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 LEMBAGA JURUTERA MALAYSIA
BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA

EDITORIAL BOARD
2017-2018

PRESIDENT EDITORIAL BOARD

Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
ADVISOR
BOARD MEMBERS Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
Datuk Wira Ir. Md Sidek bin Ahmad
Datuk Ir. Amrullah bin Kamal CHAIRMAN
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EDITORIAL MEMBERS
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The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia)
and is distributed free to registered Professional Engineers. The statements and opinions expressed in
this publication are those of the writers. BEM invites all engineers and readers to contribute relevant
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1
 INGENIEUR

12

CONTENTS

4 President’s Message

Announcement
5 Publication Calendar
Cover Feature
6 Sustainable Energy – The
Future is Here
12 Distributed Generation –
Shaping Future Energy
19 Solar Photovoltaic
Technology For Grid-
Connection – Moving
Forward
Do You Know?
28 Future Energy
Feature
33 Harnessing The Wind: A
Sustainable Future Energy
For Malaysia
42 Impact of Disruptive
Technologies on Electricity
Grid Infrastructure

12 42

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 64

57 Energy from Biomass through

Microbial Cell Factory: A
Scientific Perspective

Special Report
64 KKR Case Study: Monitoring &
Verifying Energy Performance For
Chiller Retrofit Works
69 Sustainable Energy Development
for the Airport Industry in
Malaysia

Report
75 What Others Say About Future 33
Energy

Engineering Nostalgia
80 Jalan Birch - Jalan Sultan
Hishamuddin Viaduct,
Kuala Lumpur 1963

69 80

3
 INGENIEUR
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Future Energy
W
hen the UN Secretary-General launched
the International Year for Sustainable
Energy for All (SE4ALL) in 2012, the target
of doubling the share of renewable energy (RE) in
the global energy mix was highlighted as one of
the three global linked energy policy objectives by
2030.
The BP Energy Outlook 2018 predicted that RE
is the fastest-growing energy source, accounting
for 40% of the increase in primary energy. The
energy mix by 2040 will be the most diversified
that the world has ever seen. Meanwhile, MIDF
reported that the new Ministry of Energy, Science
& Technology, Environment and Climate Change
aims to reduce the reliance on imported fuel by
aggressively increasing the RE contribution to the
generation mix from just 2% currently to 20% in the
future.
Malaysia with the necessary solar ecosystem
to obtain a market share of the growing power
business regionally is ranked the world’s third
largest producer of photovoltaic (PV) cells and
modules. Malaysian engineers will have their
hands full in engaging with this expanding RE
energy industry in respect of manufacturing as
well as R&D.
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With the world’s attention focusing on RE
as a future energy source, SEDA’s article on
‘Sustainable Energy – The Future is Here’ provides
the overview of RE programmes in Malaysia. In
order for RE to be truly scaled up in Malaysia,
there are several issues to be addressed such as
rationalizing subsidy on electricity tariff, liberalizing
electricity market and industry, and shifting
paradigm from a base load electricity system to
an energy balancing market.
The article on ‘Distributed Generation – Shaping
Future Energy’ addresses the issues in generating
and distributing power from renewables such as
Solar PV, Biogas Systems, Landfill Biogas System,
Sludge Biogas System, Waste Food Biogas System,
Agriculture Waste Biogas Systems, Municipal Solid
Waste Systems and Small Hydro Systems.
Following the end remarks of the above article,
the future of energy is sustainable energy; and
that comprises both renewable energy and energy
demand management. Engineers should seize
the opportunities to venture into this expanding
industry.
Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
President BEM
PUBLICATION CALENDAR
CALL FOR ARTICLES
L E M B AG A J U R U TE R A M A L AY S I A
The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of
KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270)
Engineers Malaysia. The following are the themes
B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L AY S I A

INGENIEUR

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 INGENIEUR

Sustainable Energy –
The Future is Here
COVER FEATURE

By Ir. Akmal Rahimi Abu Samah

Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA)

C
limate change has become one of the most
discussed issues in the world that needs
everyone’s attention and action. In Malaysia,
Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA)
together with the Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology & Water has taken the responsibility
of transiting our country’s energy landscape from
one that is heavily dependent upon fossil fuel to
one using renewable energy.
Scientists have largely agreed that climate
change is caused primarily by carbon emissions
due to human activities. Climate change needs to
be addressed in two ways:
●● Climate change mitigation – the
Government should incorporate policies to
facilitate energy transition to decarbonise
especially the energy and transportation
sectors. These two sectors constitute
approximately 80% of the country’s total answer is yes. A more pressing question is how
carbon emissions. Decarbonising of much time do we have before the global average
the energy sector will require deliberate temperature increase tips over the 2°C threshold.
policies to phase out the use of fossil fuel Some scientists estimate that as few as 10 years
(e.g. coal, gas and oil), increasing the use will be needed to achieve global carbon neutrality.
of renewable energy (e.g. solar, hydro and Therefore, the time to transit to renewable energy
bioenergy) and enhancing energy demand is now.
management.
●● Climate change adaptation – this will
require adaptation across all critical sectors Renewable Energy Programmes in
(e.g. agriculture, power & water utilities and Malaysia
infrastructure).
In Malaysia, we have nearly 84% of coal and Malaysia is to reduce its carbon footprint
gas in our electricity capacity mix and this fossil especially in terms of energy. This reduction in
fuel generation will continue to be added to the carbon emissions is gaining importance with the
system. Continuous development of conventional ratification by the Malaysian Government on the
thermal plants will only exacerbate the climate Paris Climate Agreement at the end of 2016.
crisis and if the fuel needs to be imported, then Malaysia’s Nationally Determined Contribution
true national energy security is questionable. (NDC) is to reduce our Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
We also need to ask ourselves: can renewable emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030
energy replace conventional thermal energy? The relative to the emissions intensity of GDP in 2005.

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This consists of 35% on an unconditional basis geothermal energy. The FiT has proven that RE is
and a further 10% conditional upon international viable and has the opportunity to scale beyond
support. To this end, sustainable energy has been token capacity. We have witnessed a paradigm
identified as one of the key climate mitigation shift towards greater deployment of renewable
solutions to reduce carbon emissions. energy for power generation in the country.
The Renewal Energy (RE) target under the The tables below show the progress of the FiT
Eleventh Malaysia Plan of 2,080 MW has already as at end of January 2018.
been factored into several RE programmes in the
country, e.g. feed-in tariff (FiT), large scale solar Renewable No. of Capacity (%)
(LSS) and net energy metering (NEM). The Ministry Resource Appli- (MW)
and SEDA are also in the midst of coming up with cations
long-term plans and strategies to increase the Biogas 127 221.42 13.53%
share of RE in the energy mix. Biomass 44 396.19 24.22%
Renewable energy (RE) awareness varies Small hydro 61 540.48 33.03%
across the country. In urban areas RE awareness
Geothermal 1 37.00 2.26%
is better, while awareness on energy efficiency
generally fares better compared to RE. The main Solar PV 11,957 441.02 26.96%
drivers towards sustainable energy are to address Total 12,190 1 ,636.11 100.00%
climate change and national energy security.
Table 1: Cumulative Approved FiT Applications
However, surveys have shown that the public
awareness of climate change is greater compared
to national energy security. This is probably not Renewable No. of Capacity %
a surprise given that Malaysia has experienced Resource Projects (MW)
effects of climate change in the past few years Biogas 31 58.23 10.90%
with the prolonged drought followed by sudden Biomass 8 87.90 16.45%
extreme floods in certain parts of the country. The Small hydro 6 30.30 5.67%
politicians’ awareness of sustainability has risen in Solar PV 9,249 357.83 66.98%
the past few years with the committed Nationally Total 9,294 534.26 100.00%
Determined Contribution (NDC) expressed at the
Paris Climate Accord at the end of 2015. Table 2: Cumulative Approved FiT Projects
The Ministry and all its relevant agencies Achieving Commercial Operation
are also continuously organising awareness
campaigns on matters related to RE. The themes (b) Large Scale Solar (LSS)
of these campaigns include green technology, The LSS auction programme started in 2016,
green lifestyle, GHG emission reduction, low- where the first round of tender took place. The
carbon economy & practices, global warming solar plant’s capacity ranged from 1 MW to
issues, etc. The Ministry and its agencies have 50 MW and the power is injected either to the
conducted many such programmes in schools and transmission or the distribution network. A total of
to communities at large. 401 MW capacity was awarded to the successful
bidders at the end of 2016. These projects are
(a) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheduled to be commissioned this year.
FiT was first implemented by SEDA on December The second round of LSS tender was carried
1, 2011. The FiT system obliges Distribution out in 2017 with plant capacity range of between
Licensees (DLs) to buy from Feed-in Approval 1 MW and 30 MW. At the end of that year, a
Holders (FIAHs) the electricity produced from total capacity of 557 MW was awarded to the
renewable resources and sets the FiT rate. The successful bidders. Projects from this round of
DLs will pay for RE supplied to the electricity grid tenders are scheduled to achieve commercial
for a specific duration. operation in 2019 and 2020. The second round of
The renewable portfolio encompasses biogas, LSS tender has seen a higher number of projects
biomass, solarphotovoltaic (PV), small hydro and awarded and lower bid prices from the bidders.

7
 INGENIEUR
(c) Net Energy Metering (NEM)
The NEM is a programme regulated by the
Energy Commission and administered by SEDA;
the programme has been implemented since
November 1, 2016. NEM promotes installation of
solar photovoltaic (PV) on buildings and electricity
generated by the PV system is used for self-
consumption. Any excess electricity can be sold
to TNB at displaced costs which are set by the
Energy Commission. At the moment, in Peninsular
Malaysia, excess electricity is sold to TNB at 31
sen per kWh for low voltage connection and 23.8
sen per kWh at medium voltage connection. NEM
is widely deployed and this policy instrument is
an organic succession to the FiT scheme. NEM
effectively allows building owners to be “prosumers”
by reducing electricity consumption from the grid
and producing their own clean electricity.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market
The solar PV market in Malaysia is still in early
stages of widespread adoption. The underpinning
market drivers for solar PV market in Malaysia are:
●● The need to remove subsidy on fossil fuel
in the electricity tariff to provide an equal
playing field for solar PV (and any other
forms of RE);
●● The need to introduce time of use (ToU)
in the electricity tariff to reward solar
PV generation that coincides with peak
electricity demand;
●● The need to fully liberalise the electricity
market and unbundle the single buyer
model;
●● The need for policy to promote distributed
PV generation without imposing superficial
caps;
●● The need to introduce energy storage to
manage intermittency of solar PV; and
●● The need to refrain from more coal fired
power plants which may be stranded
assets if more solar PV is introduced to
the electricity market, or crowd out solar
PV electricity due to its inability to reduce
baseload
Having a large manufacturing industry in solar
PV does provide a backyard advantage to Malaysia.
Under the FiT, bonus tariff for locally assembled
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PV modules and inverters are given a bonus
incentive to promote the use of local products.
Besides having a significant PV manufacturing
industry in Malaysia, the country lies along the
sunbelt and this means the country receives a lot
of solar irradiance. Hence, the market potential for
solar PV in Malaysia is vast boosted by the ever
decreasing cost of solar energy.
Falling Prices of RE
Worldwide, the prices for RE have dropped
considerably and these technologies are going
through a steep learning curve. Some RE (like
hydro, wind and solar) have no marginal cost and
are fast approaching, or have approached grid
parity. However, there are institutionalised barriers
that require addressing in order for RE to be an
effective game changer.
Despite falling prices of fossil fuel, some forms
of RE have already achieved grid/socket parity
with conventional fuels (see Figure 1).
There are a few issues to address with regards
to pricing of fuels:
●● It is time we priced fossil fuel taking into
account their environmental impact. In
short, we need to internalise the cost of
externalities to reflect the true cost of fossil
fuel energy.
●● If nuclear power is to be considered, this
should include the cost of the full cycle,
inclusive of permanent waste disposal and
decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
●● In considering fossil fuel/nuclear energy,
the levelised cost of energy would increase
due to the potential of higher cost of fuel
and cost of GHG emissions.
Energy Balancing Market
The challenges for energy transition are not
technologies nor adequacy of renewable
resources, but the necessary paradigm shift of
the electricity system. The future of energy shall
be dominated by renewable energy especially
energies with zero marginal costs, complemented
by an energy balancing market. The archaic
myth that renewable energy is expensive and
 Figure 1: Unsubsidised Levelised Cost of Energy Comparison
intermittent, and subsequently not reliable is
no longer true. Some countries (e.g. Germany,
Denmark and India) have demonstrated that
higher renewable energy share helps to reduce
wholesale electricity tariff, increases national
energy security and most importantly, addresses
the climate agenda. Intermittency and reliability
can be addressed via increasing spatial
distribution of the RE plants and employing the
energy balancing market.
In Malaysia, we have huge potential for two
types of RE– solar and hydro. Malaysia’s hydro
potential is estimated to be around 20,000 MW
in the state of Sarawak, of which only around
3,500 MW has been commercialised. Hydro has
the potential to contribute to the energy balancing
market as we scale up solar PV in the energy
mix. The components of an energy balancing
market are typically energy storage, demand side
response via price signal (time of use), advanced
forecasting tools, digitalisation of the grid, and a
smart electricity system to balance supply and
demand.
The ASEAN bloc can collaborate in regional
energy transition by increasing cross-border
electricity so the energy balancing market is
spread over greater geographical areas. This is
already taking place with the recent Laos-Thailand-
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 INGENIEUR
Malaysia tripartite electricity trading among the
three ASEAN countries; the agreement was signed
at the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM)
in Manila last year.
Energy Storage System (ESS)
Within the energy balancing market, certain
technologies will come in handy, e.g. energy
storage systems (ESS). There are commercialised
ESS that are able to handle various energy deficits
that span intraday, intermediate and long haul
gaps. Meanwhile, RE technologies continue to
advance in terms of increasing efficiency and
reducing cost. Technologies for reducing energy
consumption are perhaps the lowest hanging
fruits towards a more sustainable energy market
in the country.
ESS is one of the important elements required
for a bigger share of solar PV in our system. Energy
storage will provide the crucial energy balancing
system needed to overcome the variability of
solar energy. Battery storage systems are now
undergoing the same trajectory in terms of
price reduction and efficiency improvement that
was once experienced by the solar modules.
Coupled with other energy balancing systems, the
argument about intermittency of variable RE can
be put to rest.
Future Direction
Energy transition is made possible today because
prices of RE technologies (especially solar and
wind) have dropped significantly over the past
decade. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Taking
the cue from hydropower, any renewable energy
with zero marginal cost has the potential of
achieving low levelised cost of energy (LCoE) with
increasing economies of scale. This will usually
require Government intervention via energy
policies.
100% RE aspirations are currently not practical
for Malaysia. Electricity tariffs are still quite low
in the country, making the cost for RE production
comparatively more expensive. We also do not
have a huge resource of non-variable RE plants
such as geothermal and large hydro or biomass
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plants. Variable RE such as solar, requires a
balancing market to match the supply and demand
of electricity. This will require capital investment
in technological solutions such as utility-scale
battery storage systems, interconnection facilities
with neighbouring electricity grids, hydro pumped-
storage systems and smart grid systems.
In order for renewable energy to truly scale up
in Malaysia, there are several issues to address
such as rationalising subsidy on the electricity
tariff, liberalising electricity market and industry,
the need for a paradigm shift from base load
electricity system to the creation of an energy
balancing market as variable renewable energy
contribution increases and establishing a flexible
smart grid.
One of the main enablers for larger RE share is
the smart grid. Malaysia is already preparing for
this. The infratructure is slowly being put in place
by utility companies. But we have yet to see the
full impact and capability of the smart grid. We
have not reached its real application potential.
With the advent of smart grid technologies,
the power system will have more “intelligence”
to accept and manage a larger share of RE in
the system. The system will be more dynamic.
It would be able to handle both technical and
commercial complexities more readily; this only
augurs well for RE.
With the increase of e-mobility (especially
e-vehicles) and improvement in lithium-ion battery
technologies, the energy landscape is shifting at
an unprecedented pace. Several countries (e.g.
UK, France, Norway, China, Netherlands) have
pledged to phase out the internal combustion
engine (ICE) vehicles between 2030–2040. With
this persistent global trend, energy analysts
have concluded that the future of energy will
be electricity. In view of climate urgency, this
electricity should be decarbonised.
Digitising the energy sector is important in
the energy transition process for any country.
Digitising the energy sector also typically refers
to creating a smart grid, embedding artificial
intelligence in home and building appliances
(energy management systems), and managing
electricity supply and demand. In recent years,
digital technologies have expanded to include
new frontiers such as the Internet of Things (IoT),
robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing,
and blockchain. Within the energy sector, the
new digital technologies that will accelerate the
energy transition are blockchain technology and
the IoT. There are many possible applications in RE
such as energy trading among prosumers, energy
trading on the wholesale market, carbon trading,
establishing a demand response market, creating
a platform for a transactive grid to operate in an
energy balancing market, grid balancing between
the transmission system operators (TSOs) and
distribution system operators (DSOs), micro-grid
management (remote electricity) and others.
End Remarks
Climate change is a wake-up call for mankind to be
better custodians of planet earth. For an ordinary
citizen, he/she should learn to preserve precious
resources (e.g. water, food, energy). There are
pragmatic measures that can be taken at home
to conserve the use of such scarce resources. The
Government is responsible to educate the public
about climate change and its impact. Once the
public is aware of its consequences, there will
be sufficient vox pop to sustain a culture that will
promote the greater deployment of renewable
energy instead of coal and gas.
If we want future generations to survive,
we have to act now. The window for climate
turnaround is projected to be no more than 15
years. Today, our total carbon emissions per year
is estimated to be 40,000 billion tonnes globally.
By 2050, we need to reduce that to not more than
600 billion tonnes in order for global average
temperature increase to be capped at no more
than 2°C. In fact, some scientists have concluded
that our earth needs to achieve carbon neutrality
by 2050. Time is clearly not on our side.
Besides unsustainable deforestation and land
use, fossil fuel burning activities are the primary
cause of global warming. Especially within the
energy sector, we must be mindful to learn our
lessons that the future of energy must no longer
put human lives at risk. The future of energy is in
sustainable energy, comprising of both renewable
energy and energy demand management. For
Malaysia, the future is here.
11
 INGENIEUR

Distributed Generation –
Shaping Future Energy
COVER FEATURE

By Dato’ Ir. Dr Ali Askar Sher Mohamad

Managing Director, Sher Engineering & Consultancy Sdn Bhd

Figure 1: Typical Transmission Lines

T
he electricity industry has been characterized
by central generation, long transmission
lines, and an extended distribution network,
bringing power to the consumer, whether
residential, commercial, or industrial. Since
generation is traditionally powered by coal, gas,
nuclear or large hydro, these generating plants
are located far away from population centres.
In an effort to reduce losses in the lines, the
Transmission voltages continue to increase,
from 66 kV through 132, 275 and now 500 kV in
Malaysia. Other countries have gone for 750 kV
and even 1000 kV. While increased power capacity
can be transmitted over long distances with lower
losses, the cost of erecting and maintaining
these lines is enormous and is passed on to the
consumers through the tariff. The distribution
network, comprising of long lengths of medium
voltage (typically 11, 22 and 33 kV) and low
voltage (typically 400 V and 230 V) also takes a
huge chunk of the utility’s budget to operate and
maintain.
RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY
Renewables have become a popular source of
power generation in the past decade or so, not
only in the developed West, but also in many
developed and developing economies in Asia,
including China, India, Japan, and the ASEAN
region. The vast majority of Renewable Energy

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(RE) generation can be located in urban centres
or near to built-up areas, and connected to the
distribution network, either indirectly through the
consumer’s switchboard, or directly to the utility
distribution line.
Solar Photovoltaics
Solar Photovoltaics (PV) is by far the most
easily available technology in terms of ease of
installation, operation and maintenance. The
average cost of installation has gone down from
RM15,000/kW in 2012 to less than RM4000/
kW today. PV systems can be easily installed
on available rooftops of warehouses, factories,
houses and others. There are literally millions
of square meters of roof space available for
installation of PV systems. As they are installed at
the load centre, transmission losses are reduced
and the strain on transmission lines is also
reduced.
Figure 2: PV system installed on rooftop of local university
BIOGAS SYSTEMS
There are various biogas systems, depending on
the source of the biogas, as listed below.
Agriculture Waste Biogas Systems
In Malaysia, these are mostly located at oil palm
mills, utilizing the palm oil mill effluent (POME)
generated during the production of oil palm. The
power produced can be exported to the utility
through existing mechanisms or consumed by
the mill if it is not possible to connect to the Grid.
Recently, there have been attempts to produce
biogas using animal waste, especially pig waste.
These initiatives are limited to 1 MW or less
since the pig farms are rather small in terms of
pig population. Chicken waste is in high demand
as a fertilizer so there is hardly any opportunity of
producing biogas from this source.
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: Typical Biogas System using POME
Landfill Biogas Systems
Sanitary landfills produce enough biogas to
generate 1 or 2 MW of power. The landfill must
be sanitary and have a lining with membranes
and a piping system installed at the bottom to
transport the biogas to the surface. Landfill biogas
is normally exclusively exported to the Grid since
there is no inhouse load.
Sludge Biogas Systems
This is a yet unexplored opportunity in Malaysia. In
India, all the sewage treatment plants (STPs) produce
at least 70 % of the electricity that they need, with
some producing 100 %. Our sewage utility has only
one STP generating power facility which is a research
project at a local university. If properly handled, each
STP can generate a few hundred kW of power for
consumption by the STP itself.
Waste Food Biogas Systems
These systems are yet unexplored in Malaysia.
M any ap ar t m ent c o mp l exe s gener ate
huge amounts of kitchen waste which are
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indiscriminately mixed with other rubbish and end
up in landfills. If the Joint Management Boards
(JMBs) of the complex introduce a strict policy to
segregate kitchen waste, and this waste is used in
small anaerobic digestors onsite, it can generate
a few kW of power, enough to power the common
areas in the complex. Local councils could
introduce legislation to mandate this. Kitchen
waste from restaurants can also be collected to
generate a few hundred kW of power.
BIOMASS POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS
In Malaysia, there are two main biomass power
generation systems, one using agriculture waste,
and a second, using municipal solid waste.
Agriculture Waste Biomass Systems
The most common agriculture waste is the empty
fruit branch (EFB) from the palm oil mills. These
biomass plants can generate between 5 to 10
MW of power and are normally connected to main
 Figure 4: Typical powerhouse for small hydro scheme
utility substations. Some are facing problems
due to lack of fuel feedstock, while others have
technology issues involving the boiler and/or the
fuel processing/treatment system, all of which
significantly reduce output.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Systems
There have not been any success stories so far in
generating power from MSW in Malaysia, mainly
due to the low tariff rate when selling electricity to
the utility and the low tipping fee for sending the
MSW to the landfill. The only plant commissioned a
few years ago in Kajang ground to halt a few years
ago. A new plant has recently been commissioned
at an astronomical cost, but it can operate
economically since it uses scheduled waste where
the tipping fee is extremely high.
SMALL HYDRO SYSTEMS
Most of these plants are away from population
centres but are normally connected to the
distribution network in the vicinity; they can
range from 1 or 2 MW up to 30 MW. However,
micro turbines installed in large utility pipes can
generate a few hundred kW for use by the water
treatment plants, or for export to the distribution
network.
MECHANISMS FOR GENERATING AND
SELLING POWER FROM RENEWABLES
Feed-in-Tariff (FiT)
The FiT was launched by the Sustainable Energy
Development Authority (Seda) in December 2011
for solar PV, biogas, biomass and small hydro
systems. The FiT is supported by a 1.6 % additional
contribution on the monthly bill of electricity
consumers. FiT for solar PV ended in 2017 due
to the continuing fall in PV prices, bringing PV
power prices down to almost Grid parity. FiT for
the other technologies is still available but quotas
are becoming more difficult to get as the RE Fund
may be insufficient since tariffs and the displaced
15
 INGENIEUR
‟
RE technologies have now matured and can compete with
fossil fuel systems on their own, without any subsidies.
However, there are several issues which need to be
addressed to further increase the contribution of RE to the
power sector.
cost or avoided cost (the portion of the cost
which the utility will bear) has remained constant
since 2014. FiT was only supposed to kick-start
the RE Industry, and not become a permanent
feature. To cater for this, two new mechanisms
have been introduced, Large Scale Solar (LSS) by
bidding and Net Energy Metering (NEM), including
Self-Consumption (Selfco) , to cater for the huge
opportunities still available for solar PV.
Large Scale Solar by Bidding
The LSS has been entrusted to the Energy
Commission (EC) for implementation. The EC
has decided to implement this scheme for
both ground-mounted and rooftop installations
for capacities ranging from 1 MWac to 50
MWac (reduced to 30 MWac for the second
round of bidding). It has had a mixed success
where some smaller plants connected to the
distribution network have been commissioned
but no large plants (30 MWac and above) for
connection to the transmission network have
yet been commissioned. There have also been
no plants commissioned in Sabah due to the
utility’s reluctance to sign the Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA). Although the mechanism is
good, we cannot simply follow the example of
countries like India, China, and the Middle East,
where there are huge tracts of desert or other
unusable land. We have limited land and this
scheme should target smaller systems, say up
to a maximum of 10 MWac, for installation on
rooftops, reservoirs/lakes, and other dead space.
The connection to the Grid should only be at the
distribution network.
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Net Energy Metering
Under this scheme, which is also regulated by the
EC but implemented by Seda, consumers who
install PV systems on their roof first use it for their
own consumption and the balance is exported to
the utility. Although the name suggests otherwise,
the exported energy is not credited in terms of
kWh subtracted from the monthly consumption,
but credit is given at a lower rate, i.e. the prevailing
displaced cost. Consumers who wish to install PV
systems under NEM first have to get approval from
the utility before Seda can approve the system.
Self-Consumption
This is a sub-set of NEM for consumers who intend
to use all the energy generated from their own PV
systems. However, the installation is limited to
75% of the MD, and the EC still requires customers
to get approval from the utility although the system
is entirely for self-consumption, with safeguards
like Reverse Power Relays (RPR) in place.
ISSUES IN GENERATING AND
DISTRIBUTING POWER FROM
RENEWABLES
As mentioned earlier, FiT is a temporary
mechanism to kickstart the RE Industry; it was
never intended to be a permanent feature since
subsidy schemes are not sustainable over the
long term. RE technologies have now matured
and can compete with fossil fuel systems on
their own, without any subsidies. However, there
are several issues which need to be addressed
to further increase the contribution of RE to the
power sector.
LSS, NEM and Selfco limited to PV technology
and Virtual Generators not allowed
At present, all the above mechanisms are limited
to PV on the customer’s own premises. Non-PV
technologies are on a case by case basis, and so far,
there have been no success stories although many
developers of small industrial estates and housing
estates are interested to have a RE contribution,
both for commercial, as well as Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) reasons. This is because there is
no clear mechanism to allow for non-PV generation.
Apart from that, virtual generators should also be
allowed, i.e. the RE generation may be off-site but
allowed to sell to a particular customer by using the
utility’s network for a fee.
Co-generation and New Enhanced Dispatch
Arrangement
Most consumers do not go for co-generation
(co-gen) due to the prohibitive rates charged by
the utility. Recently, the EC launched the New
Enhanced Dispatch Arrangement (NEDA), aimed
primarily at Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
with expired PPAs and those with existing PPAs but
willing to sell at a lower cost than the PPA price.
Cogens are also allowed to participate in NEDA
but need to follow the same mechanism as the
big boys, i.e. day ahead dispatch schedules with
spot prices offered by the Single Buyer. Cogens
using waste heat and other forms of renewable
energy should be offered more flexibility in terms
of dispatch schedules and spot prices.
TECHNICAL ISSUES AFFECTING
INCREASE IN RE GENERATION
The most important issues affecting the increase
of RE generation, whether under FIT, LSS, NEM
or other schemes, are the technical issues put
forward by the utility to limit or stop RE generation.
Some of the major issues are listed below.
• Lack of Load and Voltage Rise
This issue normally affects the biogas, small
hydro or other RE plants connected at a remote
end of the distribution network where the load is
very small. This usually results in an increase in
voltage when power is injected at this remote end,
sometimes beyond the +5 % allowed for medium
voltage systems. The utility has allowed operations
at leading power factor (where the current leads
the voltage) or use of a reactor (basically an
inductive device) to absorb reactive power from
the network and bring the voltage down. However,
this arrangement is counter-productive for the
utility as reactive power is produced by other
generators and there are technical losses in the
system due to the absorption of reactive power
by the generator. Conductor sizes may need to
be increased due to the reverse flow of reactive
power. Based on technical and commercial
considerations, the utility should not allow this
kind of arrangement.
However, the utility should allow for power
flow from one voltage level to a higher voltage
level, as long as the voltage rise is within limits.
For example, from low voltage (LV) to 11 kV, and
also to higher voltages, including 132 kV. In many
jurisdictions in Europe, the Indian sub-continent
and China, there is no restriction in allowing power
to flow upstream. The objection by the utility is
normally based on two considerations: losses
in the step-down transformers and protection
issues. The losses are a non-issue since whatever
losses incurred in the step-down transformer
are made up by reduction of losses in the overall
distribution network. Detailed discussions with
protection experts in both Distribution and
Transmission networks have also revealed that
in normal circumstances, there are no protection
issues; whatever issues may arise can easily be
resolved through technical solutions which the RE
developer would be only too glad to pay for.
• High Fault Current at Main Utility Substation
(Transmission/Distribution Interface)
This is the bane of many RE developers. Even
in urban and heavily populated areas, many
potential RE generators have been stopped
due to this reason, even those proposing pure
self-consumption schemes. The 11 kV vacuum
circuit breakers (VCBs) at the main substations
are normally rated at 20 kA. When there is high
generation from IPPs in the vicinity the fault current
at the Main Substation increases. A number of
substations with a 132/11 kV interface already
17
 INGENIEUR
have high fault currents breaching the safety factor
of 90% of the VCBs and in some instances, even
breaching the 20 kA rating of the VCBs.
However, when the Main Substation reaches
firm loading, i.e. the load is more than 50% of the
transformer capacity, the utility opens the bus
section between the transformers, effectively
reducing the fault current to almost half its value.
However, the practice is not to open the bus section
unless the Main Substation has reached firm
loading due to reliability concerns. Another option
is to replace the 11 kV VCBs with higher ratings, say
25 kA. This will entail a substantial cost on the part
of the utility, which will eventually be passed on to
the consumers through tariff adjustments.
GUIDELINES ON NEM AND SELF-
CONSUMPTION BY EC
The EC has come up with various guidelines on
LSS, NEM, self-consumption, etc., especially
on requirements for utility approval. There have
been some accusations by the RE Industry that
some of these guidelines appear one-sided. This
is especially so since no engagement with the
Industry or other stakeholders was held before the
release of these guidelines.
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THE WAY FORWARD
Many countries in the region, including Singapore,
have allowed for competition at the retail level.
Many utilities now only own and operate the
Transmission and Distribution (T & D) systems
while generation and retail are open to bidding.
To put Distributed Generation on a firm footing,
the country will need to decide whether we still
need a monopolistic, vertically integrated utility in
the 21st century. Many of the obstacles to further
increase the contribution of RE generators can
be overcome by opening Distribution and Retail to
open competition. All new developments can be
allowed to choose their electricity provider, who
will buy from the utility at a higher voltage and
distribute in their development at a lower voltage.
Of course, these arrangements must make
financial sense, so that the small distributor can
make a reasonable margin to stay in business.
These developments will certainly try to maximize
the generation of electricity onsite, especially
using RE sources, and only purchase the balance
from the utility. There should be no subsidy
schemes for RE in the long run, and the utility
should be allowed to make a reasonable profit, not
too excessive, so it can efficiently maintain its T &
D network.
Solar Photovoltaic
Technology For Grid-

COVER FEATURE
Connection – Moving
Forward
By Sulaiman SHAARI (Mr.)
Vice President II, Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA)

T
he Sun is a black body, fuelled by fusion
process in its core and is the most important
source of energy for life on Earth. It is made
up of mostly hydrogen and helium and the Sun is
the core of our solar system. The Sun emanates
heat and light in a very broad spectrum and the full
spectrum of solar radiation is shown in Figure 1.
The amount of solar power intensity (irradiance)
that arrives at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere
is 1,365 Wm -2 (https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.
gov/glossary/solar-constant-2/). As it traverses
the Earth’s atmosphere, it goes through reflection,
absorption, transmission and dispersion, which Figure 1: Solar irradiance spectrum (source:
attenuate the value to about 1,000 Wm -2 by American Society for Testing and Materials
the time it reaches the Earth’s surface. Various (ASTM) Terrestrial Reference Spectra).
measurements have been made and the amount
of solar energy intensity (irradiation) reaching the
Earth’s surface for the world and Malaysia are of the most popular direct-active solar-based
shown in Figures 2 and 3. technologies among the renewable energy
From the preceding figures, it is very clear (RE) technologies. It is the phenomenon of
that Malaysia has a significant amount of converting light directly into electricity. This is
solar energy as a resource. In addition, deeper achieved using PV cells, also popularly called
studies show that this availability entails a very solar cells. Popular materials used to make the
promising industry using direct-active solar-based PV cells are:
technologies. • An element from the periodic table, e.g.
Group IV.
• Compounds such as combinations of
PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGY Groups III-V, II-V, etc.
• Thin-film materials (amorphous or non-
Photovoltaics (PV) was discovered by a physicist, crystalline).
Alexandre Edmond Becquerel in 1839 (see http:// • Latest technology using organic-based
www.sunlightelectric.com/pvhistory.php). It is one materials.

19
 INGENIEUR

Figure 2: Solar irradiation on surface of the Earth (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

File:SolarGIS-Solar-map-World-map-en.png)

Figure 3: Solar irradiation map for Malaysia (Source: https://solargis.com/maps-and-gis-data/

download/malaysia/)

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 are produced. These are swept by the built-in electric field into the respective sides of
inverted built-in potential. As light quanta of adequate energy impinge this region, electron-hole
When an external conducting path is connected across the opposing sides of the p-n device
are produced. These are swept by the built-in electric field into the respective sides of the r
flows, thus powering up any device along its path. All of these are elegantly explained
When an external conducting path is connected across the opposing sides of the p-n device, elec
Photoelectric Effect, for which Albert Einstein was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics.
flows, thus powering up any device along its path. All of these are elegantly explained usin
Photoelectric Effect, for which Albert Einstein was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics.
Incoming photon Hole left after the Freed
T h e m e c h ani s m o f P V electron has been electron
phenomena is best explained Incoming photon Hole left after the
ejected Freed
electron has been electron
using fundamental physics. ejected
The fusion of p-type and n-type Electron in
outer shell
semiconductors results in the Electron in
formation of a p-n depletion region Before
outer shell collision between the photon After collision the silicon atom has a net
with the electron positive charge and has lost one of its
that ends up with an inverted Before collision between the photon After collision
electrons.the silicon atom has a net
built-in potential. As light quanta with the electron positive charge and has lost one of its
of adequate energy impinge this Figure 4. Photoelectric Effect process.
electrons.

region, electron-hole pairs are FigureFigure 4: Photoelectric

4. Photoelectric Effect process.
Effect process.
produced. These are swept by the built-in electric
field into the respective sides of the region. When Sunlight
an external conducting path is connected across Direction of electric
Sunlight field
the opposing sides of the p-n device, electricity Direction of electric
flows, thus powering up any device along its path. field
Metallic
All of these are elegantly explained using the grid
Back metal
Photoelectric Effect, for which Albert Einstein was Metallic contact
grid
awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics. Flow of Back metal
pcontact
type
The PV cell is the smallest unit and several electrons n type
Flow of
cells are connected in series-parallel to make up electrons n type
p type of movement of
Direction
a PV module. The modules are arranged in series Ammeter free electrons
Direction of movement of
to form a string whilst strings are combined in Ammeter free electrons
A Electrical load
parallel to form an array. The present state of PV
module conversion technology is listed in Table 1. A Electrical load
Figure 5: Completing the loop.
Figure 5. Completing the loop.
Figure 5. Completing the loop.

Table 1: Efficiency of Solar Cells in 2017

(Source https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pip.2978)

21
 INGENIEUR
Application in Grid-Connected Systems

A grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) system

comprises two main components: (a) a PV array;
and (b) Balance of System (BOS) components. The
BOS components are needed to make the system
work and comply with requirements with regards
to connection to and disconnection from the grid.
The topology may be arranged as shown in Figure
6.
In Malaysia, there are already nearly 30
Malaysian Standards (MS) relating to GCPV
systems. The main standards are:
• MS1837:2018 Installation of grid-
connected photovoltaic (PV) system
(Second revision)
• MS IEC 61724:2010 Photovoltaic System
Performance Monitoring – Guidelines for
Measurement, Data Exchange And Analysis
Some key performance issues relating to GCPV
systems that are of major interest include:
• Final yield (h d -1); Specific yield (h d -1);
Reference yield (h d -1); Performance ratio
(%)
Table 2: Efficiency of commercial PV modules
in 2017 (Source https://news.energysage.com/ • Overall plant efficiency (%); Availability (%);
what-are-the-most-efficient-solar-panels-on-the- Capacity factor (%); Penetration level (%)
market/)

Figure 6: Major topologies of GCPV systems (Source: https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/

handle/10012/4943/Omran_Walid.pdf?sequence=1)

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Figure 7: Wiring schematic of GCPV system (source MS1837:2018)

Figure 8: Parameters to be measured in real time (Source: MS IEC 61724:2010)

23
 INGENIEUR
Source: https://solargis.com/maps-and-gis-data/download/malaysia/.
Combining solar energy resource availability
for Malaysia and conversion efficiency of GCPV
systems, the potential performance in terms of
specific yield is shown in Figure 9.
PV PLAYERS IN MALAYSIA
Authority
The introduction of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act
2011 and the Sustainable Energy Development
(SEDA) Act 2011 by the Government of Malaysia
(GoM) is a culmination of the initial actions from
a programme called the Malaysian Building
Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV) Project, funded
jointly by GoM and the United Nations Development
Programme-Global Environmental Facility (GoM-
UNDP-GEF) from 2006-2010. Following that, the
Malaysia Energy Centre (Pusat Tenaga Malaysia,
PTM) was rebranded as the Malaysian Green
Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) and
RE issues now fall under the Ministry of Energy,
Science, Technology, Environment and Climate
Change (MESTECC).
A summary of the specific programmes relating
to PV laid down by the GoM are:
• SURIA1000 (under MBIPV) 2006 – 2010
(ended)
• Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) 2012 – 2017 (ended for
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Figure 9: PV output potential map for Malaysia
new applications)
• Large Scale Solar (LSS) 2017 – ongoing
• Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2017 – ongoing
• Self-Consumption (SelCo) 2017 – ongoing
Industry
The MBIPV project also initiated the formation
of an organised industry association called the
Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association
(MPIA) in 2006. From a humble beginning of a
handful of members, MPIA now has about 100
members, who are registered Competent Service
Providers (CSP) with GoM via SEDA (see https://
mpia.org.my). The roles of the MPIA are:
• Provide a credible and representative
platform for the Malaysian solar industry.
• Express industry interests and deliver
concerns to the Government that shape the
landscape of the solar industry.
• Be the leading and trusted voice of the
industry, with a strong community of
companies and organisations.
• Draw members from the solar supply chain
including manufacturers, service providers,
system integrators, consultants, and
insurance providers, training providers and
academicians.
• Ensure the strong, efficient, ethical and
professional growth of solar industry.
 Figure 10: Global RE and PV growths (Source https://www.iea.org/publications/renewables2017/)
Vision
• Everyone can generate their own electricity
via solar PV.
Mission
• To reform and democratise the electricity
supply industry (generation, transmission
& distribution).
• To make solar PV competitive, reliable,
sustainable and one of the mainstream
sources of electricity supply in the country
via innovations and incentives.
• To achieve the highe st level of
p r o fe s s i o n ali s m , k n ow l e d g e an d
competency in the solar PV industry.
Market overview and growth trends
In the context of RE technology applications, it has
been consistently seen that PV is the fastest and
highest in terms of deployment and rate of growth.
For Malaysia, the scenario is shown in Figures
11 and 12.
25
 INGENIEUR

Figure 11: Installed capacities in MW (Source: http://seda.gov.

my/?omaneg=00010100000001010101000100001000000000000000000000&s=539)

Figure 12: Projected growth for PV in Malaysia (MPIA 2017, Astana).

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TALENT CULTIVATION
In 2006, the MBIPV project initiated a
programme in Malaysia to cultivate talent in
designing, testing and commissioning GCPV
systems. The initial setting-up involved an
international expert, who is accredited by the
International Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ)
as Master Trainer, to train local experts. At the
end of the Train-of-Trainer (ToT) programme, two
experts from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Shah Alam, were appointed as the first local
trainers. Since then, GoM, through the then PTM
and Ministry of Energy continued the effort in
churning out competent local professionals and
improving the various aspects at different levels.
Presently, these competency programmes are
conducted independently by SEDA and are on-
going as follows:
• PV Design Engineers – conducted at
UiTM and Selangor Human Resource
Development (SHRDC).
• PV Installers – conducted at Akademi
Binaan Malaysia (ABM) Wilayah Utara;
SHRDC; Kedah Industrial Skills and
Management Industrial Centre (KISMEC);
Terengganu Skills Development Centre
(TESDEC).
• PV Technology for Chargeman/Wireman
– conducted at Universiti Kuala Lumpur
(UniKL) Gombak; Unversiti Teknikal
Melaka (UTEM); ABM Wilayah Utara; Kolej
Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) Pasir
Mas; Institut Kemahiran MARA (IKM) Kota
Kinabalu.
• Train-of-Trainer (ToT) – conducted at UiTM
Shah Alam.
WAY FORWARD AND CONCLUDING
REMARKS
The inevitable upcoming technologies directly
related to GCPV systems that are coming to our
doors now are:
• Energy Storage Systems (ESS)
• Electric Vehicle charging stations
• Smart Grid (SG) technology
Malaysia, like the rest of the world must
move forward with regards to RE technology
generally and PV especially. It is very clear that
there is a geo-political-economic power play,
not just around the globe, but in our region as
well. One of our neighbours is already leading in
becoming a financial hub for RE in ASEAN, whilst
another is already well known for vast capacities
of PV installations. The truth is, Malaysia, with
a combination of experienced personnel in the
authority, industry, and academia, has a whole
lot of field experience, capability, competency
and documented know-how in this area. What we
need now is confidence and a kick-start to make
the quantum leap as the leading service provider
in the region. For this, Malaysia needs to make
good in the following areas to create an appealing
business package:
Institutional matters:
• Policy – clear and definitive.
• Financing – attractive.
• Legal – cover all angles.
Technical matters:
• Products – high quality and acclimatized.
• Engineering – well trained, competent and
talented.
• Monitoring – adept, automated and flexible.
Human capacity programme:
• Quality – competency programme must be
high quality.
• Systematic – training with high repeatability.
• Organized – dedicated system of admin &
implementation.
Organisation and enforcement:
• Standards – compatible with international
standards.
• Guidelines – practical, conducive and easy
to use.
• Procedures – safe, practical and
accountable.
The only way to go for Malaysia now is –
forward!
27
 INGENIEUR
Do You
Know?
Future
Energy
By Pang Soo Mooi
Power Transmission: Rise of the
“SuperGrid” - The Economist
Transmitting power over thousands of kilometres
requires a different sort of technology from the
AC now used to transmit it tens or hundreds of
kilometres through local grids. In China, Europe
and Brazil, as well as in Oklahoma, a new kind of
electrical infrastructure is being built to do this.
Some refer to the results as DC “supergrid”.
When electricity flows down a line as AC, energy
travels as a wave. When it flows as direct current,
there is no oscillation. Both works well, but the
deciding factor in AC’s favour in the 19th century
was the transformer. This allows AC voltages to
be increased after generation, for more efficient
transmission over longish distances, and then
decreased again at the other end of the line, to
supply customers’ homes and businesses. At the
time, direct current had no such breakthrough.
Over transcontinental distances the balance
of advantages shifts. As voltages go up, to push
current farther, AC employs (and thus wastes) an
ever-increasing amount of energy in the task of
squeezing its alternations through the line. Direct
current does not have this problem. Long distance
DC electrical lines are also cheaper to build. In
particular, the footprint of their pylons is smaller,
because each DC cable can carry far more power
than an equivalent AC cable.
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Valuable though they are, transcontinental
links like those in China, Brazil and India are not
the only use for UHVDC. Electricity is not described
as a “current” for nothing. It does behave quite
a lot like a fluid – including fanning out through
multiple channels if given the chance.
Medical Batteries: Dark Arts – The
Economist
Since their invention two centuries ago, batteries
have been made from many things. The first were
of copper and zinc. Today, lithium is preferred
for a lot of applications. Lead, nickel, silver and
a host of other materials have also been used.
Until recently though, no one had tried melanin,
the pigment that darkens skin and protects it
against ultraviolet light. But, as he reported at
a meeting of the American Chemical Society in
Philadelphia, Christopher Betinger of Carnegie
Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, has now done just
that. His purpose is to create a battery safe for
use in the human body.
Melanin is not, at first sight, an obvious battery
ingredient. It is complicated molecule composed
of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. To
synthesise it on an industrial scale would surely
require biotechnology rather than conventional
chemistry. But it does have the ability to capture
and release positively charged ions, known as
cations. Batteries depend on the movement of
ions, so this property is a good start. On top of
that, being a normal ingredient of bodies, melanin
is not toxic. This is in contrast to many conventional
battery ingredients. If melanin were to leak out of
an implanted medical device, it would simply be
mopped up by enzymes.
Better Batteries : Tiny balls of fire - The
Economist
A nanotechnological accident may lengthen
battery lives.
Most scientific discoveries are the result of
a deliberate experiment. A few, though, occur by
chance. One such piece of serendipity has just
happened to Wang Changan of Tsinhjua University
in Beijing and Li Ju of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. Its consequence may be batteries
that last up to four times longer than those
currently on sale.
The two researchers were experimenting
with a way to get rid of the nanoparticles’ oxide
coats that reduce electrode effectiveness as
good conductors of electricity. However, they
accidently left one batch of particles in the acid
mixture for several hours longer than they meant
to. As a result, though shells of titanium dioxide
did form on them as expected, acid had time
to leak through these shells and dissolve away
some of the aluminium within. The consequence
was nanoparticles that consisted of a titanium
dioxide outer layer surrounding a loose kernel of
aluminium.
Dr Wang and Dr Li, however, realized they might
have something valuable on their hands. They
built some batteries with their newly designed
nanoparticles and ran them through 500 cycles of
charging and discharging. At the end of that time
the new batteries retained as much as four times
the capacity of graphite-electrode equivalents put
through the same charging cycle. If the process
of making nanoparticles can be industrialized,
which does not seem an unreasonable hope, then
the life-times of lithium-ion batteries might be
considerably extended.
Prospects for Nuclear Power in ASEAN -
Nur Azha Putra and Philip Andrews
Southeast Asia could see its first nuclear power
plant by 2030.
Half of the 10 ASEAN member states —
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the
Philippines — have been identified as frontrunners
to establish civilian nuclear power programmes
in the region. These five states are considered
frontrunners due to their more advanced legal
and regulatory frameworks, nuclear energy
infrastructure, and developed organisation and
human resources. These criteria are among the
19 nuclear infrastructure issues that are outlined
in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Milestones Approach to nuclear infrastructure
development.
Based on the current developments and
progress that these five states have made,
it appears that the region may have its first
operational civilian nuclear power plant by 2030
and perhaps two more by 2035. Indonesia is
expected to commercialize its first experimental
nuclear power plant by 2030 while Malaysia and
Thailand plan to introduce nuclear electricity
into their respective national power mixes by
2035. The remaining two frontrunners, the
Philippines and Vietnam, are committed to
introducing nuclear energy in their long-term
energy mixes.
The report highlights Malaysia as having the
most accomplished approach given the good
progress that its nuclear energy programme
implementation office (NEPIO) has made.
Malaysia’s NEPIO, the Malaysian Nuclear
Power Corporation (MNPC) , was formed by the
Government in 2011. The role of MNPC specifically
and any NEPIO, in general, is to plan, coordinate
and lead the implementation of the country’s
nuclear power program.
Of the remaining ASEAN member states,
Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar have not ruled
out the use of nuclear power but they have
not committed to any specific infrastructure
development plans and implementation
timelines.
However, all three have signed bilateral
agreements with Russia on nuclear power co-
peration. Brunei and Singapore do not have any
plans for nuclear power projects at the moment,
but Singapore’s Government has committed
significant resources to developing local
capabilities in the areas of nuclear safety and
science through the Nuclear Safety and Research
and Education Programme.
H o w e v e r, t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a
commercial civilian nuclear power plant
is costly, and it takes a long time to build.
The average timeline is at least 10 to 15
years and the average cost is between USD6
and USD9 billion per unit. The costs could
grow exponentially if there are construction
delays, which are not uncommon in the
industry. However, given strong political will
and careful planning backed by the right
technical support from established industrial
players, the construction of a civilian nuclear
power plant can be completed according to
schedule with a minimal cost overrun.
29
 INGENIEUR
ASIANPOWER
Recent developments within the Malaysian
solar power sector attest to the fact that the
renewables sector is becoming an attractive
investment destination for renewables developers.
The continuation of auctions in the country and
the successful commissioning of the projects
contracted, presents a sizeable upside risk to our
forecasts.
Thankfully, Malaysia’s well-established solar
manufacturing sector ensures that there is a
reliable and low-cost supply chain for solar project
developers.
As a result, the project pipeline, notably for
biomass and solar projects, is strengthening
accordingly. The Government’s commitment to the
domestic renewables sector has strengthened of
late, and a number of regulations have been put
in place to encourage investment into the sector,
including feed-in tariffs, tax incentives and, more
recently, renewable energy auctions.
Robust growth is expected in non-hydro
renewables capacity over the coming decade, with
annual average growth rates of 8.5% between
2018 and 2027. This will result in non-hydro
renewables capacity totalling 3.3GW by 2027.
More renewable energy projects
expected in the near term - Sunbiz
More renewable energy (RE) projects are expected
to come up for bids in the near term in Malaysia
as the new Energy, Green Technology, Science,
Climate Change and Environment Ministry is
committed to push up the nation’s RE capacity.
While there is no indication of an ideal or target
reserve capacity, the new Minister indicated that
the abundant reserve capacity gives the industry
decent time to build up its RE capacity within the
next three to seven years, without the need for
much more major new plant start-ups in the near-
term.
This suggests in the near future, sector
opportunities could tilt heavily towards RE project
awards and a dearth of future fossil fuel plants,
MIDF added that the Ministry aims to reduce
the reliance on imported fuel by aggressively
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increasing the RE contribution to the mix from just
2% currently to 20% “in the future”.
It said the push for RE is not entirely new and
efforts had been taken previously to increase RE
contribution to the system such as the Large Scale
Solar (LSS) projects.
Solar accounts for the bulk of Malaysia’s RE.
However, there is the issue of getting RE sources
to reach grid parity for it to be cost competitive
and gain a larger share of generation mix without
burdening end-consumers.
MIDF also noted that given the indication of
excessive reserve capacity, the pace of any major
plant start-ups in the near-term is likely to be
impacted.
It added that although the new Minister’s
intention is to champion RE, it opined that the
shift is for RE to eventually dilute contribution
from fossil fuel rather than near-term, outright
replacement.
There is the issue of feasibility to induce RE in
a big way into the system too which will have to be
sorted out.
The Energy-Transformation Nexus -
UNCTAD
Access to electricity is essential for the
structural transformation of the economies of
the least developed countries. Equally, such
a transformation is essential to electricity
access. The viability of investments in electricity
infrastructure depends critically on demand;
and structural transformation directly generates
demand in production processes and also
strengthens domestic demand by raising
household incomes. This two-way relationship
– the energy–transformation nexus – is central
to the development process, and essential to
universal electricity access in the least developed
countries.
However, there are limits to the productive use
of electricity brought about by transformational
energy access alone, because of other constraints
on producers. Energy and development strategies
therefore need to be closely co-ordinated.
Insufficient demand for electricity will slow the
development of modern energy systems, yet
if energy demand for productive use remains
unsatisfied, then the process of structural
transformation may be slowed down or disrupted.
Consequently, complementary industrial,
enterprise and development policies are needed
to promote increased demand for electricity
for productive uses, to ensure that demand is
sufficient to make the necessary investments in
generation, transformation and distribution viable.
The key role of the energy–transformation
nexus in sustainable development highlights the
critical importance of fully integrating energy
access plans with overall development strategies.
Increasing access to modern energy can only be
effective in promoting structural transformation in
conjunction with an overall development strategy
oriented towards this objective.
Tackling supply side constraints within a
context of strong demand growth and investment
dynamism is a key factor. Moreover, close co-
ordination between energy and development
strategies is essential, to match the evolution of
energy supply and demand, both geographically
and over time.
Reaping the full benefits of the energy–
transformation nexus also requires complementary
policies to foster economic diversification and job
creation.
Why the Nights are Getting Brighter –
but not in a Good Way - BOAO
The world’s nights are getting alarmingly brighter
– bad news for all sorts of creatures, humans
included – as light pollution encroaches on
darkness almost everywhere.
Satellite observations made by researchers
during five consecutive Octobers show the Earth’s
artificially lit outdoor area grew by 2% a year from
2012 to 2016. So did night time brightness.
Light pollution was even worse than that,
according to the German-led team, because
the sensor used cannot detect some of the
LED lighting that is becoming more widespread,
specifically blue light.
The observations indicate stable levels of night
light in the US, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. But
light pollution is almost certainly on the rise in those
countries given this elusive blue light, according
to Christopher Kyba of the GFZ German research
centre for geosciences and the lead author of the
study published in Science Advances.
Also on the rise, is the spread of light into the
hinterlands and its overall increased use. The
findings shatter the long-held notion that more
energy-efficient lighting would decrease usage on
the global – or at least a national – scale.
The biological impact from surging artificial light
is also significant, according to the researchers.
People’s sleep can be marred, which in turn can
affect their health. The migration and reproduction
of birds, fish, amphibians, insects and bats can be
disrupted. Plants can have abnormally extended
growing periods. And forget about seeing stars or
the Milky Way if the trend continues.
About the only places with dramatic declines
in night light were in areas of conflict such as
Syria and Yemen, the researchers found. Australia
also reported a noticeable drop, but that was
because wildfires were raging early in the study.
Researchers were unable to filter out the bright
burning light.
Asia, Africa and South America, for the most
part, saw a surge in artificial night lighting.
More and more places are installing outdoor
lighting, given its low cost and the overall growth
in communities’ wealth, the scientists noted.
Urban sprawl is also moving towns farther out.
The outskirts of major cities in developing nations
were brightening quite rapidly.
“Many people are using light at night without
really thinking about the cost,” Holker said. Not
just the economic cost, “but also the cost that
you have to pay from an ecological, environmental
perspective”.
Kyba and his colleagues recommend avoiding
glaring lamps whenever possible – choosing
amber over so-called white LEDs – and using more
efficient ways to illuminate places such as parking
lots or city streets.
A Better Battery: Oon Yeoh, NST
Moore’s Law states that processing power
of transistors will double every 18 months.
Unfortunately, there is no Moore’s Law for
batteries, which seem to be lagging further and
further behind smart phone advances with each
passing year.
31
‟
INGENIEUR
Ceto was the ancient Greek goddess of sea monsters, and Carnegie’s
particular monsters are buoys that resemble giant macaroons. They
float a metre or two below the ocean’s surface, bobbing up and down
in the swell and generating electricity as they do so.
In order to have a breakthrough in battery
technology, for example, one which can allow
a smartphone to last say, a whole week without
recharging, it would require new chemistry and
may be even a new form factor that’s radically
different from today’s lithium-ion versions.
However, the big three battery producers of
the world: Samsung, LG and Panasonic are not
as interested in new technologies as they are
in making gradual improvements to the existing
lithium-ion battery.
Even someone as forward thinking and
adventurous as Tesla’s Elon Musk is banking on
improvements to lithium-ion to power his electric
cars.
Lithium-ion battery capacity has continually
been growing over the years, although at a very
slow pace – around five per cent a year. As long as
it continues to grow, big companies are not going
to take a chance with new, unproven technology.
At some point though, radical changes will be
needed as lithium-ion can be tweaked only so
much. There’ll come a time when it cannot be
improved any further.
Given that so many important products in
the future will require cheap and longer-lasting
batteries, it is almost certain a new technology
will eventually replace the lithium-ion battery. But
there will be a long gestation period before that
happens.
When lithium-ion battery came along in the
early 1990s, it facilitated the emergence of the
smartphone and other portable electronic devices,
which really changed our world. It has served
its purpose and now something better needs to
come along for progress in so many industries to
continue.
When a next-generation battery – much
cheaper and far longer-longer lasting – finally
arrives one day, it’ll transform the way we
communicate, work, travel and play. It might take
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10 years or more before that happens. But when
it does, it’s no exaggeration to say that it’ll be one
of the most transformative technological changes
of our time.
Renewable energy looks swell – The
Economist
Carnegie Wave Energy, in Perth, has been working
since 1999 on what its calls CETO technology.
Ceto was the ancient Greek goddess of sea
monsters, and Carnegie’s particular monsters are
buoys that resemble giant macaroons. They float
a metre or two below the ocean’s surface, bobbing
up and down in the swell and generating electricity
as they do so. The current version, CETO 5, has a
capacity of 240 kW per buoy. Three of the beasts
are now tethered to the sea bed 3km from HMAS
Stirling, on Garden Island. They also help to run a
desalination plant on the base, for fresh water is
a valuable commodity in Western Australia’s arid
climate.
The buoys themselves are 11 metres across,
made of steel and filled with a mixture of seawater
and foam to give them a density slightly below
that of water, so that they float. Being submarine
means that, unlike previous attempts to extract
power from waves, they are not subject to storms
and the constant battering that life at the interface
between sea and air brings.
Carnegie also has its sights on markets farther
afield. Military bases around the world need
secure supplies of energy and water. Wave energy
is attractive to island countries like the Maldives
that must, at the moment, import fossil fuel at
some expense. Whether submarine wave power
of this sort will ever become truly main stream is
moot. But Carnegie is showing that, in appropriate
circumstances, it could indeed have the wind
behind it.
Harnessing The Wind: A
Sustainable Future Energy
For Malaysia
By Prof. Ts. Dr Mohd Zamri Ibrahim

FEATURE
Dr Aliashim Albani
Yong Kim Hwang

Eastern Corridor Renewable Energy (ECRE)

School of Ocean Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

T
he terms wind energy or wind power
describe the process by which the wind, as
kinetic energy, is exploited as a resource
to generate mechanical power (Figure 1) and
electrical power (Figure 2). Wind turbines operate
on a simple principle - the wind turns the blades,
which spin a shaft connected to a generator which
generates electricity.
Modern wind turbines can be divided into two
basic groups (Figures 3, 4 and 5), the horizontal-
axis wind turbine (HAWT) and the vertical-axis
wind turbines (VAWT, Darrieus and Savonius

Figure 1: Mechanical components of wind turbine (Source: Behera and Sarkar, 2012)

Figure 2: Electrical components of wind turbine (Source: Behera and Sarkar, 2012)

33
 INGENIEUR
types). Horizontal-axis wind turbines typically have
three blades, are sited upwind and operate with
the blades facing into the wind. Wind turbines
can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of
water like oceans and lakes, depending on the site
wind quality.

Wind Resource Assessment

The initial and important step for wind energy

Figure 3: Horizontal-axis (HAWT) Wind Turbine
(Source: Turbineinfo, 2011)
exploitation is determining the potential or
the feasibility of wind power development, is
completing a wind resource assessment (WRA).
In addition, WRAs are also used to map the wind
resource potential for a region or a country.
Therefore, it is crucial to have a nationwide WRA
in any particular country or region. WRAs can be
categorized in three basic stages: (i) preliminary
area identification, (ii) area wind resource
evaluation, and (iii) micrositing. These are briefly
explained below:

(i) Preliminary area identification

Figure 4: Darrieus Wind Turbine (VAWT)
(Source: REUK, 2018)
Existing meteorological wind data is used to
establish a mesoscale wind map (Figure 6) using
spatial modelling, where the modelling consists
of analysing wind flow over complex terrains in
order to understand the physical processes. Wind
power density maps (Figure 7) are established to
estimate wind resources which are expressed in
wind power classes ranging from Class 1 to Class
7 (Table 1).
Wind maps and information about wind
resource characteristics are useful in identifying
potential areas for wind-energy applications. After
process screens have been conducted over a
relatively large region (e.g. state or utility service
territory) for suitable wind resource areas, new
wind measurement sites can be selected.

(ii) Area Wind Resource Evaluation (Wind

Figure 5: Savonius Wind Turbine(VAWT)
(Source: coolmyplanet.org, 2017)
measurement campaign)
Area wind resource evaluations are compiled using
the International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC) IEC 1400-1 and IEC 61400-1. Sampling
intervals to obtain wind data vary with an average
of ten minutes; these temporal intervals are
sufficient enough to determine the local breeze
data. Wind sensors (Figure 8) are installed at

6
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Wind 30 m 50 m
Power Wind Power Wind Speed Wind Power Wind Speed
Class Density (W/m²) (m/s) Density (W/m²) (m/s)
1 ≤ 160 ≤ 5.1 ≤ 200 ≤ 5.6
2 ≤ 240 ≤ 5.9 ≤ 300 ≤ 6.4
3 ≤ 320 ≤ 6.5 ≤ 400 ≤ 7.0
4 ≤ 400 ≤ 7.0 ≤ 500 ≤ 7.5
5 ≤ 480 ≤ 7.4 ≤ 600 ≤ 8.0
6 ≤ 640 ≤ 8.2 ≤ 800 ≤ 8.8
7 ≤ 1600 ≤ 11.0 ≤ 2000 ≤ 11.9

Table 1: Classes of Wind Power Density (Source: AWS Scientific, Inc., 1997)

Figure 6: Wind Map (Source: UMT)

Figure 7: Wind power density map (Source: UMT)

35
 INGENIEUR

Figure 8: Wind measurement mast (Source: UMT)

6
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 a different heights to determine the wind shear
profile at the sites. The Weibull Distribution
Function (Figure 9) is plotted to estimate the wind
speed frequency distribution for measured wind
data. Lastly, the wind rose results (Figure 10)
are plotted to determine the frequency of wind
direction.

Figure 9: Weibull distribution plot (Source: UMT)
(iii) Micrositing
The smallest scale, or third stage, of wind resource
assessment is micrositing. Its main objective is
to quantify the small-scale variability of the wind
resource over the terrain of interest. Ultimately,
micrositing is used to position one or more wind
turbines on a parcel of land to maximize the overall
energy output of the wind plant. The measured
wind data are utilised in the flow modelling using
the WAsP flow model to predict the wind speed
at the selected site as shown in Figure 11. Table
2 presents the mean values for wind speed and
Weibull parameters. The best mean value for wind
speed to develop a wind energy farm is 5 m/s and
above.

Table 2: Mean values of wind speed and Weibull

parameters

Height Mean value Weibull Scale

(m) of wind shape parameter,
speed, parameter, c
(m/s) k (m/s)
70 5.90 2.22 6.70
Figure 10: Wind Rose (Source: UMT) 50 5.40 2.15 6.10
35 4.80 2.06 5.40
10 2.90 1.87 3.30

Techno-economic Assessment

A Techno-economic Assessment (TEA) is a cost

benefit analysis to determine the feasibility of
a specific project. One of metrics in TEA is the
levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The LCOE is the
net present value of the unit-cost of electricity over
the lifetime of a wind turbine system. It is often
taken as an average price that the wind turbine
must receive to break even over its lifetime. The
typical parameters that are required to calculate
the LCOE are Annual Energy Production (AEP),
Figure 11: Micrositing Map (Source: UMT)
the capital cost of the wind turbine, maintenance

37
 INGENIEUR
Rated Hub
Rotor Cut-in wind Rated wind
Manufacturer power height
diameter (m) speed (m/s) speed (m/s)
(kW) (m)

(A)
150 35.0 28.0 3.0 10.4
Class III

(B)
500 50.0 56.0 3.0 10.0
Class II

(C)
750 68.0 57.0 3.0 12.0
Class II

(D)
850 60.0 60.0 3.0 13.0
Class II

(E)
950 65.0 64.0 3.0 11.0
Class II

(F)
1,500 85.0 82.8 3.0 13.0
Class II

(G)
2,500 100 100 3.0 13.0
Class II

Table 3 Specifications of the Wind Turbines Class II and III (Source: Manufacturer)

6
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 ENERGY PRODUCTION
LCOE,
Manufacturer Gross AEP, Gross CF, Net AEP, Net CF, RM/kWh
MWh/y % MWh/y %
(A) 15,447.0 20.27 13,436.6 17.63 0.8390
(B) 16,721.9 25.45 15,160.1 23.01 0.6429
(C) 21,575.1 23.46 19,576.6 21.28 0.6951
(D) 21,536.0 22.25 19,355.5 20.00 0.7396
(E) 23,521.6 23.55 21,694.8 21.72 0.6810
(F) 29,106.4 27.69 27,166.2 25.84 0.5725
(G) 28,833.7 26.33 27,653.3 25.25 0.5858

Table 4: Determination of LCOE with Annual Energy Production of Wind Turbine.

‟
Malaysia has the potential to develop wind energy

as one of her renewable energy sources like solar,

biomass, biogas and others.

costs and, other economics parameters such as
discount and tax rates.
For example the LCOE can be determined
based on the specifications of the wind turbine
as shown in Table 3 and wind data analysis at a
selected site as discussed above. The best wind
turbine is chosen based on the highest capacity
factor and the lowest LCOE as shown in Table 4.
Conclusion
Malaysia has the potential to develop wind energy
as one of her renewable energy sources like solar,
biomass, biogas and others. A systematic WRA
has been carried out and briefly demonstrated in
this article. The wind measurement campaign at
potential sites has been conducted by installing
the wind masts at 70m height. Based on the
initial data analyzed, there are indications, that
in general Malaysia, has the potential to develop
wind energy because there many sites available
with an average wind speed of more than 5 m/s
at 70m height.
Therefore, the way forward and necessary
action that need to be considered include: (i)
Install a large-scale wind turbine with a capacity
of 1.5-2.5 MW at an identified site as a pilot test
project; (ii) Establish the Feed-in-Tariff rate (FiT) for
wind energy; (iii) Form a partnership with suitable
technology provider; (iv) Establish a wind energy
training centre to address the gaps in knowledge,
specifically on low wind turbine technology;
(v) Develop relevent supporting industries; (vi)
Propose secure funds from public and privates
entities; (vii) Carry out design, construction and
installation locally (viii) Explore the potential of
offshore wind energy and, lastly but not least (ix)
Develop a small-scale wind turbine suitable for
installation on building roof tops.

39
 Where Engineers Excel THE
ING JANU
ARY- VOL. KD

ENI
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B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L AY S I A
17

INGENIEUR
20

The Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM),

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H BO M B A
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41
41
 INGENIEUR
Impact of Disruptive
Technologies on Electricity
Grid Infrastructure
By Ir. Dr Amir Basha Ismail
FEATURE
S
ince the start of the Industrial Revolution
more than 250 years ago, the global
economy has been on a steep growth
trajectory propelled by a series of advances in
technology, as shown in Figure 1.
From steam powered engines that replaced
water mills, to electricity, telephones, automobiles,
airplanes, transistors, computers and the internet,
each new wave of technology has brought about
surges in productivity and economic growth,
enabling efficient new methods for performing
existing tasks and giving rise to entirely new types
of businesses. General purpose technologies such
as steam power can be applied across economies
which have massive and disruptive effects, as do
internal combustion engines, electricity and the
Internet.
In the context of this article, the science,
engineering and technology platform underpinning
the electricity supply industry (ESI) has been
steadily powering growth and transforming
economies of most nations. The ESI powering
the growth of a nation, including Malaysia,
has been achieved through conventional, well-
planned, centralised large-scale fossil-fuelled
electricity generating stations and the associated
high-voltage national power grid comprising
the transmission and distribution network. The
national power grid is highly robust, secure and
reliable in terms of demand (load), dispatch and
delivery to industrial, commercial or residential
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consumers. The ESI has not experienced any real
disruptive business environments in the past, even
though the electronic data processing/number-
crunching power of computer technologies
has become extremely powerful in an inverse
relationship to its physical hardware size.
However, today many rapidly evolving
potentially disruptive technologies are appearing
on the horizon. For the energy/electricity sector,
the disruptive technologies that can significantly
impact the future ESI business environment are:
• Renewable and Distributed Generation
(high variability and uncertainty)
• Energy Storage System (high efficiency)
• Smart Grid
• Internet-of-Things
Electricity, which is electromagnetism-based,
at the point-of-use will undoubtedly continue to
be numero uno in terms of energy use in the 21st
century and beyond, compared with other forms
of hydrocarbon-based energy usage. Electricity
delivers a precision that is unmatched by any other
form of energy and it is almost infinitely versatile
in how it can be utilised. Electricity has a unique
characteristic however, once it is generated it
has to be consumed, at the same point in time,
the demand for it must be balanced exactly and
simultaneously by its generation so that the 50
Hertz system frequency is maintained at all times.
Future energy/electricity grid systems including
those in Malaysia, will need to have high levels
 Figure 1: Global Economy Growth trajectory in relation to Technology advancements
Source: Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business
and the global economy, McKinsey Global Institute, May 2013, [Ref. 1]

of “flexibility” and “smartness” embedded in
them in order to accommodate the variability
and uncertainty in electricity demand-generation
balance due to the anticipated substantial growth
of renewable variable generation (VG), principally
solar photovoltaic (PV) resources. Wind power
resources in Malaysia are small and insignificant
compared with solar PV.
Electricity Demand-Generation Balance
and National Energy Security
In the Ingenieur publication, Vol. 60, Oct-Dec 2014,
themed “Managing Energy Resources”, the author
in his Policy Paper “Electricity Demand-Generation
Balance: The Question of National Energy
Security”, [Ref. 2], put forth to the Government
the case that the future national energy policy
must necessarily address the electricity demand-
generation balance as part of its national energy
security agenda. The overarching national energy
policy depends on the ability to secure primary
fuels (a mix of gas, coal and possibly nuclear) for
the development and operation of centralised
large-scale electricity generating stations and
the associated high-voltage transmission and
distribution power grid.
Power system planners and operators who
have been working with conventional electricity
power grid systems with centralised large-scale
fossil-fuelled power plants are familiar with a
certain amount of variability and uncertainty,
particularly with regards to system demand. For
example: depending on the season and weather
conditions, demand can fluctuate significantly over
a single day, week, or month. In the Malaysian
power system grid, the extensive use of electricity
for air-conditioning creates a relationship between
increase in electricity demand with increase in
temperature which amounts to close to 1000 MW
per degree centigrade rise. In addition to meeting
these variability requirements, there is always
some inherent uncertainty about future power

43
 INGENIEUR
demand and future availability of generators. The
power system must thus be able to manage both
variability and uncertainty.
Today, various combinations of hydro and
thermal generation are used to manage variability,
and these operate as a portfolio to meet demand.
Each generator has various characteristics, but
the most important one for this article relates to
flexibility.
Daily and weekly patterns of system demand
often involve short-term forecasting. Knowing the
time horizon over which significant ramps (MW per
minute) take place such as during the morning
demand rise has allowed operators to plan and
implement effective strategies for flexibility.
Traditionally, long-term resource planning
with conventional thermal and hydro generation
requires little information about the variability of
the net demand/load in time scales of minutes to
days, whereas characterising the daytime cycle
is an important feature of day-ahead operational
generation dispatch planning. Power system
planners/operators are familiar with the ‘system
needs’ in order to ensure that the balance between
supply and demand is maintained continuously
by refining the generation output and demand
delivered by the wholesale electricity market.
These ‘system needs’ in the order they are
required from real time are:
- System Inertia and Rate of Change of
Frequency (RoCoF)
- Frequency Response
- Reserve
- Reactive Power/Voltage Support
- Blackstart
System Inertia comes from the rotational
energy stored in the synchronous generators of
gas-fired, coal-fired and hydro power plants. Inertia
determines how quickly the 50Hz Alternating
Current (AC) system frequency will change when
there is an imbalance between generation and
demand; Inertia stabilises the frequency and
reduces the RoCoF. The lower the level of Inertia
on the system, the higher the RoCoF will be in the
event of a sudden generation or demand loss.
As levels of solar photovoltaic/distributed
renewable energy generation continue to increase
in our future national energy generation mix
portfolio, System Inertia is expected to decrease.
Thus, the challenging issue of managing System
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Inertia and RoCoF is of utmost importance in
order to secure the future Malaysian power grid
against increased probability of partial system
collapse.
One characteristic that variable renewable
generation (VG) resources, such as solar
photovoltaic, have in common is that their
generation output is governed by atmospheric/
climatic conditions and are consequently difficult
to predict over some time scales. Thus, large-
scale penetration/integration of VG would lead
to increases in the variability and uncertainty in
the system’s generation output, driving a need for
greater flexibility; this is required in order to ensure
the overall demand-generation balance [50Hz
system frequency] is maintained at all times.
In this same Policy Paper [Ref.2], it was
recommended that the Government design and
shape its future long-term (at least up to 2050)
electricity generation energy mix with clear targets
for each primary fuel portfolio based on the
following factors:
• extent of concern about domestic energy
security;
• availability and price of ‘legacy’ indigenous
natural gas for electricity generation;
• extent of penetration/integration of
renewable variable generation, particularly
• large-scale solar PV plants (LSS);
• cost and availability of imported coal for
electricity generation;
• cost and availability of the nuclear option
for electricity generation; and
• environmental policy objectives expected
over the next decade.
Each of these key factors requires supportive
policies and regulatory processes to enable
appropriate commercial decisions to be taken in a
prudent and timely manner.
RENEWABLE AND DISTRIBUTED
GENERATION
Variable Generation (VG)
According to the MGI Report [Ref. 1], solar and
wind power could represent 15 to 16% of global
electricity generation in 2025, up from only 2%
in 2013. The incremental economic impact of
this growth could be US$165 billion to US$275
 Figure 2: Forecast of Capital Cost for Large-Scale Solar PV System [2016-2027]
Source: Malaysia Solar PV Roadmap 2016-2030, MPIA Industry Engagement, June 2018, [Ref.3]
billion annually by 2025. Of this, US$145 billion to
US$155 billion could be the direct value-added to
the world economy from this power, less the cost
of subsidies.
For Malaysia, solar power could generate
enormous benefits for businesses that provide
or consume energy, as well as consumers
and society, but this could still require strong
Government support, including green tax rebates,
etc. Greater demand for variable solar photovoltaic
generation (VG) could provide opportunities for
technology providers and suppliers of ancillary
equipment to manage the variability issue by
providing that much-needed flexibility on the
power system grid operation. Electricity utility
companies could play a major role in the adoption
of Large-Scale Solar power plants by making some
investments in battery energy storage systems
(BESS) to accommodate intermittent flows of solar
power into their grids.
Also, distributed solar photovoltaic renewable
energy generation – power/energy bought
from local, small-scale operations or from
commercial and residential users – could help
defer investment in transmission and distribution
infrastructure.
While the cost of solar PV cells and the overall
cost of solar power generation have dropped
dramatically in the past decade, solar power
is still not cost competitive with fossil fuels on
a global basis, although in some regions it has
achieved grid parity, or soon will. The typical
levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of conventional
electric power plants (coal and combined cycle
gas) is around RM360 per MWh [36 sen per
kWh], compared with nearly RM400 per MWh [40
sen per kWh] for solar. However, there is potential
for the rate of improvement in PV cell costs to
continue through 2025. For example, at present
the PV cell module and inverter, are typically
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: Past Trends and Forecasted Average Electricity Tariff vs Solar PV Electricity Generation Cost
Source: MPIA Proposal for Net Energy Metering Program 2016-2030, [Ref.4]
60% of the capital costs in these technologies,
but they could follow a ‘semiconductor-like’
improvement in price performance. In addition,
panel installation, usually a fifth of the cost, can
be made quicker and cheaper through GPS-
guided power tools and robots. Overall, it is
estimated that technology improvements could
reduce Large-Scale Solar PV power plant cost to
65% of its capital expenditure of what it is now by
2025 as shown in Figure 2.
According to Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry
Association (MPIA) forecast report, [Ref 4], year
2020 LCOE for utility-scale solar photovoltaic
generation (10 MWp to 50 MWp range) plus
transmission & distribution grid asset utilisation
costs would be about 39 sen/kWh, which is lower
than the forecast average electricity tariff of about
45 sen/kWh, as shown in Figure 3.
Grid-connected distributed solar photovoltaic
generation, principally solar panels used to power
individual households or supply part of a building’s
energy requirements, enjoys a large share of
overall solar power production in some countries,
such as the UK, the Netherlands and Singapore,
where more than half of renewable generation
is residential (mostly rooftop solar). Distributed
generation could also provide other benefits,
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such as lower line losses due to shorter distances
transmitted, productive use of unutilised rooftops,
and environmental benefits. It could be particularly
relevant for heavily-congested areas where adding
new infrastructure is impractical.
If renewable solar PV generation costs
continue to fall and energy storage capabilities/
efficiencies grow rapidly, it can be envisioned that
entire neighbourhoods or factory complexes may
be served using distributed solar photovoltaic
power generation and localised distribution
smart grid infrastructure. This could make remote
housing and manufacturing plants more viable
by reducing the transmission capacity required
from the central transmission grid or even
eliminating the need to access the transmission
grid altogether.
Future Power System: High Flexibility
Requirement
The flexibility of the system represents its ability
to accommodate the variability and uncertainty in
the demand-generation balance while maintaining
satisfactory levels of performance over a given
timescale.
 Figure 4: The impacts of variable generation on the flexibility time line.

Figure 5: The Balancing Mechanism between Variability and Flexibility

As mentioned earlier, with the anticipated
large-scale integration of solar renewable variable
generation in the electricity infrastructure grid
network, future power systems will need to have a
higher level of flexibility which requires challenging
MW ramping rates in the operational time frame,
and characterising these ramping rates within
the planning domain is becoming increasingly
necessary. Operational flexibility is related to
the system’s ability to deal with variability within
system operation time scales - normally from a day
ahead down to real time. The type of operational
flexibility required will depend on the time scale:
• Increased frequency response and reserves
from seconds to minutes;
• Increased ramping capability from minutes
to hours; and
• Scheduling flexibility from hours to a day
ahead.
The time scales of flexibility, from the system-
planning perspective down to very short-term
operation, and the impacts of variable generation
on flexibility can be seen in Figure 4.
Figure 5 depicts how each part of the system
affects the need for and supply of flexibility. The
variability sources drive the need for flexibility to

47
 INGENIEUR
restore a system’s power balance, whereas the
flexibility sources respond to restore that balance.
While flexible resources are commonly found
on the supply side, there is also the possibility
of harvesting flexibility from the demand side
(Demand Response, DR). Large-scale industrial
processes and direct control of certain loads have
been utilised for many years. Recent advances
in information and communication technologies
(ICT), together with the large-scale rollout of
advanced smart meters, have created a new
window of opportunity to make better use of DR to
increase flexibility.
The flexibility required can be obtained by
scheduling and dispatching certain loads (either
individually or as aggregation of smaller loads)
according to system needs while respecting a
set of preconditions, such as comfort levels.
Alternatively, price-responsive demand can be
used with price signals that reflect flexibility
requirements. An example of the ability of such a
DR to provide flexibility is found in France, where
six million domestic water heaters, equivalent
to 12 GW of potential demand, are centrally
controlled to modify electricity demand. Demand
response flexibility from large consumers is also
used in France to provide two-hour ramping
reserve during critical periods.
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Battery room
For the future Malaysian electricity supply
industry, VG resources — principally solar power
plants, are set to increase significantly as part of
the Government’s drive to promote sustainable
energy for powering and lighting up the nation.
However, these VG resources will bring technical
challenges that require increasing the flexibility of
the national power system grid. Assessing these
new flexibility needs, the resources available to
meet them, and system flexibility adequacy will
probably emerge as one significant aspect of
the system planning and business development
functions of the national utility (TNB). There is no
one-size-fits-all solution to increasing flexibility.
Options that achieve the technical objective
of fulfilling flexibility needs must be evaluated
economically so that low-cost solutions can be
offered to the customers through institutionalised
market access mechanisms.
ENERGY STORAGE
Energy storage systems convert electricity into a
form that can be stored and converted back into
electrical energy for later use, providing energy
on demand. This enables utilities, for example,
to generate extra electricity during times of low
demand and use it to support capacity at times of
high demand. Today, about 3%-4% of the electricity
that is produced by utilities worldwide is stored,
almost all of it through a technique called pumped
hydro-electric storage (PHES) which involves
pumping water uphill during times of low demand
and/or low cost and releasing it downstream to
turn power-generating turbines during times of
demand and high cost.
Battery energy storage systems [BESS] in their
various forms constitute the most widely known
energy storage technology, which will impact
future electricity grid infrastructure development
and operation.
Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in
consumer electronic devices such as laptop PCs,
as well as in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
According to [Ref. 5: Global lithium-ion battery
market: Growth trends and application analysis,
Malavika Tohani, Frost & Sullivan, Feb. 2013],
the Li-ion battery market is expected to double
in the coming years to US$24 billion in global
revenue, and significant performance and cost
improvements are also expected in Li-ion batteries
in the coming decade.
For example, prices for complete automotive
Li-ion battery packs could fall from RM2000 –
RM2400 per kWh today to about RM650 per
kWh in 2025, while the life cycle could increase
significantly at the same time, potentially
making plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles cost
competitive with traditional internal combustion
engine vehicles on a total cost of ownership
basis.
For utility grid applications, the average cost of
owning and operating Li-ion BESS could fall from
about RM2000 per MWh [RM2 per kWh] to about
RM400 per MWh [40sen per kWh] by 2025. This
could make Li-ion BESS cost competitive for some
electricity grid applications, such as for providing
BESS-Solar PV hybrid distributed renewable
energy, based on the levelised cost of electricity
(LCOE), a standard measure of electricity costs.
LCOE measures the cost of electricity generated
by different sources accounting for present value
payment stream of the total cost of capital,
anticipated operating costs, fuel, and maintenance
over a technology’s useful life and is very useful
for comparing the prices of technologies with
different operating characteristics.
With growing electricity demand and top-
level Governmental concerns over carbon dioxide
emissions and climate change, there is growing
national and international pressure for ‘green
means’ of electricity production and usage. On
a world-wide scale, 13 billion tonnes of CO2 are
released annually from electricity generation
and seven billion tonnes annually through
transportation [Ref. 6: World Energy Outlook
2011, International Energy Agency, November
2011]. The electricity and transportation sectors
are now more committed to add more sustainable
energy sources and, in both sectors, these efforts
rely on energy storage:
For the electricity sector, BESS can help to:
• ac c ommo date variable elec tricit y
generation from renewable solar
photovoltaic;
• maintain capacity for peak demand; and
• manage frequency regulation.
For the transportation sector, advanced
batteries make electric and partially electric
vehicle adoption more competitive with petrol-
engine vehicles.
Grid-storage BESS
Grid-storage BESS are set to play an increasingly
important role in integrating solar photovoltaic
renewable variable generation as part of the
future Malaysian electricity grid infrastructure
‘fossil fuels-renewable energy mix’ portfolio.
The main role of BESS will be to deal with peak
demand capacity issues and as part of Smart
Grid applications. BESS in Smart Grid applications
can help with system frequency regulation and
guaranteed peak power services.
Grid-storage BESS enable peak load shifting,
higher utilisation of existing grid infrastructure,
efficient balancing of small fluctuations in power
output, as well as providing temporary power in the
event of outage. However, for these benefits to be
realised, energy storage must be cost competitive
with other methods of addressing these issues,
such as gas turbine power generation used for
peaking power applications and demand-side
management for demand response applications
(that is getting consumers and businesses to
voluntarily reduce usage during peak demand
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 INGENIEUR
periods). It is estimated that by 2025, grid-storage
BESS could have a moderate economic impact of
US$45 billion to US$70 billion annually, principally
from frequency regulation and peak load shifting
applications.
Frequency Regulation
When generation and demand are out of balance,
the system frequency deviates from its 50Hz set
point. Significant demand increases cause system
frequency to drop and voltage to sag. Similarly,
frequency increases are caused by loss of demand.
Conventional power plants such as gas or coal-fired
provide their own frequency regulation – a constant
flow - by setting aside a portion of generating
capacity (typically 1 to 4%) that can be ramped up
to regulate frequency. By committing to reserve a
portion of capacity in this way, utilities limit their
output, losing some production efficiency.
Today, BESS are already competitive in the
frequency regulation market where they are
permitted by regulations which require reserve
generating capacity to fulfil this role. BESS will
become more competitive as prices decline. In
this context, the potential economic impact of
energy storage on frequency regulation for utilities
worldwide can run into billions of dollars annually,
assuming that BESS could replace all of the 4%
of generation capacity set aside for frequency
regulation by conventional plants.
Peak Load Shifting
To meet peak demand (when generation prices
are highest), utilities can either build excess
generation capacity or purchase electricity from
other utilities or from specialised peak plant
suppliers. Energy storage could save costs by
enabling utilities to avoid purchasing electricity at
peak prices, instead buying (or generating) it when
it is least expensive, regardless of when it will be
used. The ability to store energy for use at a later
time is also useful for integrating energy from solar
photovoltaic generation into the electricity supply
grid, due to the variable nature of this resource.
Implications
BESS solution providers need to gain the support
of utility company leaders to plan and commit
BESS for grid utility applications as utilities tend to
invest in 10-year development plan programmes.
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They also need to demonstrate that BESS work
seamlessly with existing grid infrastructure and
renewable solar photovoltaic systems, potentially
requiring partnerships with companies with
core competencies in software, process control
systems, and grid integration. To get utilities to
be comfortable with newer BESS technology,
companies may also want to consider co-investing
in initial pilot projects.
Utilities face both risks and opportunities due
to advanced battery energy storage. While energy
storage may help improve the quality, reliability
and efficiency of their electricity supply, other
uses could affect overall demand as in the case
of accelerated adoption of electric and hybrid
vehicles. Peak load demand could grow quite
substantially if charging is unconstrained (that is,
if most drivers come home after work and charge
their vehicles when demand is highest). This could
place new strain on peaking generation capacity,
requiring new investment.
Future policies or regulations on energy and
electricity supply should include impact studies
on energy storage technologies to determine
whether there are incentives or disincentives for
investment in grid storage and other relevant
applications. The overall goal should be to ensure
that energy storage is permitted to compete
on an equal footing with other solutions. For
example, grid-storage BESS should be allowed to
compete with generation for frequency regulation
and with peaking plants for peak load electricity
supply. Introduction of renewable variable energy
generation quotas (solar photovoltaics) could also
promote investment in energy storage.
It is envisaged that by 2025, the potential of
energy storage for grid applications could become
much more clearly defined in terms of advances
in battery storage technology and cost. And,
this market development will have longer-term
potential (beyond 2025) to disrupt electricity
generation and distribution.
It is possible to envision a post-2025 scenario
in which renewable solar photovoltaic generation,
combined with cheap battery energy storage,
and higher energy prices of conventional fossil-
fuels for electricity production, could eventually
lead to significantly increased adoption of locally-
distributed solar photovoltaic power generation.
Eventually, this could vastly alter the utility industry
energy mix in terms of fossil-fuels for electricity
production, ushering in an era of localised micro-
grids of electricity/energy independence with
drastically reduced emission levels.
Consumers and many businesses stand to
benefit greatly from advances in battery energy
storage technologies, whether they are used to
power mobile internet devices, vehicles or entire
households.
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Based on an expected doubling of lithium-ion
battery capacity in the next decade, electric-
powered vehicles (EVs) are expected to become
cost competitive with petrol-engine vehicles by
2025 on a total cost of ownership basis [Ref. 5].
Car manufacturers are investing heavily in
developing both hybrid and pure electric models
to help meet tightening emissions standards.
Towns and cities want to impose restrictions on
conventional cars to reduce pollution; and in the
long term, some European countries, including the
UK and France, want to ban them altogether by
2040.
In July 2017, the UK Government announced
that it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel
cars and vans from 2040 onwards in order to cut
carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 from the 1990
levels in tandem with phasing out remaining coal-
fired power plants by 2025. According to expert
estimates, the numbers of EVs could balloon to
20 million by 2040 from around 90,000 today,
although some conventional cars will remain on the
road. Thus, charging them all will require additional
electricity from the UK power grid and would add
around 5% to the annual energy demand. This is
where “smart charging” will be deployed.
Smart charging facilities/systems will allow EVs
to draw power from the grid only when it is readily
available, avoiding peak periods, while ensuring
that they are fully charged when their owners
need them. Electricity utility companies will offer
different tariffs at different times of day (time-
of-use, ToU tariff), so that it will be worthwhile
financially to subscribe to smart charging, as it
could be a useful tool for managing demand when
EVs are parked for hours at a time, either at home
or at the workplace.
Implications
One major hurdle for EV adoption in many countries,
including Malaysia in the medium/long-term, is
the need to develop adequate infrastructure in
the form of recharging stations. In this context,
Governments, deep-pocketed car makers and
electricity utilities should be primarily responsible
for building EV charging infrastructure in order to
facilitate electric and hybrid vehicle adoption. This
can be realised through effective incentive-based
regulations considering the impact of retail petrol
fuel pricing on future adoption of EVs and carefully
weighing the trade-offs.
Going a step further, the smart charging
system can be further developed and configured
to deliver electricity to the grid - Vehicle to Grid
or V2G System - which is currently being tested
at a few trial hubs in Europe and Asia (Japan/
Korea/China). Basically, EVs are in effect, energy
storage devices on wheels, and because they
spend much of their time parked up not doing
anything they can help smooth out the peaks and
troughs in electricity demand. The V2G system
uses software to regulate the charging level of
multiple EVs parked at a smart charging facility.
When the grid needs extra power, it can draw very
small amounts from each individual EV. During
off-peak periods, the grid can re-charge these
vehicles again and these EV users will get paid
for the electricity they provide. The V2G system
technology has the potential to be embedded in
the Smart Grid infrastructure, especially at the
micro-grid distribution/consumer end.
SMART GRID
A Smart Grid is an infrastructure comprising
electricity generation, delivery (transmission
& distribution) and a consumer network which
incorporates information and communications
technology and automation technology to minimise
environmental impacts, enhance markets,
improve reliability and service, reduce costs and
improve efficiency. It is in this context that the
Smart Grid is considered disruptive. It empowers
customers to engage directly with operators and
stakeholders/asset owners in electricity markets
leading to a more sustainable electricity supply
industry and greener economy.
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Figure 6: Architecture of Advanced/Smart Metering Infrastructure (AMI) (Source: TNB)

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 With Advanced/Smart Metering Infrastructure
(AMI) and Time-of-Use (ToU) electricity pricing
mechanism deployed at the distribution/consumer
end, consumers can actually tailor and optimise
their own usage/consumption. Consumers can
also engage in demand response application
as part of the demand-side management
(DSM) market through the AMI infrastructure.
Figure 6 illustrates the architecture of the AMI
infrastructure as it might be deployed by a typical
electricity utility company.
Figure 7(a) and Figure 7(b) graphically show
the transformation of the traditional electricity
grid infrastructure/centralised fossil-fuelled
generation to full smart grid realisation. The
transformation is through the integration of large-
scale solar photovoltaic power plants and BESS
and distributed solar photovoltaic generation on
consumers’ rooftops with deployment of AMI for
smart charging of electric vehicles, ToU pricing
and ancillary market services (such as frequency
regulation, peak load shifting and demand
response applications) and enhanced distribution
management automation (DMA). Distribution
management automation will include functions
such as distribution network security assessment,
loss optimisation, fault location-isolation-
restoration and automatic feeder reconfiguration.
Many utilities in US, UK/Europe and Australia
have already deployed regulatory-driven smart
grids in their electricity infrastructure. One of the
challenges of smart grid deployment is that it is
capital intensive. In UK, Italy and Australia, smart
grid cost recovery is through minimum monthly
rental fees, whereas in the US it is bundled into
the electricity tariff.
Malaysia is currently in the process of crafting
the necessary regulations which will address a
smart grid cost recovery mechanism and the roles
and responsibility of the Regulator (Suruhanjaya
Tenaga), the utility (TNB) and the customer. The
other issues with smart grid deployment pertain to
security of data and job threat to meter readers/
disconnectors. Key success factors to smart
grid deployment in the Malaysian electricity
infrastructure are:
• clear regulatory framework;
• funding mechanism (Government grant/
support and/or regulatory pass-through);
• robust technology infrastructure and its
interoperability with pilot project at initial
stage of smart grid journey; and
• effective customer engagement strategies.
INTERNET OF THINGS
Physical objects, such as infrastructure, plants,
machineries, shipments, equipment and devices
across the world are being equipped with network
sensors and actuators that enable them to
monitor their environment, report their status,
receive instructions, and even take actions based
on the information they receive. This is what is
meant by the “Internet of Things” (IoT). It is growing
rapidly and it is disruptive to traditional business
enterprises.
The IoT refers to the use of sensors,
actuators, and data communications technology
built into physical objects that enable those
objects to be tracked, co-ordinated, or controlled
across a data network or the Internet. There are
three steps in IoT applications: capturing data/
information from the object, aggregating that
information across a data network, and acting
on that information – taking immediate action
or collecting data over a period of time to design
process improvements.
According to the MGI Report [Ref. 1], the IoT
has the potential to create an economic impact of
US$2.7 trillion to US$6.2 trillion annually by 2025.
Some of the most promising applications are in
health care, manufacturing, electricity grids, urban
water infrastructure and urban public transport
systems. To capture the potential value of these
applications, enterprises will need to have systems
and capabilities to mine and analyse the Big Data
that remote sensors can provide.
In the article “Better Connected Enterprises”,
Jarrett Potts, BEM The Ingenieur, Vol. 73, January-
March 2018 [Ref.7], it notes that by 2018 there
will be 22 billion IoT devices installed worldwide
and by 2022 one million new devices will come
online every hour. IoT devices and solutions have
the potential to redefine competitive advantages in
every type of business activity and fundamentally
alter how consumers interact with business
enterprises and how these enterprises interact
with their supply chain suppliers and distribution
partners.
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AMI invloves smart meters, 2

-way communications network,
MDMS and backend IT Systems
Figure 7 (a): Transformation to a full smart grid

Figure 7(b): Transformation to a full smart grid

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 Merging the physical and digital world also
has implications for privacy and security. As
with data connection, the connections that allow
remote machines to act without human operators
are subject to hacking by unauthorised people,
criminals or terrorists. The data collected via
health monitoring could be abused. For example,
the in-home controllers for smart grid applications
(such as controllers that can selectively turn air-
conditioning or appliances on and off to save
energy or take advantage of lower tariff rates at
times of day) have implications on home privacy
and autonomy. These issues will need to be
addressed before society and businesses will
be able to reap the full benefits of the Internet of
Things.
Electricity Infrastructure
Electricity utilities have been among the
early adopter enterprises. By bringing plants,
equipment, other assets of electricity utility grid
infrastructure (generation, transmission and
distribution network) and electricity consumers
into the connected world, the IoT enables new
ways of monitoring and managing all the “moving
parts” that make up the electricity utility business.
At any moment, management can see the status
and flow of goods and materials through the utility
grid infrastructure to its connected consumers.
By monitoring these critical assets in real time,
the utility company can better gauge and control
usage, optimise network performance and avoid
disruptions by engaging in condition-based
preventive maintenance of these assets. This
means that rather than waiting to receive calls
from customers whose lights have gone out,
the electricity company can locate a failure as it
happens and, under some circumstances, even
restore power by rerouting service around the
failed transmission, distribution or generating
equipment.
Smart electrical grid systems are an important
IoT application, with a potential annual value of
about US$200 to US$500 billion by 2025 [Ref.1].
The bulk of this impact would come from demand-
side management applications that could reduce
costly peak generation, which often requires
utilities to buy electricity at the highest rates from
the electricity market or invest in extra peaking
capacity plants such as fast-response gas-turbine
generators. Many commercial customers already
avoid scheduling energy-intensive processes
and production during periods of peak power/
energy demand, when costs are at their highest,
and some have formal agreements with utilities
to reduce usage whenever demand reaches a
certain level.
With IoT-embedded smart grids, consumers
can let the utility company automatically power
down high-use systems and appliances during
periods of peak demand or they can make
their own choices based on real-time tariff
rate information (time-of-use pricing) that the
company provides. DSM could reduce peak power
(Megawatt) capacity demand by 2% to 4% and
cut overall energy demand (Megawatt-hours) by
1% to 2%. This would allow utilities (such as TNB)
to avoid building potentially billions of Ringgit
worth of additional peak generating capacity and
transmission & distribution infrastructure.
IoT sensors embedded in smart grids can
monitor and diagnose network problems in real-
time to prevent unplanned outages and reduce
corrective maintenance costs through condition-
based preventive maintenance strategy. At the
user end, smart meters equipped with two-way
communication capabilities could reduce outage
time and enable faster outage restoration. They
can also enable remote automatic meter reading,
eliminating the need for personnel to gather that
information.
Implications
The Internet of Things is such a sweeping
technology development that it is a challenge to
even prognose all the possible ways in which it will
affect businesses, economies, and society. For the
first time, computers are now able to receive data
from almost any kind of physical object, enabling
managers and operators to monitor the well-being
and performance of plants, machines, equipment
and even people.
Hardware manufacturers that supply sensors,
actuators and communications devices will
continue to refine their products and reduce costs.
For example, the electricity power systems for
smart grid application could include hundreds of
thousands of devices, sensors and other hardware
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INGENIEUR
... the most impactful disruptive technology for Malaysia’s future
electricity infrastructure is the anticipated substantial proliferation
of renewable and distributed photovoltaic generation (greatly
characterised by its high variability and uncertainty) into the energy
mix portfolio of the generating systems.
that will need to be reliable, maintenance-free,
and interoperable. Some of the best-positioned
companies may be suppliers of big data and
analytical software that can help to extract
meaning from the enormous amount of data
flows that the Internet of Things will produce for
the power systems. With sensors, networks and
computer systems controlling these critical power
systems, the consequences of cyber-attacks could
be staggering. It will take a great deal of thought
and planning, as well as collaboration with private
sector vendors to create proper safeguards and
keep them up to date as these technological
advances continue.
In terms of data security and personal
privacy/autonomy, both business enterprises
and Government policy makers will have to come
together to craft the necessary regulations to
protect the consumers and society at large. Only
when these issues are addressed in parallel with
adoption of these technologies can widespread
adoption of IoT be successful.
In terms of public policy, the Government
will need to establish clear understandings of
the privacy risks that accompany the Internet
of Things. The ability to put sensors virtually
anywhere – to observe the traffic on a residential
street or to monitor a home’s electricity use – will
undoubtedly raise serious concerns about how all
that information will be used.
CONCLUSION
This article discusses at length the issues and
challenges of the four identified disruptive
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technologies that can significantly impact electricity
grid infrastructure development planning and
system operation for utility of the future.
From the author’s viewpoint, the most impactful
disruptive technology for Malaysia’s future electricity
infrastructure is the anticipated substantial
proliferation of renewable and distributed
photovoltaic generation (greatly characterised by
its high variability and uncertainty) into the energy
mix portfolio of the generating systems. This in
turn will greatly affect national electricity/energy
security in terms of demand-generation balance,
both for real-time system operation and short-
term/medium-term operational planning resource
dispatch. If it lacks rigorous power system security
assessment strategic studies, there is increased
probability of partial or full system collapse of the
infrastructure, as System Inertia is expected to
decrease in tandem with increase in the levels of
solar photovoltaic/distributed renewable energy
generation. System Inertia is very fundamental in
the order of importance from real-time operation
for rate-of-change-of-frequency (RoCoF) and
frequency response when there is imbalance
between generation and demand. Thus, the
challenging issue of managing System Inertia and
RoCoF is of utmost importance in order to secure
Malaysia’s future electricity power system grid
against increased probability of system collapse.
Our national electricity utility company (TNB),
being one of the world-class utility companies, will
need to reimagine its future business enterprise
strategies in light of the issues and challenges
as discussed and highlighted here. And, it should
be used as the guiding framework for reimagining
TNB as utility of the future.
Energy from Biomass
through Microbial Cell
Factory: A Scientific
Perspective
By Dr Ku Syahidah Ku Ismail
Dr Huzairy Hassan
Ir. Dr Ayob Katimon
Centre of Excellence for Biomass Utilisation
School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis
A
s a developed nation based on agriculture,
Malaysia needs to step up efforts to
optimise its agricultural waste industry.
Millions of tons of agricultural waste, either in the
form of straw and husk from rice, stems, fronds
and palm leaves from palm oil trees, fruit skins
such as pineapple, mango, corn and so forth are
produced annually. Based on basic bioprocesses
and chemical engineering principles, agricultural
waste in the form of biomass has the potential to
be processed into new energy sources to support
conventional oil and gas-based energy sources.
The dependence on oil and gas based energy has
to be reduced and at the same time agricultural
waste needs to be beneficially materialised
as a measure of alternative energy in addition
to pollution control. This article scientifically
introduces the ability to convert agricultural
biomass into energy through a sequential
methodology called a microbial cell factory.
From Raw Biomass Materials to Liquid
Fuel Ethanol
In many applications, crude oil-derived fuel
displaced coal and has long since dominated as
a transport fuel. Recently, concerns have grown
over whether oil reserves have the capacity to
service growing demand. Oil reserves that provide
FEATURE
liquid fuels today will only have the capacity to
cater to half of global demand by 2023. Not only
that, most of the reserves are located in unstable
regions of the world. In addition, we are faced with
greater environmental consequences if the energy
usage pattern is not changed. There are mounting
concerns on the build-up of carbon dioxide
(CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) in the
atmosphere which trap heat that usually radiates
from the earth, causing global climate change.
As an alternative, bioethanol - ethyl alcohol
(C2H5OH), has been used as a modern biofuel.
It is commonly blended with gasoline in
concentrations of 10% ethanol to 90% gasoline,
known as E10 and nicknamed ‘gasohol’. It can
also be used as a 5% blend with petrol which
does not require engine modification. Thus,
biofuels such as ethanol provide a more feasible
technology than other renewable energy sources
because it can serve immediately as a substitute
for petroleum products in transportation. Also, the
use of bioethanol-blended fuel for automobiles
significantly reduces petroleum use and also
reduces GHG emission. Consumption of fuel
ethanol is expected to average 950,000 barrels
per day in 2018 and 2019, up from 940,000
barrels per day in 2017 (Energy Information
Administration, 2018). USA and Brazil are the
current leaders in world bioethanol production
which utilises starch from corn and sugarcane
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 1: Scheme of SSF where saccharification and fermentation occurs in the same tank.
juice, respectively. Since Malaysia has the same
geographic latitude and seasonal conditions as
Brazil, we could follow the same strategies in
utilising agricultural waste as a biofuel. However,
there are continuous debates about first
generation biofuel, which utilises food sources
as a fuel. The possible connection between
ethanol production and food price inflation
can occur in two ways, either by reallocating
produced food crops to fuel production (e.g.
sugarcane being allocated to ethanol rather
than to sugar), or by diverting agricultural land
from food crops to energy crops (e.g. rice crops
being substituted by corn or sugarcane). But if
the biofuel crops are cultivated only on unused
or marginal land, the impact on food prices
would be minimal. In Malaysia, the projected
biomass waste from palm oil plantations alone
is 100 million tonnes/year by 2020 (Malek et al.,
2017), while the production of rice husk is 0.44
million tonnes/year. Bioethanol production via a
second generation biofuel is also expected to be
economically preferable in the future due to low
feedstock cost. Lignocelluloses from agricultural,
industrial and forest residuals consist of lignin,
cellulose, hemicelluloses, and various other
extractives. It contains both cellulose and
hemicellulose that can be converted to ethanol
by hydrolysis and fermentation. Glucose
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(hexose sugar) and xylose (pentose sugar) are
hydrolysed from cellulose and hemicellulose,
respectively. The fermentation process would
only be economically viable if both hexose and
pentose sugars present in the lignocellulosic
hydrolysates are converted to ethanol. The
conventional Baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces
cerevisiae can only uptake glucose and ferment
it to ethanol, leaving behind the precious xylose.
To achieve this, a micro-organism capable of
utilising both glucose and xylose is very much
anticipated. To add to the cost of operation, the
addition of enzymes is needed to hydrolyse the
lignocellulose into sugars during pre-treatment.
This is where powerful genetic engineering tools
may be applied to produce a super microbe,
functioning as a factory that can cater to the
full range of hydrolysis including broad range
sugar consumption, ethanol production and, in
addition, has the ability to handle fermentation
stresses.
Consolidated Bioethanol Processing
Approach
Conventional ethanol production involves
separate hydrolysis and saccharification.
Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation
 Figure 2: Strategy of inverse metabolic engineering
(SSF) and consolidated bioprocessing (CBP)
simplifies the conventional process by involving
less equipment, which reduces the cost of
investment. As shown in Figure 1, a conventional
process requires two separate operations to
cater for both saccharification and fermentation.
SSF simplifies the process by combining
saccharification and fermentation into a single
unit operation.
However, the major limitations of SSF
are the different operating temperatures
between the enzymes (45-50°C) and the
fermenting microorganism (30°C). Thus, the
use of thermotolerant yeast strains such as
Kluyveromyces marxianus is necessary to solve
the incompatibility problem between the optimal
fermentation temperatures in the SSF. In addition
to high temperature tolerance, a micro-organism in
SSF must also tolerate ethanol stress, and extreme
pH and inhibitors present after lignocellulosic
biomass pre-treatment. In order to construct a
multi-stress tolerant micro-organism, there is a
need to understand the different stresses that
the micro-organism needs to withstand during
SSF, right down to the gene level. These stress
tolerant phenotypes can be accomplished through
mutagenesis, adaptation or genetic engineering.
For the purpose of elucidating the underlying
cause of the obtained phenotype, the study of
gene expression is necessary as demonstrated via
an inverse metabolic engineering (IME) strategy
(Figure 2). The analysis points to genes, whose
changes in expression influence the phenotype (cell
behaviour) positively or negatively. This then leads
to identification of one or a combination of target
genes that may cause the desired phenotype. The
identified genes and factors can then be introduced
into another strain or manipulated (deleted or
overexpressed) to achieve a similar phenotype.
New CBP initiatives include creating enzyme
production in the same tank, instead of
supplementing an external enzyme. A microbe can
be genetically modified to be able to self-produce
cellulase, hydrolyse the lignocellulosic material
and produce ethanol. It can be designed to uptake
a broad range of sugars and tolerate fermentation
stresses. Currently research is advancing towards
the microbes for CBP to make them more robust
for industrial application.
Genetically Modified Microbes for
Ethanol Production
There are a number of wild type bacteria and
fungi suitable as ethanol producers. The most
well known bacteria is Zymomonas mobilis. Both
Z. mobilis and S. cerevisiae can produce ethanol
from glucose, but not from xylose. On the other
hand, Candida shehatae, Scheffersomyces stipitis
and Pachysolen tannophilus are recognised for
being able to convert xylose to ethanol. If genetic
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: Microbial fuel cell with two chambers; anode and cathode
(PEM: proton exchange membrane).
modification is not of interest, mixing these wild
types of microbes together during fermentation
is seen as an alternative method, which is
termed Simultaneous Saccharification and co-
Fermentation (SSCF). It doesn’t require sugar
separation, and both glucose and xylose can be
converted to ethanol. However, the drawbacks of
mixed cultures include the difficulty in maintaining
an optimum balance between both cultures,
and the preparation of many inoculums before
fermentation, which are a hassle for industrial
applications. To overcome the limitations of using
mixed cultures, genetic modification of a single
microbe is desired to improve the feasibility
of CBP method and improve the ethanol yield.
This has been practiced by over expressing the
genes from S. stipitis encoding xylose reductase
(XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) to enable
xylose transportation into S. cerevisiae. Ethanol
production was enhanced by over expressing
the endogenous XK gene encoding xylulokinase.
Another way is to carry out gene modification of
natural ethanol producers to equip them with
cellulotic properties. For example, yeast such as
S. cerevisiae, P. stipitis, and various bacteria,
namely Klebsiella oxytosa, Z. mobilis undergoing
modification to include genes from cellulase
producers (Trichoderma reesei, Aspergillus niger)
to enable cellulase production.
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From Lignocellulosic Biomass to
Electricity
We can expand the potential utilisation of
lignocellulosic biomass by transforming it into
a more direct energy form, i.e. electricity. Green
electricity, or some might term as renewable
or sustainable electricity, has been extensively
looked for all over the world. Green electricity
is notably associated with electricity generator
systems, for instance solar, wind and water-
turbine energy systems that are now progressively
being employed in commercialised projects
by both developed and developing countries.
Lignocellulosic based electricity in this instance,
could also be one of those very promising near
future green energy systems by incorporating
it into a system called the bio-electrochemical
system (BES).
One of the systematic tools in the BES principle
is termed the microbial fuel cell (MFC). MFC is an
emerging technology that generates electricity
(bioelectricity) from biomass using bacteria.
The liquid form of lignocellulosic or cellulosic
biomass is oxidised by bacteria (anaerobes and/
or aerobes) and the electrons released from the
oxidation process are transferred to the electrode
in an anode chamber and subsequently flows to a
cathode chamber generating electricity (Figure 3).
Figure 4: Third/fourth generation microalgae-microbial fuel cell technology (Adapted from https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.09.061).
The first observation of electrical current
generated by bacteria is generally credited to M.C.
Potter in 1911 and later, a few practical advances
in electro-physiological processes were achieved
(Lewis, 1966) which led to increasing interest in
fuel cells by the 1990s. In the recent decades,
great attention has been paid to MFC due to its
mild operating conditions and use of a variety of
biodegradable substrates, including lignocellulosic
biomass, as a feedstock. The customary MFC
consists of anode and cathode compartments
but there are single chamber MFCs that offer
more encouraging designs and electrical outputs.
By exploiting the active micro-organisms that
catabolise the substrate, the MFC could also be
utilised as a power generator in small devices
such as biosensors.
Numerous attempts of biomass substrate
utilisation in MFC systems that resulted in positive
electrical output have been recorded. Ranging
from agricultural by-products including corn
stover, farm manure, malt and yeast extracts, and
starch, to wastewaters from domestic, brewery,
industrial and food processing sources have been
used. It has been discovered that the presence of
fermentable substrates, for example, glucose and
acetate, that are easily derived from pre-treated
substrate biomass, could improve the power
generation of the MFC system. The use of glucose
has been found to stabilise the anode potential
through microbial activities, suggesting that this
substrate has a positive influence on current
generation. Not long after this generation was
actively used in real applications, the third and
most recent fourth generation biofuels evolved
involving algae and/or microalgae biomass. The
third generation is basically processing of algae
biomass while the fourth is about metabolic
engineering of algae in producing biofuels from
oxygenic photosynthetic micro-organisms. The
advancement of the third and fourth generations
in biofuel production have had an impact on MFC
processing as well.
Let’s first have a look at this current R&D trend
in integrating microalgae-photobioreactors into
the MFC system or in short, MP-MFC (Figure 4).
Although the challenges and prospects of this
integrated system have been outlined, the diverse
conditions in which algae can easily grow make
this system worthy of serious consideration.
The photosynthetic reaction by the microalgae
(Chlorella vulgaris) in the cathode chamber
produces oxygen that functions as an electron
acceptor. The residue or biomass from microalgae
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 INGENIEUR
can be used as feed for the anode respiring
bacteria that subsequently releases the electrons
from the oxidation process. The flow of electrons
from anode to cathode generates electricity
with circuit stabilisation that is achieved from
proton (H+) flow via the PEM (proton exchange
membrane). In addition, the dissolved oxygen
(DO) profile has also been found to have a clear
positive correlation with the voltage output in the
MFC system. To compensate for the high cost
that arises from harvesting and post-processing
of the cultivated cells, as well as the rate-limiting
factor of light that hinders the autotrophic growth
of algae, the photo-cathodic chamber should have
a large specific area with appropriate level of light
intensity.
Microbial Fuel Cell and Application
Despite the advantages of this technology,
engineers might see this device as rather
impractical for real world application mainly due
to its low power and current density. However,
the latest reported maximum current achieved by
the MFC was in the order of 500 Ampere (A) per
m2 of electrode. That is a moderately promising
electrical output by a relatively small device.
Despite this power output attainment, the bigger
hurdle in realising this device is its electrode.
The high profile design and expensive electrodes
that can endure the high power attainment make
the MFCs practical application for large-scale
processes somewhat debatable.
Because of the growing concern about fossil
fuel depletion and the impetus to mitigate the
effects of climate change, MFC has undergone a
long research journey and is still an anticipative
technology that can solve environmental
problems. Despite the technical barriers, many
research studies on MFC have now shifted their
direction towards upscaling the MFC reactor with
the key objective of maximising electrical power
generation.
We can foresee the potential application of
this technology in the energy-urgency regions
such as African countries, which are struggling
not only to obtain enough nutritious food,
but also overcoming the scarcity of electricity
sources. According to the African Development
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Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina, roughly 645
million people in Africa do not have access to
electricity, with an additional 700 million that do
not have access to clean cooking fuel. Women and
children, consequently, are those who are most
affected by this shortage. An innovative design
has been developed that uses MFC to turn urine
into electricity. The microbes feed on the urine
and produce electricity as a side-effect that can
be used to power lights and electric devices (The
African Exponent). A ‘more-cells-more-milliwatts’
project conducted by Bristol BioEnergy Centre is
targeting some impoverished regions of Africa and
India to test electricity generation from toilets in
outside areas. This may help improve the safety of
women and children, in places where they have to
use communal toilet facilities outside their homes.
Malaysia, on the other hands, is rich in natural
by-products (lignocellulosic biomass) and should
be learning from the efforts of using its resources
innovatively, that could develop the nation much
faster.
Electricity Generation with Concurrent
Efficient Bioremediation
Any decision on harnessing the potential of
electricity generated by MFC depends on the ability
of microbes to degrade waste as their feed. This
offers an extra advantage of MFC in minimising
water pollution with concurrent electricity
generation. Various types of wastewater projects
have been proven to provide good exoelectrogenic
bacteria, i.e. electrochemically active bacteria that
have ability to transfer electrons extracellularly, for
MFC. Geobacter, Shewanella, and Pseudomonas
are some bacterial strains that have been
identified as exoelectrogenic bacteria which are
normally derived from domestic and/or industrial
wastewaters. These bacterial strains not only
function well in current generation, but also
in chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction.
Most reported studies demonstrated that
electrochemically active bacteria participate in a
combined mechanism of fermentation (substrate
degradation/oxidation) with electrochemical
proce s se s. The se combined anaerobic
mechanisms in MFC considerably inhibit the
accumulation of sludge as compared with an
 Figure 5: Integrated system of MFC-wastewater treatment plant.
activated sludge process. This is significant
given that sludge management and high COD
effluent are considerable problems in industrial
wastewater treatment.
As illustrated in Figure 5, the integrated
mechanisms using MFC could be applied in the
primary and/or secondary wastewater treatment
stages. The nature of liquid sludge in the primary
sedimentation tank could be utilised as feed
in the first MFC reactor and the minimal sludge
production with lower value of COD being drained
away to the next stage of treatment. The electricity
produced from the first MFC reactor could possibly
be used to partially power the first stages of
treatment process. Secondary treatment that
normally consists of an anaerobic chamber, which
has undergone activated sludge process, can act
well as an anode by incorporating an electrode
inside the reactor chamber. The activated sludge
would provide good and diverse exoelectrogenic
bacterial strains that can power the process itself,
hence, significantly reducing the need of external
power supply to run the wastewater treatment
plant. The subsequent clearer flow resulting
from low sludge accumulation by a second MFC
system following the tertiary treatment stage
would require a less stringent clarification process
before final discharge.
Concluding Remarks
To economically convert lignocellulosic biomass
into bioethanol, a microbial platform must
be acquired so that cellular systems can be
exploited to efficiently utilise the broad range of
sugars and be upgraded to be robust enough
to fulfil industrial needs. MFC demonstrates the
potential to alleviate growing energy demands.
The indigenous exoelectrogenic micro-organisms
that are freely isolated from wastewater are the
advantages we need to seriously consider using
in this breakthrough technology. Although the
research endeavours over the last decades have
improved the power generation by several orders
of magnitude, further efforts are required to
transform this system into a real world application.
Also, Government policies should aid the
generation of ethanol production especially for the
growing transportation and agro-based industrial
sectors.
REFERENCE
Lee, D.J., Chang, J.S., Lai, J.Y. (2015) Microalgae-
microbial fuel cell: A mini review. Bioresour.
Technol. 198, 891-895.
L e w i s , K . (1 9 6 6 ) S y m p o s i u m o n
bioelectrochemistry of microorganisms: IV.
Biochemical fuel cells. Bacteriol. Rev. 30(1), 101-
113.
Malek, A.B.M.A., Hasanuzzaman, M., Rahim
and N.A, Al Turki, Y.A. (2017). Techno-economic
analysis and environmental impact assessment of
a 10 MW biomass-based power plant in Malaysia.
Journal of Cleaner Production. 141, 502-513.
Murori, K. (2016, May). Urine Power: This could
be Africa’s Solution to Sustainable Energy. The
African Exponent.
Weekly Ethanol Production. Energy Information
Administration, 2018 https://www.eia.gov/dnav/
pet/pet_pnp_wprode_s1_w.htm
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 INGENIEUR

KKR* CASE STUDY:

Monitoring & Verifying
SPECIAL REPORT

Energy Performance For

Chiller Retrofit Works
By Ir. Dr Abdul Murad bin Zainal Abidin,
Ir. Hasbullah bin Osman & Thiagarajen Munusamy
Mechanical Engineering Branch
Public Works Department Malaysia

A
ccording to the United Nations Energy
Programme, the energy in buildings
contributes about 40% of total global
energy. In any individual office building, air-
conditioning contributes about 60% of the total
electricity consumption.
With regards to an existing building, especially
ones designed and constructed in the absence
of energy efficiency considerations, there is an
opportunity to retrofit the mechanical systems.
This is especially so for Government buildings with
a limited budget in creating new building stocks
and upgrading.
WHAT IS MEASUREMENT &
VERIFICATION?
Measurement and Verification (M&V) is the
process of using measurements to reliably
* Komplek Kerja Raya

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determine actual savings created within an
individual facility by an energy management
programme. Its objectives are:
a) To determine how much savings have been
achieved;
b) To prove that the energy savings projects
have been successful; and
c) To quantify the performance of an
implemented Energ y Conser vation
Measure (ECM) by measuring and verifying
the energy savings.
In order for M&V outputs to be commonly
accepted by all stakeholders, they need to
adhere to certain protocols. One such protocol is
the widely-accepted International Performance
Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP)
developed by Efficiency Valuation Organisation
(EVO), an international non-profit organisation.
Based on the IPMVP, energy saving is fully
expressed as:
Savings = (Baseline Energy
– Reporting Period Energy)
± Routine Adjustment
± Non-Routine Adjustments
Where,
Baseline energy = energy consumption measured
during the baseline period,
Reporting period energy = energy consumption
measured during the post-retrofit performance
period,
Routine adjustment = adjustment due to regular
changes in independent variables (such as
M&V Method
Retrofit Isolation
Option A Option B
Figure 1: M&V Options
changing weather conditions, varying production
levels), and
Non-routine adjustment = adjustment due to
one-off or infrequent changes in energy use
or demand that occur due to changes in static
factors (such as building façade changes, extreme
weather events, building extensions and changes
to equipment).
Generally, there are two methods of measurement
in M&V, as shown in Figure 1:
1.) Retrofit isolation method
This type of measurement method is selected
to measure the performance of the energy
saving measure (ECM) only at the retrofit point.
The retrofit isolation method usually requires a
dedicated meter. There are two options available
under this method:
Option A: Savings are determined by
field measurements of the key performance
parameters (such as chiller power) which define
the energy use of ECM. The parameters not
selected for field measurement are estimated
from an established basis. (e.g. lighting retrofit-
power is measured meanwhile operating hours are
estimated based on facility schedules).
Option B: Savings are determined by field
measurement of all the parameters. (e.g. chiller
system retrofit).
2.) Whole facility measurement
This type of measurement method is selected to
measure the impact of ECM on the total energy
use in the facility. The measurement often uses
Whole Facility
Option C Option D
65
 INGENIEUR
utility meters for consumption data. Options
available under this method are:
Option C: Savings are determined by
measuring energy use at the whole facility or
sub facility level, but there are problems with this
approach. (e.g. many types of ECMs in one facility,
difficult to draw boundaries for each ECM and only
one bulk meter available)
Option D: Savings are determined by
simulating energy use of the whole facility or sub
facility. (e.g. for new buildings using software such
as Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual
Environment (IES-VE), Energy Plus, etc.) Figure 2: Old chilled and condenser water pumps
and piping

CASE STUDY

The Ministry of Works Complex (KKR) consists of

three buildings, namely Block A (six storeys), Block
B (13 storeys) and Block C (Hall). The project scope
of the project, however, was limited to blocks A
and B. The old systems are described as follows:

Block A:
1. Chillers: 3 units at 260 Refrigeration Tonnage
(RT) each;
2. Chilled water pumps: 3 units; Figure 3: One of the three existing B Block
3. Condenser water pumps: 3 units; and centrifugal chillers.
4. Switchboard: 1 unit.
The pumps and piping are shown in Figure 2.

Block B:
1. Chillers: 3 units. At 306 Refrigeration Tonnage
(RT) each;
2. Chilled water pumps: 3 units;
3. Condenser water pumps: 3 units; and
4. Switchboard: 1 unit.
The chiller plant room is as shown in Figure 3.

The energy performance of the KKR Complex

chilled water plant was audited in 2014. As a
result, it was recommended that the existing
chillers, chilled water and condenser water pumps Figure 4: Ultrasonic flow meters fastened to the
chilled water pipes to calculate the water flow
should be retrofitted and upgraded. The funding
rate.
was obtained from the Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology and Water (KeTTHA) and the project was
co-ordinated by the Energy Commission Malaysia.
The M&V process prior to the dismantling of
the old system was done on March 30, 2017 to
April 7, 2017. Among the parameters measured in

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Figure 5: Probe set-up for measuring the Figure 6: New chiller installation in Block B
condenser water flow rate.

the field was the chilled water flow rate, the set-up
of which is as shown in Figure 4.
Another field-measurement parameter was
the condenser water flow rate, the set-up of which
is as shown in Figure 5.
Option B of the retrofit isolation was selected as
the M&V method. The overall chiller performance
analysis results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Chiller Performance Pre-Retrofit

Figure 7: New pumps installation in Block A
MS 1525
Power Efficiency
Chiller Requirement
(kW) (kW/RT) (kW/RT)
Block A 147.6 1.89 0.66
Block B 206.2 2.48 0.60

Chiller performance for both blocks A and B

was evaluated against MS 1525: 2014 Code of
Practice and it was found that the chillers used
more electrical power than necessary to produce
cooling; hence the efficiency was below what is
required by the Code of Practice. Figure 8: New switchboard in Block A chillers.

POST-RETROFIT DATA

The new installations are identical to the old ones

in terms of chiller and pump capacities, as shown
in Figures 6 and 7.
However, the new switchboards are equipped
with digital power meters to capture data on the
chiller and pump power (kW) and energy (kWh)
consumption, as shown in Figure 8.
It is critical that savings are incurred with Figure 9: Transferring data from the loggers for
regards to the overall chiller performance, and analysis.

67
 INGENIEUR
this is where the measurement and verification
exercise is indispensable.
The post-retrofit M&V of the new system took
place from August 21, 2017 to August 25, 2017
with the same parameters being measured as
those used in pre-retrofit, the activity of which is
shown in Figure 9.

DISCUSSION
Energy savings were determined by subtracting
the total energy use of the new system from the
total energy use of the old system. The overall
summary of the energy performance for the blocks
A and B is shown in Table 2.
It was found that the overall energy
consumption of the chiller plant was 33% lower
than the old installation. This translates into
795,500 kWh per year energy saved and 552 Table 2: Chiller Performance Pre- vs Post-Retrofit
tonnes/year of CO2 emission avoided.
The overall new chiller plant efficiency is as
shown in Table 3.
retrofits to follow. The results from each M&V
Table 3: Chiller Post-Retrofit Efficiency service retrofit can be used to build a performance
database and used as lessons learned in
Chiller Power Efficiency MS 1525
Requirement mechanical design with regards to energy-
efficient design. A way forward for Government
(kW) (kW/RT) (kW/RT)
retrofit projects is mandating the M&V scope in
Block A 119.9 0.62 0.66 Government green retrofit projects.
Block B 168.7 0.56 0.60
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It was found that the overall chiller
performance for Block A and Block B are better The authors would like to thank Panaltech
than the minimum requirement according to MS Consulting Sdn Bhd for its contribution of the M&V
1525: 2014 Code of Practice. report for this project, and KeTTHA for the funding
The M&V works cost approximately RM56,000 of the retrofit works.
which was higher than recommended in IPMVP, REFERENCE
but less than 10% of the average annual savings.
This cost can be further reduced if all Government [1] Efficiency Valuation Organisation (2014),
retrofit projects include M&V as one of the scopes International Performance measurement and
of work. Verification Protocol: concepts and Options
for Determining Energy and Water Savings
Volume 1, Toronto, Canada.
CONCLUSION [2] K. J. Chua, S. K. Chou, W. M. Yang, and J.
Yan, “Achieving better energy-efficient air
The inclusion of M&V into the retrofit project for conditioning – A review of technologies and
this project was the first for JKR. The project can strategies,” Applied Energy, vol. 104, pp. 87-
be a benchmark for other mechanical service 104, 2013.

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Sustainable Energy
Development for the Airport

SPECIAL REPORT
Industry in Malaysia
By Mohd Hakimi Uda Ahmad
Malaysia Airport Berhad

M
alaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB)
was duly licensed in November 1992 by the
Ministry of Transport Malaysia to carry out
its function as Malaysia’s airport operator. MAHB
manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia
(five international, 16 domestic and 18 short
take-off and landing ports). As the custodian of the
nation’s international gateway, we are committed
to operating responsibly whilst managing our
business in an environmentally-friendly manner. At
Malaysia Airports, environmental consciousness
is given priority as one of the core strategies in
improving the organisation’s performance in
terms of sustainability. Energy, carbon emissions,
water and waste are the vital environmental
areas that are looked into to improve efficiency
and mitigate possible negative environmental
impacts produced by our operations. With the
aim to achieve this objective, our Environment
Strategy Roadmap was analysed by the
Environmental Management Committee (EMC),
established in February 2017. The EMC involves
various subsidiaries and divisions, integrating
eight key environmental elements into the plan
for environmental sustainability: energy, water,
waste, carbon, wildlife, noise, land and water
contamination, and air quality. The Environment
Strategy Roadmap 2016-2020, which captures the
main thrusts of the strategy and aims to achieve
environmental sustainability by reducing total
direct emissions by 9% in 2020, also completed
its second year in 2017.
A m o n g s t t h e e i g h t e nv i r o n m e n t a l
consciousness, energy is the biggest contributor
towards carbon emissions in the airports and
is the second highest contributor in financial
operational expenses on utilities. Therefore,
energy policies were established in January
2012 with the main objective to improve energy
consumption efficiency, reduce utility costs,
optimise capital expenditure for energy efficiency
while striving to become a world-class leader in
energy management in the airport industry. The

Fig 1: Energy Management Committee (EMC) Roadmap

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 INGENIEUR
Performance Measure 2015
Total energy consumption 496,445,802
(international & domestic
airports)* (kWh)
Variance (%) - 2%
Total passengers 83,829,769
(International & domestic)
Energy per pax (kWh/pax) 5.92
Growth of Energy per pax - -4.1%
(kWh/pax)
* Not including STOLports
Table 1: Performance Measures
main energy consumption in the airports are in
the form of electricity which is classified under
Airports Council International (ACI) as Scope
2 indirect energy consumption. In comparison
with the fuel usage by airport-owned vehicles for
business operation, electricity makes up more
than 90% of energy consumption. Therefore, our
efforts are directed towards effectively monitoring,
analysing and optimising electricity usage. The
total electricity consumed by our airports has
seen a slight decrease in 2017 despite increased
passenger movements. This indicates the success
of the initiatives towards efficient energy. In fact,
electricity usage per passenger has decreased by
10.4% from 2016 to 2017, which is 2.5 times the
reduction from 2015 to 2016.
ENERGY SAVING INITIATIVES
Managing energy consumption and greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions is critical in the current
economic and regulatory environment. Before
the implementation of effective solutions to
improve energy performance, Malaysia Airports’
energy consumption was systematically labelled
and monitored both internally and externally.
In compliance with Efficient Management of
Electrical Energy Regulation (EMEER) 2008,
Malaysia Airports implemented the Energy
Management Information System (EMIS) initiated
by the Energy Commission (EC). Through EMIS,
energy performance data can be efficiently
reviewed, verified and managed by the appointed
Energy Manager (EM). Data submission to the EC
is also accelerated as EMIS uses an online system
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2016 2017
505,106,878 491,593,827
-3%
88,976,931 96,636,822
5.68 5.09
-10.4%
* Source: MAHB Sustainability Report 2017
which allows users to submit energy performance
data online. As a result, manual submission by the
EM is no longer needed.
In managing energy efficiently, internal
monitoring is an effective approach. An e-Energy
Dashboard was introduced by Malaysia Airports
as a tool to monitor abnormalities in energy
consumption trends of airport operations and
database activities. This system also includes
the Operation Information System (OIS) which
serves relevant needs such as graft analysis,
meter status and tariff detail. Data collected
is used for identifying trends in performance
analysis, reporting for all airports, and top
management reviews. The e-Energy Dashboard
also contains details such as electricity bills,
maximum demand performance, monthly energy
profiles and communication between airport and
management. These reports facilitate energy
performance or profile analysis. If an abnormality
is detected, the technical team at airports
can then responded immediately to rectify it.
Information for justifications on energy savings
projects and proposals can be extracted from this
system. The next enhancements to be added are
the live interface of performance indicators versus
actual data for all airports to monitor their own
energy profiles.
To ensure efficient implementation of energy
management, the Airport Energy Management
Committee (AEMC) was established with the
objective to introduce the Airpor t Energy
Efficiency Programme Initiative (AEEPI) at the
airport level. This programme will assist in the
reporting and analysis of energy consumption
using data ex tracted from the e -Energ y
 Verified by SIRIM
(Standard and Industrial
Research Institute of
Malaysia QAS Berhad)

• Mitigation Plan • Committee Meeting

• Improvements • AEEPI registration

Comparing project
performance against
monthly energy
performance/ Yearly • Key-in monthly data
Building Energy • AEEPI Project Implementation
Index (BEI) • AEEPI Tracking Performance

To ensure efficient implementation

Figure2:ofProcess
energy of
management , the Airport
e-energy dashboard Energy Management
system
Committee (AEMC) was established with the objective to introduce the Airport Energy
Efficiency Programme Initiative (AEEPI) at the airport level. This programme will assist in
2015-2017
the reporting and analysis of energy consumption using data extracted from the e-Energy
Air Conditioning
Dashboard and Mechanical
system, which can then be used as a basis for the planning Lightingof energy savings
Ventilation
initiatives. System (ACMV)
●● Minimising air handling unit ●● Replace and rearrange lamp bay.
(AHU) operation at corridor areas ●● Reduce/minimise electricity consumption by installation of
with Variable-speed drive (VSD) Residential Hardwired Lighting Timer at Distribution Board
potential (DB) for lighting fixtures.
●● Reduce using Air conditioning ●● Optimum usage of lighting equipment after peak hours.
Compressor during Operation ●● Replacement with energy saving light for lifts.
Hours ●● Replacement of Downlights.
●● Operate alternate air conditioning ●● Replace existing fluorescent lights to LEDs.
operation on Train Transit System ●● Reduce usage of AGL circuit after peak hours (0100am-
(TTS) trains 0600am).
●● Chillers replacement ●● Reschedule operating time of high mast lighting for apron
●● Chillers refurbishment cargo.
●● Reduce high mast lighting and car park lighting after peak
hours.
●● Energy saving for Apron Floodlights.
●● Reduce operation time of high mast lights for night parking.
●● Reduce power usage of street lighting.
●● Readjust incoming and outgoing gate valves.
●● Conveyer line energy optimisation.
●● Reduce power consumption at Baggage Handling Systems
(BHS).
Table 2: Airports Energy Efficiency Program Initiatives (AEEPI)
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 INGENIEUR
Dashboard system, which can then be
used as a basis for the planning of energy
savings initiatives.

Procurement Strategy: Energy

Performance Contract (EPC)
Energy Performance Contract (EPC) is an
innovative contract that is entered into
between any Malaysia Airports subsidiary
and an Energy Service Company (ESCO) to
finance a cost-effective energy efficiency
project. There is no capital expenditure
from Malaysia Airports but is shared in
terms of cost savings from the project. In
2015, an EPC Framework was established
and endorsed by management which is
Figure 3: KLIA Annual Solar Power Performance
applicable to all airports under MAHB. One
Source : MAHB Sustainability Report 2017
of the energy projects that applied this
concept is LED High Mast at KL International Airport
and Penang International Airport that helped save of coal burnt for power generation. The total
2.4 million kWh yearly, which is equivalent to 76% cumulative contribution of the solar PV system
savings compared to using conventional metal at KLIA was recorded at 75,233 MWh from 2014
halides. until 2017, equivalent to 55,750 tCO2.

Energy Management System, EnMS 50001:2011

RENEWABLE ENERGY
KLIA has 19MW solar photovoltaic (PV) Systems
located at the KLIA Ground Mount (5MW),
Roof Top Contact Pier and Satellite Building
(4MW) as well as Long Term Car Park (10MW),
commissioned in Nov 2013. The main purpose
of this project is to reduce carbon emissions
and dependency on the electricity grid while
supporting the MAHB’s Energy Policy to reduce
carbon emissions by 40% by 2020, as pledged
by the Prime Minister at the time in Copenhagen
(COP-15), in December 2009. The project
was supported by Ministry of Energy, Green
Technology and Water (KeTTHA) and Sustainable
Energy Development Authority (SEDA) under
Feed In-Tariff (F-i-T) programme. The Solar PV at
KLIA Ground Mount is connected to TNB grid and
14MW is connected to KLIA’s internal grid. Solar
PV systems are able to generate an average of
18,808 MWh, equivalent to a reduction of 13,938
tCO2 per year and reducing the dependency on
the electricity grid by 7% yearly. This reduction
is equivalent to 2,097 houses that use electrical
energy for one year and reduces 6,989 tonnes
In 2017, the Kota Kinabalu International Airport
became the first airport to be certified with ISO
50001:2011, which is a voluntary standard that
details the continuous improvement of quality
and environmental management through the
development of an Energy Management System
(EnMS). The standard specifies requirements
applicable to energ y use, including the
measurement, documentation and reporting,
design and procurement practices for equipment,
systems, processes and personnel that contribute
to energy performance.
Green Building Recognition
KLIA’s second terminal - KLIA2 was designed
to be an icon among energy efficient buildings
in Malaysia, with a wide range of innovative
initiatives addressing the seven criteria of
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED). In achieving these initiatives, the KLIA2
Terminal Building was awarded the LEED Gold
rating and KLIA2’s Integrated Complex was
awarded the LEED Silver rating in June 2017. On
the environmental front, KLIA was awarded the
Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific

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Certified Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) in 2017 Green Airport Recognition 2017 – Platinum

73
Green Airports Recognition Platinum award in
2017 for the category of airports with 25 million
passengers per annum (mppa).
CHALLENGES IN GREEN AIRPORTS
Sustainable energy systems development
is challenging. Hence, without commitment
and passion as key drivers, it is tough for any
organisation to excel in this area. Establishing
the stand and platform for energy management
plans and policies, and gaining the Management’s
commitment and support from top to down is
crucial in realising this intention. Top management
needs to pledge its commitment to continuously
improve sustainable energy management for
sustainable energy initiatives to be successful.
Without sufficient resources or financial funding,
the passion to implement the energy initiatives will
fade away. Each airport is required to establish an
Airport Energy Management Committee (AEMC)
74 VOL 75 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2018
to continuously support, plan and implement
energy management plans. Justifications backed
by studies and analyses must be prepared
beforehand to convince the management of the
positive business and environmental impacts
towards the organisation to gain their confidence.
Communication is also important to convince and
engage with the stakeholders. We must always
take all processes step by step in order to achieve
the targets and objectives along the given timeline.
CONCLUSION
Continuous improvement efforts on planning,
training, competency development and
assessments will facilitate the growth of
sustainable energy initiatives at airports in order
for us to work in a better environment in the future.
Therefore, the journey must start now and moving
forward, we must adopt more sustainable energy
initiatives to materialise our intentions.
What Others Say About
Future Energy
By Samniang Saenram
JACK EWING
What needs to happen before electric cars take
over
The electric car future is still missing some pieces,
such as insufficient recharging stations and
they cost more than diesel or gasoline powered
vehicles.
New sources of lithium have to be found, a raw
material now found primarily in China and Chile,
that could become as important to the automobile
industry as oil is now.
Faster than anyone expected, electric cars
are becoming as economical and practical
as cars with conventional engines. Prices for
lithium-ion batteries are plummeting, while
technical advances are increasing driving ranges
and cutting recharging times. Once the trend
gets going, it can happen very fast, said Guido
Jouret, Chief Digital Officer at ABB, an electronic
company based in Zurich. But, the electric-
car future is still missing some pieces. Some
crucial raw materials are scarce. There are not
enough places to recharge. Battery-powered cars
still cost thousands of dollars more than many
gasoline vehicles.
More charging stations will need to be built,
and they’ll need to charge faster. The average
range of a gasoline-powered car: 475 miles.
Average range of an electric vehicle: 190 miles.
Electric cars cost less to operate – about one
cent per mile compare with 10 cents per mile for a
gasoline powered car.
REPORT
BOAO
Asian Energy and Resources Partnership
The key points of US-China Clean Energy Forum:
a. The era of low price volatility is over, and
the industry must develop new forms of
energy to fight against price volatility and
carbon emissions.
b. Technological innovation, breakthroughs,
and small advancements will drive
the future of the energy industry.
c. Natural gas and solar power are expected
to rise in demand and be more viable as
alternatives in the next decade.
d. A practical framework is urged for global
energy co-operation.
Impact of low oil prices and change of industry
landscape
Although there were different views on how low
oil prices will drop and how long these prices
will remain for, a consensus reached among the
roundtable attendees was that low oil prices have
hampered enthusiasm for nuclear and renewable
energy. One thing to bear in mind is that the era of
low price volatility is over and the ups and downs
in oil prices will be the new norm. 
The only way to fight against price volatility is
to develop new sources of energy, which will also
help to reduce carbon emissions. In regard to this
topic, panellists also shared their thoughts on the
prospects of the development of natural gas and
solar power in China.
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 INGENIEUR
● On-going urbanisation in China should drive
a rising demand for natural gas in people’s daily
lives (e.g. home heating). High cost and policy
uncertainty are the major obstacles for large-scale
gas consumption.
● Cost should not be an obstacle for solar
energy development. The price of solar energy has
significantly dropped in the past ten years. The
price in 2006 was six times today’s level, and it
should increase market competitiveness through
another 50% cost reduction by 2026.
Mr. Han Wenke, Professor of the Energy Research
Institute of National Development and Reform
Commission (NDRC), noted that  technological
innovation usually requires a huge amount of
investment at high risk, which may be a deterrent. At
the state level, an inclusive roadmap to encourage
innovation led by various stakeholders is a more
practical approach. In this case, China will focus on
clean coal, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and
nuclear development.
INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE
The  International Solar Alliance (ISA)  is an
alliance of more than 121 countries, most of
them being sunshine countries, which lie either
completely or partly between the  Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The primary
objective of the alliance is to work for efficient
exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence
on fossil fuels. The alliance is a treaty-based inter-
Governmental organisation. Countries that do not
fall within the Tropics can join the ISA and enjoy all
benefits as other members, with the exception of
voting rights.
The focus is on solar power utilisation. The
launching of such an alliance in Paris also sends
a strong signal to the global communities about
the sincerity of the developing nations towards
their concern about climate change and to switch
to a low-carbon growth path. India has pledged a
target of installing 100GW by 2022 and reduction
in emission intensity by 33–35% by 2030 to let
solar energy reach the most unconnected villages
and communities and also towards creating a
clean planet.
The area of Earth located in between
the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn is called the
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tropical (torrid) zone. The points on the Tropic of
Cancer are the northernmost points up to which
the Sun can pass directly overhead. Similarly,
the southernmost points are on the Tropic of
Capricorn which follow the same criteria. Location
at the north of the Tropic of Cancer shows the Sun
appearing at the south of the zenith. The sunniest
countries of the world are on the African continent,
ranging from Somalia - Horn of Africa, east to
Niger, west and north to Egypt.
On June 30, 2016, the alliance entered into an
understanding with the World Bank for accelerating
mobilisation of finances for solar energy. The Bank
will have a major role in mobilising more than
US$1000 billion in investments that will be needed
by 2030, to meet ISA’s goals for the massive
deployment of affordable solar energy. To date
48 countries have signed and 19 countries have
ratified the Framework Agreement of the ISA. With
ratifications by 15 countries, the ISA will become
a treaty based inter-Governmental international
organisation and it will be legally recognised by the
UN to become fully functionable.
INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY
ALLIANCE
International Renewable Energy Alliance is
a formal partnership entered into on June 4,
2004 by five international, non-profit, renewable
energy organisations:
●● International Hydropower Association (IHA),
●● International Solar Energy Society (ISES),
●● International Geothermal Association (IGA),
●● World Wind Energy Association (WWEA),
●● World Bioenergy Association (WBA). (Since
June 2009)
They represent the  hydro,  geothermal,  solar,
and  wind power/energy  and  bioenergy  sectors.
The alliance provides a unified cross-sectoral
voice on renewable energy in the international and
regional energy fora and media.
Climate change  concerns, coupled with  high
oil prices,  peak oil, and increasing Government
support, are increasingly driving renewable energy
legislation, incentives and commercialisation.  As
of 2011, 119 countries have some form of
national  renewable energy policy  target or
renewable support policy. National targets now
exist in at least 98 countries. There is also a wide
range of policies at state, provincial and local
levels.
ADAM BONISLAWSKI
Power Lines & Real Estate
Researchers have demonstrated the impact of
high-voltage towers on the price of adjacent lots
and even land with views of transmission lines.
Research has shown that property next to
power lines comes at a discount. Just how much
of a discount, though, is a little shocking. A recent
study in the Journal of Real Estate Research by
College of Charleston Assistant Professors Chris
Mothorpe and David Wyman, finds that vacant
lots adjacent to high-voltage transmission lines
sell for 45% less than equivalent lots not located
near transmission lines. Non-adjacent lots located
within 1,000 feet of transmission lines sell at a
discount of 18%.
Previous studies have similarly found that
proximity to power lines lowers real-estate values,
but Prof. Mothorpe says most of these analyses
have looked at lots with homes already built,
which, he notes, complicates the question.
“You could have similar lots with similar views
but different houses, and the pricing impact would
be different because the housing structures would
be different,” he says. “So, by just focusing on
vacant land, we did not have to deal with those
kind of issues.”
Assuming a market where land represents
20% of a home’s overall value, the 45% decrease
translates to a drop in total property value of
around 9%, the authors note.
The researchers also developed a “Tower
Visibility Index” that Prof. Mothorpe says accounts
for not only a lot’s proximity to a transmission line
but also whether features like trees or hills hide
the line from view.
For their analysis, the professors used sales
data from 5,455 vacant lots sold between 2000
and 2016 in Pickens County, S.C., where a network
of high-voltage lines transmits electricity from the
Oconee Nuclear Station.
Prof. Mothorpe suggests three main factors
driving the discount: health concerns associated
with proximity to high-voltage lines (though, as the
authors note, researchers have not established
solid links between proximity to power lines and
health issues); the unattractive views; and, for
properties very close to the lines, the humming
sound they produce.
The ASEAN POST
Will we see nuclear energy in Southeast Asia –
Eijas Ariffin
In the past decade Asia has emerged as a
booming market for nuclear energy. According
to the World Nuclear Association, over half of
the world’s nuclear plants under construction
are in Asia. Most of them however are in China
as they account for nearly 40% while the rest
of Asia makes up 60% of nuclear plants under
construction.
The increase in interest in nuclear energy on
the continent is due to the strong economic growth
enjoyed by most countries in the region as well as
an ever-increasing demand for energy.
In Southeast Asia, several countries are
beginning to flirt with the idea of nuclear energy as
they begin to look at ways to meet growing energy
demands. The International Energy Agency (IEA)
highlighted in its Southeast Asia Energy Outlook
2017 report that, Southeast Asia’s energy demand
would grow 60% by 2040.
In April, the ASEAN Centre for Energy
(ACE) published a  “Pre-Feasibility Study on
the Establishment of Nuclear Power Plant in
ASEAN”  with the support of the Government
of Canada under the Nuclear and Radiological
Programme Administrative Support (NRPAS)
programme. The report revealed that five ASEAN
member states – Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Thailand and the Philippines – have been
identified as frontrunners in the race to establish
civilian nuclear power programmes in the region.
These five countries are considered frontrunners
because they have advanced legal and regulatory
frameworks, nuclear energy infrastructures and
the required human resources and organisation
in place.
Another startling fact highlighted by the report
was that the region could have its first operational
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 INGENIEUR
civilian nuclear power plant by 2030 and perhaps
two more by 2035.
Currently, there’s yet to be any concrete
plans to build nuclear power plants in the region.
However, these new developments show that
there’s always a possibility in the future, as
Southeast Asia’s energy demands keep growing.
Gaining public support for such projects could
be difficult though. Nuclear energy might not
produce any greenhouse gasses, but nuclear
accidents can cause irreversible long-term
environmental damage as seen in the cases of
Fukushima and Chernobyl. The former president
of Vietnam, Truong Tan San admitted that the
Fukushima disaster played a significant role in
the Government’s decision to abandon its nuclear
energy program.
As energy demand in the region grows, ASEAN
member states must find ways to address it. While
countries such as India, China and Russia might
be willing to assist the region with its nuclear
energy development programs, ASEAN nations
shouldn’t allow themselves to be pressured into
complying with the geopolitical ambitions of these
nuclear powers.
If Southeast Asia decides to go nuclear one
day, it should chart its own nuclear plans. Perhaps
before ASEAN countries explore the nuclear
option, they should exhaust their renewable
energy options first.
ERIN AIL WORTH
The Race to Build A Wind Behemoth
Some of the world’s top manufacturing companies
are embroiled in a fierce competition. The contest:
Who can build the most powerful offshore wind
turbine?
From General Electric Co. (GE) to Siemens AG
to MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, industrial giants are
racing to build skyscraper-sized turbines that can
generate 10 megawatts apiece or more, a symbolic
threshold for the wind industry. The more powerful
the turbine, the cheaper it can generate electricity
from a single location, generally  speaking.  The
prize in this engineering derby could be dominance
over a multibillion-dollar offshore wind market that
is set to boom in coming decades—notably in the
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U.S., where the Atlantic coast beckons as an ideal
location for large-scale wind generation.
“There’s a kind of arms race under way,” says
Aaron Barr, a principal consultant with research
firm Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.
Bigger and Bolder
Offshore wind turbines have been growing larger
for years as companies develop bigger and bolder
designs. That’s helped steadily lower the price of
generating power from wind.
When the first offshore wind farm, Vindeby,
was commissioned in shallow waters off Denmark
in 1991, its 450-kilowatt turbines stood 52.5
meters tall and had blades 16 meters long (or
about 170 feet tall and 52 feet long). The turbines
were designed by a company that’s now part of
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, in which
Siemens has a majority stake.
Vindeby’s 11 turbines, decommissioned last
year, would be Lilliputians compared with the
mammoth machines now being built. According
to the Global Wind Energy Council, the average
offshore turbine installed in 2017 was a 5.9
megawatt (or 5,900 kilowatt) machine. GE’s model
of around that size, six megawatts, is 170 meters
tall.
The most powerful turbine currently in
existence, MHI Vestas’s V164 prototype, is capable
of generating 9.5-megawatts of electricity, and is
187 meters tall, or roughly twice the height of the
Statue of Liberty. Its 80-meter-long blades stretch
nearly 12 meters farther than the wingspan of a
Boeing 747. “We are simply trying to push it to the
limit all the time to see how far we can go,” says
Torben Larsen, chief technology officer at  MHI
Vestas, a partnership of Vestas Wind Systems A/S
and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The Race to 10
The next phase in the competition is surpassing
the 10-megawatt barrier.
An executive at Siemens Gamesa Renewable
Energy hinted at the idea of such a large machine
in 2016, but the company has remained largely
mum on its efforts since.
German turbine maker Senvion SA caused a
stir in the industry last year when it revealed it
 ‟
Renewable energy – including wind, solar and hydropower –
was the fastest growing energy source worldwide in 2017
was working on a “10-plus.” It expects to have a
prototype ready by 2020 and to start installing
them in wind farms by 2022.
But it was GE that made the biggest splash
when it announced plans for a 12-megawatt
turbine in March. Known as the Haliade-X, it would
stand nearly three times as tall as the Statue of
Liberty and harness wind with blades that sweep
an area the size of seven football fields. If it were
to be installed on a typical German North Sea site,
GE estimates the machine could generate enough
power to supply 16,000 European households.
The Challenges
Indeed, the companies building ever-larger
turbines all acknowledge that building a more
powerful turbine is more difficult than just making
the tower taller or the blades longer.
How do you safely and quickly move turbine
blades the length of soccer fields? Will cranes
and ships need to be redesigned to handle bigger
turbine towers? How soon can new factories and
other infrastructure be built in emerging markets?
Rahul Yarala, executive director of the Wind
Technology Testing Centre, a massive, hangar-
like facility in Boston where wind blades are put
through their paces, says one big question is
whether blades can be built in segments instead
of as a single piece.
That, he says, would make them easier to
transport, but engineers would need to ensure
that the assembled blades were sturdy enough to
handle the stress of turning in potent winds.
Companies are also working to make the
turbines as smart, and digitally adjustable, as
possible, so that workers can remotely change the
pitch of a blade to catch more wind or diagnose
and fix problems without having to make costly,
time-consuming trips offshore.
“The heart of any system is the control
system,” says Danielle Merfeld, chief technology
officer at GE Renewable Energy. “If you build those
algorithms right you have essentially increased the
IQ of your turbines.”
A blade for an 8-megawatt wind turbine is
installed at a wind farm in Liverpool Bay, U.K.
BRAD PLUMER
Rising Carbon Emissions
Energy-efficiency slowed down, emissions rose in
Asia, and coal use rebounded slightly last year.
Roughly two-thirds of last year’s emissions
increase came from Asia, where fast-growing
countries like China, India and Indonesia continue
to rely heavily on fossil fuels as they lift themselves
out of poverty.
The jump in Asian emissions overshadowed
cuts made elsewhere in the world: The US, for
instance, reduced its emissions 0.5% last year,
driven by the growing deployment of renewable
energy. Britain, Mexico and Japan also managed
to cut their emissions.
Renewable energy – including wind, solar and
hydropower – was the fastest growing energy
source worldwide in 2017. China alone installed
as many solar panels last year as the entire solar
capacity of France and Germany combined. And,
the prices for renewable technologies keep falling.
Last year’s “unprecedented” growth in
renewables, the IEA said, satisfied only about
one-quarter of the increase in global energy
demand, as the world’s economy boomed. Fossil
fuels supplied the rest. The overall share of fossil
fuels in global energy demand in 2017 remained
at 81%, a level that has remained stable for more
than three decades despite strong growth in
renewables.
If the world wants to cut emissions quickly
and meet the climate goals laid out in the Paris
Agreement, the IEA said, clean energy will need to
grow about five times as fast each year now until
2040 as it did last year.
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 INGENIEUR
ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA

Jalan Birch - Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin

Viaduct, Kuala Lumpur 1963
By Cheo Hong Keyong

The viaduct
between Jalan
Birch (Jalan
M a h a r a j a l e l a)
and Jalan Sultan
Hishamuddin was
officially opened
on March 15,
1963 by the then
Prime Minister,
Tu n k u A b d u l
Rahman. The
viaduct, built at
a cost of RM3.5
million, connects
Jalan Birch near
the Shell Building
and the Police Co-
operative Building
to Jalan Sultan
Hishamuddin.
It crosses over Cars carrying VIPs including the then Prime
the Klang River Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman and well wishers at
overlooking the the official opening of the Jalan Birch-Jalan Sultan
M a i n R a i l w ay Hishamuddin viaduct on March 15, 1963.
Station and Photo courtesy of Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia
the Railway
Admini s t r at io n
Building.
The viaduct was constructed to alleviate traffic
congestion especially around the Jalan Sultan
Sulaiman Bridge. With its completion, traffic from
Klang and Port Swettenham could enter the Kuala
Lumpur city centre with ease. The viaduct also
symbolised a new era of highway construction
after Malaysia gained independence in 1957.

Photo of the
present road
leading to the
viaduct from
Jalan Kinabalu
direction.
KL Map 1962.
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 The
The 5-inch
5-inch diagonal
diagonal color
color display
display with
with aa
resolution
resolution of
of 800
800 � � 480
480 pixels
pixels offers
offers direct
direct
navigation
navigation via
via aa capacitive
capacitive touchscreen.
touchscreen.

Folders
Folders and
and applications
applications
provide
provide quick
quick access
access to
to
bay
bay screens,
screens, metering
metering and
and
monitoring
monitoring data,
data, reports,
reports,
settings,
settings, and
and more.
more.

The
The home
home pushbutton
pushbutton
allows
allows users
users to
to easily
easily return
return
to
to the
the default
default home
home screen.
screen.

Visualize What You’re Protecting

Introducing the New Touchscreen for the SEL-751 Feeder
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The SEL-751
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power system
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bay screens,
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other data
data are
are just
just aa few
few touches
touches away
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the home
home screen,
screen, and
and the
the full
full
keyboard
keyboard makes
makes it it easy
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to adjust
adjust settings
settings and
and enter
enter passwords.
passwords. AndAnd with
with an
an IP54
IP54
rating
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hold up
up in
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surroundings.
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out more
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For
For enquiries,
enquiries, please
please contact
contact Simpro
Simpro Engineering
Engineering Sdn.
Sdn. Bhd.
Bhd.
Tel:
Tel: +603
+603 80752801
80752801 || E-mail:
E-mail: info@simpro.com.my
info@simpro.com.my
 INGENIEUR

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