News Clipping Archive - Page 1083 of 1294

Renewables

Goodyear allocates RM8m to instal solar panels at its plant

24 July 2019

–

Malaysia

GOODYEAR Malaysia Bhd has allocated RM8.2 million or 30% of its total capital expenditure this year for the installation of 6,680 solar panels at its tyre manufacturing plant in Shah Alam, Selangor.

The project will be Malaysia’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) project recorded under the net energy metering scheme.

Goodyear manufacturing operations Asia Pacific director Ramon Le said the installation at its sole tyre manufacturing plant in Malaysia was part of efforts taken to improve its financials and operations, and to power up and reduce its carbon footprint.

“We expect to see savings of around US$400,000 (RM1.6 million) per year. We also expect to see the return on investment in five years and 17% savings in electric consumption everyday.

“With this technology in place, Goodyear is set to reduce its spending on electricity while also significantly reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions,” he told the media at the launch of Goodyear Solar Power System in Shah Alam yesterday.

According to Le, the solar panel system is capable of producing 2.5MW of power, and it is connected to six low voltage substations located within the plant.

The power generated from the panels will help run the manufacturing plant, office and warehouse buildings.

“The panels are estimated to reduce 1.98 million kg of carbon emission per year across 25 years,” Le added.

He said the solar panels installation was in line with Goodyear’s global mission to drive sustainability and reduce environmental impact.

He said to drive more sustainability efforts, Goodyear started a programme called “Better Future” at the corporate level several years ago.

Through this programme, the tyre maker has identified more than 600 energy-efficient projects that focus on environmental protection.

“For Malaysia, we have invested nearly RM23.47 million into the plant as part of our energy and sustainability efforts since 2015. Through this, we have been able to eliminate almost 17% carbon emission by end-2018,” he said.

Le said the solar panels allowed the company to significantly reduce the amount of externally sourced electricity usage by the plant.

“We are still purchasing electricity from Tenaga Nasional Bhd, but once this system is fully optimised, we expect to have excess electricity which will be channelled back to the grid,” he said.

Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Yeo Bee Yin who officiated the event, said Goodyear’s PV system is exemplary of a rising tide of corporates who have strong commitment to meet their environmental, social and governance obligations.

She said there is a huge technical potential for rooftop solar PV applications given that Peninsular Malaysia has 4.1 million buildings.

Solar PV systems will help consumers save electricity bills and be part of the solution to climate change. The solar PV market can also help spawn the economy, specifically it drives employment in this sector, she added.

A report by the International Renewable Energy Agency with data provided by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia, stated that Malaysia was Asean region’s biggest solar PV employer with a total of more than 54,300 people working in the industry last year — up from 40,300 in 2017.

This employment is inclusive of the manufacturing sector, of which Malaysia is among the top three PV producers in the world.

Besides Malaysia, Goodyear has tyre manufacturing plants in Thailand, Indonesia, China and India among other countries.

Electricity/Power Grid ,
Oil & Gas

New gas outline close to complete

24 July 2019

–

Thailand

The Energy Ministry is proceeding with a new draft of the national gas plan 2018-37, expecting to get the green light from Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong next week.

A source from the ministry requesting anonymity said all relevant agencies are working to complete the gas plan, which will be proposed to the minister for approval.

The gas plan is part of the national power development plan (PDP) 2018-37, with the new PDP approved by the National Energy Policy Council in January.

The gas plan will emphasise gas exploration and production activities in the Gulf of Thailand, which is nearing depletion.

With few gas resources, the government will need to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), the source said.

Under the gas plan, LNG imports are projected at 24-25 million tonnes per year, but PTT, the sole LNG importer, has import capacity of only 5 million tonnes.

The gas facilities in Rayong, both on-shore and floating terminals, need to be expanded to serve the larger volume of imported LNG in the near future.

“The ministry will consider granting a licence to develop and operate the facility,” the source said.

According to the gas plan draft, two significant projects will be LNG terminals in Surat Thani and Songkhla.

The gas terminal in Surat Thani will feed a newly developed gas-fired power plant in the same province.

The Songkhla terminal will feed new floating storage regasification units, also known as the enormous LNG marine fleet.

This LNG marine fleet in the South will support existing operations in Rayong, where gas drilled from the Gulf of Thailand is stored.

“Once gas in the Gulf of Thailand is depleted, LNG will be the alternative fuel,” the source said.

There are plans to restart a retired oil-fuelled generator in Surat Thani, but with gas instead, because the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) cannot push forward development of a coal-fired power plant in Krabi.

Under the plan, Egat will be the second shipper for LNG after PTT, in line with the government’s policy to liberalise LNG importation.

The import plan has yet to be implemented by Egat because the former minister — Siri Jirapongphan — sent back a plan to import 1.5 million tonnes of LNG in May.

Egat selected Malaysia’s Petronas LNG to import and supply LNG to Egat’s power plants.

Energy Policy

Energy Minister directs PTT to cap LPG-NGV prices for two more months

24 July 2019

–

Thailand

Bangkok – Energy Minister Sonthirat Sonthijirawong says he has coordinated with PTT to consider extending the period of fixing LPG prices for street vendors and NGV prices for public transport until September. Currently the measures are due to expire at the end of this month. The move is aimed at helping low income earners and PTT has allocated 30 million baht a month in subsidies to cap the LPG price.

As for assistance for oil palm growers, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has been assigned to find ways to use crude palm oil to produce electricity according to the framework previously approved by the Cabinet, and prepare a plan for directing the use of B7, B10 and B20 diesel fuel to help farmers in the long run.

The use of the Oil Fund to subsidize the price of B20 to make it cheaper than diesel of general grade by five baht, a measure due to be terminated this month, is again up for discussion with the relevant agencies.

Electricity/Power Grid ,
Renewables

Meralco lights second microgrid facility in Cagbalate

23 July 2019

–

Philippines

THE MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO) HAS INSTALLED A SOLAR MICROGRID IN CAGBALETE ISLAND IN LINE WITH THEIR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY TO ITS UNDERSERVED OR UNSERVED FRANCHISE AREAS.

The technology is set to provide round-the-clock power to 200 households in the 1,795 hectare island.

The project has two phases. The first phase will be 60 kilowatts (kW) of electricity, with the second phase targeted to expand generating capacity to around 1000 kW by the end of the year.

The power distribution company aims to provide for more than 600 families plus the surrounding resorts as it only currently provides its services to 200 families in the island.

Simultaneous ceremonies were both held in Cagbalete Island and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Present during the ceremonies were the Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretaries Jesus Posadas and Felix William Fuentebella, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Agnes VST Devanadera, Meralco First VP and Head Customer Retail Services and Corporate Communications Victor Genuino, Meralco President and CEO Atty. Ray C. Espinosa, Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, Mauban Quezon Mayor Marita Llamas, and Meralco Senior Vice President and Networks and Head Ronnie L. Aperocho.

“These projects are a continuation of our pursuit of providing a more reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric service,” Aperocho said.

“Our approach of using renewable energy to energize geographically isolated locations addresses the need to reduce carbon footprint while providing electricity to unserved and underserved areas,” he added.

Energy Efficiency

GenCell appoints Amorele Technology to accelerate fuel cell adoption in The Philippines

23 July 2019

–

Philippines

Alkaline fuel cell power solution provider and manufacturer GenCell Energy has appointed specialist systems integrator Amorele Technology Inc to offer its portfolio of fuel cell solutions in the Philippines.

GenCell appoints Amorele Technology to accelerate fuel cell adoption in The Philippines

Courtesy of GenCell

Initially targeted at first responders, local businesses and the military, the breakthrough solutions will work to reduce the country’s high humanitarian and financial costs associated with long-duration power outages caused by brownouts, severe weather conditions, typhoons and earthquakes.

Upon installing the country’s first GenCell G5 fuel cell at its new GenCell showroom in Binan, Laguna, this week Amorele is celebrating the official opening of this facility with a ceremony attended by system integrators and representatives from companies in various industries.

To support the Philippines moving towards green technologies and renewable energy, Amorele has partnered with GenCell to enable Philippine businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. A systems integrator that specialises in structured cabling, communications, wireless networking and security surveillance, Amorele employs skilled and certified electrical engineering professionals who will market, sell and support GenCell product deployments in the country with highest quality service.

With its broad range of clients, including government agencies, airports, banks, commercial properties, businesses and more, Amorele aims to integrate GenCell’s technologies across diverse industry sectors. In the longer term, the company plans to develop a network of channel partners across the country to whom it will supply both sales and technical support.

“We were immediately struck by the benefits that GenCell fuel cells could bring to our country” said Alain Caparanga, of Amorele Technology Inc. “In some Philippine islands, we regularly experience grid failures lasting as long as 12 hours – often between 8am and 8pm – with at least two to three brownouts per week. During these periods, everything stops, which affects businesses drastically. To bridge this gap, thousands of diesel generators are installed everywhere. But aside from being very noisy, leaky and polluting, these generators are not fueled to last for more than six or eight hours, when power is lost once again. What’s more, even with grid power, energy fluctuation makes everything quite unstable here. The GenCell solutions with their built-in energy bridge can aid this, as well as provide the clean and reliable backup power that we lack”.

Amorele is pursuing opportunities for Philippine government units to use GenCell fuel cells within hospitals and emergency services during typhoons. Essentially, this will provide power for first responders at the scenes of incidents, enabling reliable communications and the ability to pump water and provide critical light and heat. In addition, the GenCell G5’s will be offered to local businesses and banks to help avoid the losses that can occur when power outages disable retail payment systems and ATMs. Lastly, the military may adopt the technology to provide backup power for the many bases that operate throughout the Philippines.

Mr Caparanga added that a growing number of Philippine companies are already looking for more sustainable power sources for primary and backup power and that this is especially true of the country’s island communities that rely on wind and solar.

“What’s more, there’s growing suspicion that our use of diesel generators and rising pollution is contributing to the increased ferocity of typhoons” Mr Caparanga said. “We believe that as fuel cells complement other renewable energy sources and displace diesel with cleaner alternatives, we will see healthy uptake of the solutions across the Philippines.”

The GenCell Energy G5 long-duration UPS is a fuel cell-based solution that runs on hydrogen cylinders. The solution produces no emissions, noise or vibrations and can be located either indoors or outdoors to provide critical backup power during grid outages. When delivered with a protective shelter, the G5 becomes the seismic-certified G5rx, designed to withstand severe weather events including earthquakes of up to 7.2 Richter.

Renewables

Solar industry can generate more jobs

23 July 2019

–

Malaysia

SHAH ALAM: The Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) is confident that the solar industry will be able to create more jobs in the country.

Minister Yeo Bee Yin said more than 54,300 Malaysians have been working in related fields in the industry since 2011.

“In line with the government’s aim to provide sustainable solar energy, we have been creating jobs in the industry,” she told reporters after attending the launch of “Malaysia’s Largest Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Project” under the net energy metering (NEM) scheme by Goodyear Malaysia Bhd (Goodyear).

Also present was Ramon Le, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s director of Manufacturing Operation, Asia Pacific.

Yeo said currently, the solar industry is not only focused on the installation of solar panels on commercial buildings, but also on factory premises.

“This has been done by Goodyear, who had installed solar panels on its factory premises as a step towards reducing its carbon footprint as well as ensuring a more environmentally-friendly future.

“It will also help the company to reduce electricity consumption and cut down its electricity bills,” she said.

Meanwhile, Le said Goodyear had installed 6,680 solar panels, which are connected to six low voltage substations capable of generating 2.5 megawatts not only for the manufacturing plant, but also for the office building and the warehouse.

He said the panels were made from 375W Bifacial Monocrystalline Perc Double Glass Solar Modules, capable of reducing 1.98 million kilogrammes in carbon emissions annually for 25 years.

The NEM scheme is a solar PV initiative by MESTECC to encourage Malaysia’s renewable energy uptake.

Renewables

New policy soon to boost solar PV adoption

23 July 2019

–

Malaysia

SHAH ALAM: The government will soon announce a new policy for developers to incorporate solar photovoltaics (PV) systems in new buildings.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change minister Yeo Bee Yin said the move was part of efforts to encourage more use of solar PVs in the country.

According to her, the country boasts vast rooftop spaces where solar PV systems can be installed with the aim of reducing electricity usage.

“Malaysia has about 3.2 million landed houses, 450,000 shoplots, 21,000 standalone factories and 1,000 shopping complexes. That is a lot of rooftop space.

“That is why the government is encouraging solar PV panels on rooftops instead of having it mounted on the ground, as the land can be used for other purposes.

“Roofs cannot be used for anything else except to collect dust. So it can be utilised to produce electricity. We foresee the early adopters of NEM (Net Energy Metering) system will be industrial and commercial corporations with large rooftop spaces before it trickles down to domestic use,” she said.

Yeo also encouraged households to install solar PV systems at their properties where they can turn into “pro-sumers” (producer-consumers) of electricity.

“We expect go-green advocates and environmentalists to use the system once the market matures.

“They have a choice of whether they want to buy electricity from Tenaga Nasional Berhad or produce it themselves. Instead of becoming a consumer, you can be a prosumer,” she said at the launch of Malaysia’s largest rooftop solar PV project under the NEM Scheme: 2.5 MW PV system by Goodyear today.

According to Yeo, the government’s efforts to encourage the use of solar photovoltaics (PV) was paying off, as Malaysia has emerged as the third largest manufacturer in the world, providing employment opportunities in the engineering, technical sectors as well as service providers in the industry.

“We are Asean region’s biggest solar photovoltaics (PV) employer, as announced by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recently.

“More than 54,300 local Malaysians have been hired to work in the industry since 2011 till now. That is good news.

“I am confident that with the NEM Scheme introduced by the government which encourages more usage of solar PV, there will be more jobs created in the future,” she said.

Yeo added apart from boosting the economy, the use of solar PV also helps consumers to save electricity and sustain the environment.

Some of the huge solar PV manufacturing players in the country have plants in Cyberjaya, Kulim, as well as Sarawak.

Eco Friendly Vehicle

Meralco, Mitsubishi to study V2G application in Philippines

22 July 2019

–

Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is looking at the possibility of having your car power your home.

This as Meralco teamed up with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to study the implementation of a “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G) application in the Philippine setting as the power distributor continues to power up innovations in the country.

Meralco vice president and head strategy business development Raymond Ravelo said the company has partnered with Mitsubishi Motors as it continues to push “the boundaries of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging technologies and innovations.”

“For instance, we are working closely with partners such as Mitsubishi Motors to test and prove the viability of vehicle-to-grid or V2G technology,” he said.

In explaining the technology, an EV will be able to become a source of power and provide electricity supply to the power grid, much like a battery energy storage system, Ravelo said.

“If the grid will need additional power, supply can come from vehicles,” he said.

Using V2G technology, peak demand on the electricity grid can be better balanced, by allowing electric vehicles to not just take power from the grid, but also return it to the network and expect to introduce a new potential earnings model for electric drivers.

The Meralco official said talks with Mitsubishi for the technology had started last year, but the study started only this year.

“I think it started earlier this year. We were talking about it as early as last year,” Ravelo said. “I would say, within the year, we’ll have some findings.”

Mitsubishi is in the process of piloting its V2G technology through its Outlander PHEV.

The Japanese car manufacturer has partnered with NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest providers of smart charging solutions for electric driving, grid operator TenneT in Netherlands, and Nuvve a worldwide leader in V2G technology and grid service deployments.

Meanwhile, Meralco and Mitsubishi’s partnership go way back to 2013 when the power distributor installed the country’s first commercial EV charging station done in its Pasig City compound.

Meralco chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan had acknowledged the dawn of battery storage would disrupt the company’s distribution business, thus the need to eventually enter the battery energy storage space especially when prices of the technology go down.

He highlighted Tesla’s announcement of a solar power batteries called the PowerWall, a system that would store solar power, making it more affordable for homeowners and businesses.

The power distributor began operating eShuttles for its employees within the Meralco campus as early as 10 years ago.

In 2015, Meralco also launched an e-bike sharing program that allows its employees to travel point-to-point conveniently.

Outside Meralco, it deployed eShuttles and charging stations servicing the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University Canlubang, the Net Group, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Shangri-La at the Fort, and private developers in Muntinlupa and Taguig.

This has also led Meralco to put up eSakay Inc. to venture into transport service networks, including EVs and charging stations for public use to support the country’s rising EV industry.

So far, the eSakay launched its Buendia MRT Station-Mandaluyong City Hall via Jupiter St. developmental route last year wherein 15 eJeeps will be operated.

Meralco is also looking into investing in the assembly of electric public utility vehicles (e-PUVs) to support its venture into transport service networks.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors Phils. Corp. (MMPC), the Japanese car maker’s local unit, has also signed an EV cooperation agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Meralco last year for the use of Mitsubishi Motors’ zero emission electric car the i-MiEV (i-Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle), for evaluation and demonstration purposes.

News Clipping

THE MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO) HAS INSTALLED A SOLAR MICROGRID IN CAGBALETE ISLAND IN LINE WITH THEIR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY TO ITS UNDERSERVED OR UNSERVED FRANCHISE AREAS.

User Dashboard

Back To ACE

User Dashboard