Set up an Energy agency

Published on: Sunday, May 03, 2009

Set up an Energy agency  I fully agree and support the suggestion by Sunny Sabah that the government subsidize solar panels as they did for diesel so that it could be affordable by all consumers.

In other developing countries especially in Europe, the government through their respective local governments, councils or local authority have been implementing a wide variety of programs on renewable energy incentives such as providing subsidies, grants, loans, rebates and tax incentives for the installations of solar panels to generate electricity, supply of heating and most importantly to achieve a high standard of energy efficiency as part of the battle against global warming.

The government here should establish an energy statutory agency whereby its main focus would be fully on renewable and energy efficiency. This agency should work very closely with the construction industries, property developers and local government by encouraging them to incorporate sustainable energy design and technology features for new homes which could deliver significantly superior energy and CO2 performance.

Touching again on the solar hybrid systems installed throughout the rural areas of Sabah as part of the rural electrification programme for villages and schools, if those parties against solar hybrid continued saying that its expensive for the purchase and transportation of diesel for the back-up generators to these isolated areas, I suggest that the Government consider looking into introducing vegetable oil generator as an alternative to diesel-run generators.

In Africa and Indonesia, the system has been very successful apart from converting solar energy to electricity in a generator that runs on a pure vegetable oil as well as inverters and batteries.

The solar vegetable oil systems provides electricity to many rural schools, clinic and villages in Africa. In Indonesia, a solar hybrid system with a vegetable oil generator transformed a training centre on Sumba island into an independent electricity producer supplying electricity to the islanders.

The government in Africa encourages their remote villagers to plant Jatropha plant which originate from South America. Its nuts contain high degrees of oil and edible for humans and animals. The government bought these nuts from the villagers where the solar hybrids are installed which then converted it into vegetable oil to run these generators in their respective villages.

It not only solves the problem of high fuel costs, the inefficient transport of diesel fuels over long distances by river and roads as well as the environmental hazards posed by diesel can be avoided.

The rural population can generate additional income from planting and selling jatropha. Thus, on the basis of renewable energy, reliable and sustainable energy supply can be established.

As for the Sipitang proposed coal-fired plant, why not the relevant authorities or agencies consider a Green Coal plant instead since there are plenty of dead branches to be collected from the forest floor of the Sabah Forest Industry areas.

Burning such wood holds appeal because its local, clean and renewable. When burned, wood releases significantly less sulphur and almost no mercury. And wood doesn't add to the atmospheric greenhouse gases that are believed to cause global warming.

Recently, the state government was urged to set up an Independent Committee to carry out an in-depth study on the proposed coal powered plant in Sabah by the LDP Youth Law and Political Bureau chief Tsang Hieng Yee.

Apart from that, I would suggest that the State Government establish a state forum to discuss the development of renewable energy with representation of the full range of environmental interests present alongside other stakeholders including local community and amenity interests.

A legislation by the State Government should be introduced to control for the development of new energy which take better account of environmental and local amenity interests and the effective use of public funds in support of renewable energy development.

The Sipitang and Sandakan coal fired plants should be debated at length before any approval is granted. If there is such an open state forum and relevant legislation in place at least it would give concerned parties an opportunity to voice out their opinion so that decisions could be made best for the consumers and the environment.

Nordin Thani