftop, mounted on aluminum mounting system. It uses 141 SMC 7000HV inverters to 'collect' power.


Do we have a case here?

Bukit Jalil Stadium is among the Top-10 largest football stadium in the world. Top spot used to be Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, although it had been reduced significantly after redesigned.


100,000 capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium is bigger than Manchester United's Old Trafford.
Photo - funonthenet



Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu. Photo - Skyscrapper


This is something to think about for the 100,000-seat capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium, or the 35,000 capacity Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. By comparison, Verona's Bentegodi stadium capacity is 38,400 - not too far different from our humble Likas Stadium.

We are not asking that our stadiums be covered or shaded with solar panel; it's just an idea. It's good for space saving and at the same time provide clean power for the sport complex.

Ontario opens application window for small solar PV FiT projects

To benchmark, Malaysia's FiT rates for small solar PV (2013) are:

• up to 4kW        - RM1.1316/kWh  (US$0.36/kWh)
• 4kW to 24kW   - RM1.040/kWh    (US$0.33/kWh)
• 24kW to 72kW - RM0.9440/kWh  (US$0.30/kWh)
• 72kW to 1MW  - RM0.9120/kWh  (US$0.29/kWh)

In the province of Ontario in Canada, small FiT projects (rooftop) attract the following rates:

• Between 10 kW and 100 kW     - CAD$0.345/kWh (US$0.33/kWh)
• Above 100 kW & below 500 kW - CAD$0.329/kWh (US$0.314/kWh)

For micro sized installations we seem to have better rates, which shows the government's commitment to get more individuals and home owners to participate in the clean energy generation. But, available quota and allocation seem to show otherwise. We have very limited quota for small sized installation in Malaysia.


Fort William First Nation 10.8MW solar farm in Thunder Bay, Ontario, is one of the biggest PV plants in Canada. Photo - Skypower


Great window of opportunity for Ontario

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has opened the application window for 'small FIT projects' – defined as projects above 10 kW and, generally, below 500 kW, in capacity.

The OPA will award FIT payment contracts for up to 123.5 MW of small projects as it has a stated 70 MW procurement target for 2013 and has 53.5 MW of outstanding capacity left over from the previous small project application window.

The deadline for applications is on December 13 and, according to the price schedule published by the OPA in August, rooftop projects between 10 kW and 100 kW in size will qualify for a FIT rate of CAD$0.345/kWh (US$0.33/kWh) and those above 100 kW in capacity will earn CAD$0.329/kWh. Non-rooftop small projects will earn CAD$0.288/kWh.

The OPA is also accepting applications for its unconstructed rooftop solar pilot program, for systems on houses yet to be constructed, and has 15 MW of capacity available separately for this scheme.

The announcement of the opening of the small FIT project application window by the OPA goes on to add the preparation of procurement arrangements for PV projects larger than 500 kW in size 'is currently ongoing' and will be announced in due course.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents

What Ontario is doing is actually very interesting. They open up FiT quota for a period of time according to prevailing situation and requirements. This way, they make the offer very attractive during the window so that individuals and corporations who are 'ready' can grab the opportunity and quickly put the projects to work.

Next window could be totally different - in a good way or otherwise - depending on our state of readiness. I'm sure, the guys at SEDA Malaysia are keeping abreast with changes and development in other countries.

Polish city of Lublin welcomes solar powered buses

In public transportation system, buses and trains have always been the suitable vehicles to install solar panels. This is primarily due to their flat and wide roofs. I'm pretty sure many of us have thought about this idea.

What MPK Lublin Ltd in Poland did was to put this into work.

If you think our cities don't have the market to make this feasible, Lublin is a city with just about 350,000 inhabitants.


The system's payback period is estimated at a mere 2 years. Image by AGM


Lublin powers buses with solar cell from Midsummer

In a move to reduce energy consumption and make public transport 'grenner', the Polish city of Lublin has installed flexible thin film solar cells from Midsummer on the roofs of its municipal buses.

The Municipal Transport Company (MPK) in Lublin has installed photovoltaic thin film CIGS solar panels on its buses' roofs. The solar panels turn solar energy into electric energy and are used to load the buses’ batteries. This will decrease the buses' alternators load, leading to lower fuel consumption and bringing both economic and ecological profits.

Potential savings are estimated at up to 8,000 zloty (1,900 euro) per bus per year. The system's payback period is estimated at a mere two years, taking into consideration only the fuel consumption reduction and not the overall environmental benefits. After two years, the solar energy solution will create compound surpluses for MPK for the remainder of the panels’ life span that will outlast the lifetime of the bus.

The Lublin solar bus project will initially run for two years, after which it will be evaluated. The first solar bus is already in operation.

The thin film solar cells have been manufactured by Midsummer, a leading Swedish supplier of equipment for cost effective manufacturing of CIGS thin film flexible solar cells, and installed on MPK’s fleet of Scania buses. The project is a cooperation between MPK and the Lublin University of Technology.


Ideal for vehicles and buildings

"As opposed to the more traditional silicon-based solar cells, thin film CIGS solar panels are flexible and light weight and therefore ideal to be mounted on moving vehicles – and also on many buildings, landfills etc," said Sven Lindström, CEO, Midsummer. "If a city in north central Europe can install thin film solar panels on its public transport vehicles with energy cost efficiency and a short payback period, imagine the potential for larger cities in sunnier parts of the world for introducing solar energy to its vehicles and buildings."
"We firmly believe that thin film CIGS solar cells are the solar cells of the future. They are increasingly efficient and have many advantages over traditional silicon-based solar cells. They are durable, can withstand vibrations, can be curved and bent, and can be manufactured cost-efficiently in small volumes."

Midsummer’s "DUO" is a unique and compact CIGS turn-key system with a 5 MW annual production capacity. Midsummer’s CIGS cells looks like crystalline silicon solar cells, but are made on stainless steel substrates. This makes the cells suitable not only for regular solar panels, but also for flexible, light weight panels that can be used on membrane roofs, landfills or other structures where the traditional glass modules cannot be applied.

"The thin film panels on the buses in Lublin are characterized by flexibility and shock resistance," said Professor Miroslaw Wendeker from the Faculty of Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Aerospace Propulsion at University of Technology in Lublin in an earlier interview with the Polish Press Agency. "These cells have better absorption feature than traditional silicon wafers. They can be configured at will and placed on any roof."

MPK Lublin Ltd. is the biggest public transport carrier in Lublin with a fleet of 60 trolleybuses and 215 buses. Lublin is a city on eastern Poland with a population of approx. 350,000 inhabitants.

TheGreenMechanics: Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown seem like great cities to start with an initiative.


News source: pv-magazine