SEDA Malaysia: Taking the Green Road

   

 I go a really long way with SEDA Malaysia; it started back in October 2013 when bloggers were gathered at Berjaya Times Square Hotels and Resorts on 20^th October for SEDA Malaysia Open Day Bloggers Workshop. It was the first time that we sat face to face and were given explanation on sustainable energy measures and energy efficiency effort in Malaysia and how they are being implemented. We had almost zero knowledge about those things but SEDA Malaysia officers helped us to disseminate information and how we go about educating the public about it. I agreed to be a part of this mainly because I am an environmentalist myself and I feel the need to be responsible to the Mother Earth. In fact, I would want more people to be in the know and at least they want to make some changes in daily activities. You can refer to this link for further information.

    Things get more exciting when SEDA Malaysia invited the bloggers for a field trip to Fortune 11 Solar Farm in Sepang Selangor. We were given explanation on how solar energy is garnered from sun rays and how the solar farm works. It was impressive to be on site and to see with our own eyes the vast area of solar farm that surely benefits the environment and the company itself. Imagine getting near to those solar PV panels that we only see on television or the internet and the opportunity to ask questions for further clarification from the person in-charge.  I truly enjoyed the field trip because I gained beneficial knowledge about solar power and its importance for the country’s renewable energy growth. You can click this link for further reading.

    On the same day, the bloggers were brought to Negeri Sembilan to visit the Malaysia Palm Oil Mill Technology Centre (POMTECH) in Labu. We witnessed the development of biogas and biomass energy resources in order to fully utilize the energy generated from tree parts, excess fruits or empty fruit branches. What is more impressive was to see heavy machineries and big lorries carrying those resources to be processed in the mill in order for renewable energy generation to happen. It gave me an impression that Malaysia is getting ready to become a modern and developed country by the year 2020. The visit to the palm oil mill made me feel secure because I know that the country is no longer depending on fossil fuels and I really hope that the development will continue. Please go to this link if you want to find out more about the visit.

Source: www.cooltek.org

    On the 18^th of January 2014, bloggers were brought to Melaka to visit Stephanie Mary Bacon’s cool house, COOLTEK Home. The house is a model of an energy efficient residential building that applies almost all of energy efficient measure and sustainable energy effort. It is a house that generates electricity and Stephanie has been making money by selling the energy generated to Tenaga Nasional Berhad. She has been earning a steady passive income ever since she applies for and implemented the Feed-in Tariff measurements at her home. It was interesting to learn that the house is specifically built according to “green” specification whereby the use of electricity is lesser than conventional houses in Malaysia. The trip to her house showed me that an energy efficient house does exist and it can happen if each one of us is willing to take part. You can log on to this link if you want to find out more about COOLTEK Home.

Source: www.auosunpower.com

    Then, we visited AUO Sunpower Sdn. Bhd. in Alor Gajah Melaka to visit 40 acres of land occupied by world leader of solar cell manufacturing. The company is one of the biggest supporters of renewable energy and energy efficiency effort in the country and worldwide with manufacturing and exportation of solar cells to be assembled as solar panels. With 2,000 and more job opportunities provided by the company to the locals in Malaysia, I am surely mesmerized with their concern to the economy of the people working with them and also towards the country. This is what we are looking for in future; better work opportunities and its beneficial effects to the surrounding. Please refer to this link if you want to have further reading okay.

    The last pit stop was at Kumpulan Melaka Berhad Solar Farm, the first state government to own and operate its own solar farm facilities in the country and I can tell you that they are reaping the benefits. With the large area of solar farm, Melaka is serious about becoming the first green technology state by the year 2020, leaving most other states far behind. This is a great effort taken by Chief Minister Incorporated, the owner of the solar farm to venture into green investments that benefits the company. You can read more of this solar farm by clicking this link.

Source: www.seda.gov.my

    All of these field trips could not happen without the effort taken by SEDA Malaysia in providing better dissemination of knowledge to the bloggers. The knowledge will then be shared to the public for all of you to understand better of SEDA Malaysia roles and importance in the country. SEDA Malaysia is the implementer of Feed-in Tariff program for development of renewable energy in Malaysia.

    Malaysia’s Feed-in Tariff system requires the Distribution Licensees (DLs) such as TenagaNasionalBerhad and NUR Distribution Sdn. Bhd. (NUR) with this year’s addition of Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd (SESB) to buy from renewable energy producers the electricity produced by them. FiT rates are set by SEDA Malaysia with approval from KeTTHA to pay for the renewable energy supplied to the electricity grid for a specific duration.

    By having access to the grid and setting a favorable price per unit of renewable energy, the FiT mechanism also ensures that renewable energy becomes a viable and sound long-term investment for companies, industries and individuals. This can happen very easily if consumers are registered under SEDA Malaysia as one of the producers of renewable energy through solar panels, small hydro power, biomass and biogas at their homes or private lands.

Source: www.seda.gov.my

    The Cabinet has also agreed for the surcharge on consumers’ electricity bills that has been gazetted and collected from consumers. 1% surcharge is needed to achieve the target capacity of renewable energy in the long run. As of 2013, 1% surcharge was imposed on all electricity customers and domestic electricity consumers are obliged to contribute to the surcharge only if their monthly electricity consumption exceeds 300 kWh or RM 77 a month.

    This money is channelled into the Renewable Energy Fund and administered by SEDA Malaysia to pay the premium Feed-in Tariff rate to those producers who generate electricity from renewable resources at homes or in industrial companies. However, as of January 2014, this surcharge increases by 0.6% to be 1.6 % for current electricity users. This increase will also affect the consumers in Sabah and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan as they are charged with 1.6% of their electricity bills for the first timeRM69.00 above.Please refer to www.seda.gov.my for more news and information about this tariff. Thank you everyone for reading, take care and God bless you!

Source: www.seda.gov.my