'Green tech', a transformation programme in town planning and housing industry

Minister of Local Government & Housing Datuk Haji Hajiji Haji Noor has urged parties involved in town planning and housing industry to support the government’s aspiration in its move towards “green technology”.

He said government is creating an environment conducive for the development of green technology in the state and it is expected to open up new business opportunities in the property industry. This will encourage strong property investments.

He also expressed his hopes for every member of the department and ministry to adopt the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) by transforming its services’ efficiencies for the better.

Apart from that, Hajiji was reportedly urging town planners to be sensitive and far-sighted in coming up with more strategic and holistic planning to create towns that can provide high-quality living for its residents.

He said town planners need to resolve the current planning issues which are the main challenge to the transformation programme in order to improve the quality of service delivery. This means the issues of slow plan approvals, land use, planning standard and so on must be tackled to make these more efficient.

The usage of new technology like digital mapping was a wise move in dealing with land planning and development issues for the good of all, he added.

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Rooftop solar PV launched at SM St. Michael, Sabah

Greenery welcomes you as you approach St. Michael secondary school.

While 10 schools in Sabah celebrate their achievement of 100% passes in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) this year, SM St Michael has a bonus reason to celebrate.

The school became the first in Sabah to have the solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed on its roof to reduce the school's electricity consumption. More importantly, this will pave the way for Malaysians to learn and appreciate the technology at early stage.

The installation of the 5.4kWp rooftop solar here was completed in January 2013, thanks to a worldwide project named dena Solar Roofs Programme, coordinated by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH, and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Brief information of the rooftop installation:

Installed capacity       : 5.4 kWp

Solar module              : 24 panels

Area of roof covered  : 41m²

Panel rating                : 225W

Inverter                       : 2 nos (to convert DC to AC supply)

Energy production     : 6,800 kWh annually. Approximately 567 kWh per month

Cost                             : €2,000 to €2,500 per kWp without battery (RM8,000 - RM10,000)

For educational purposes:

A display panel has been installed in the centre of the school to display the actual power in kW and the accumulated generated energy (in kWh) and CO₂ savings over the entire period.

"The main goal is to support the cooperation between German and Malaysian experts in the field of photovoltaic and also sharing of knowledge about the systems under the specific conditions in Malaysia." 

           - Gabriele Eichner of the German Energy Agency.

The school became the programme's first recipient in Malaysia

Another school with solar PV installation is SK Pulau Sepanggar, located half an hour boat-ride from Kota Kinabalu. This is a full capacity installation which means the school gets all its power requirement from this installation alone. The school is not connected to the power grid due to its location.

It is a self initiative by the government to improve the quality of life of the local community as well as to provide a better learning environment for the school children.

SK Pulau Sepanggar hybrid system: The 25kWp solar PV is coupled with diesel generator set

TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

While fully agreeing to the school selection, I am hoping that the "dena Solar Roofs Programme" will also look into the many underprivileged rural schools in the interior. They acknowledged that the programme is most suited for places such as those in the remote areas in East Malaysia. 

Source: The Green Mechanics

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Green Technology Financing Loans to Hit RM1.5 Billion in 2013

Green technology (example)

Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Seri Peter Chin has said that he expects loans to businesses under the Government's Green Technology Financing scheme to reach RM1.5 billion this coming year.

It is a sign that businesses themselves or the lenders and the agencies that put companies in touch with such funding are becoming more used to green models.

"After a series of dialogues with Bank Negara and my agencies, bankers are becoming more familiar and comfortable about funding green businesses," he said.

"Banks are approving green loans a lot faster, from over a year to two months."

Indeed, the Malaysia Green Technology Corporation has said that it expects up to 40 projects to be approved by financial institutions under this year, compared to the 25 projects that were approved over the last 12 months with a total value of RM300 million.

The scheme allows companies using green technology to obtain soft loans with a 2 per cent government subsidy of the interest rate and a 60 per cent guarantee on the amount of financing. Under the scheme, between RM10 million and RM50 million is allocated for a project, depending on the criteria.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced during the tabling of the 2013 Budget that the fund will be increased by RM2 billion and the deadline for applications extended another three years to 31 December 2015.

The aim of the move is to further boost the production and utilisation of green technology based products.

The government introduced the Green Technology Financing Scheme fund during the 2010 Budget with initial funding of RM1.5 billion.

It is envisaged to be one of the emerging drivers of economic growth for our country and is aimed squarely at aimed at achieving a sustainable rate of development that adheres to proper environmental standards.

Recently the chief operating officer of the US Green Building Council and president of the Green Building Certification Institute Mahesh Ramanujam praised Malaysia for the speed it had adapted to green technology.

"Malaysia is uniquely poised right now for major growth in green technology as the world wakes up to it and embraces the use of green products," he said.

"The right players are in Malaysia and it's just a matter of fueling growth and bringing start-up and emerging technologies to the table."

Malaysia's various green industries are already worth in the region of RM67 billion and, between 2010 and 2011, grew by some six per cent – far outstripping the global growth-rate for the green sector.

It is hoped that by 2020 as much as RM70 billion can be generated in terms of economic activity associated with renewable energy, supporting some 50,000 jobs.

Source: The Choice

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Push for green technology

CAREFUL PLANNING: Effect on environment must be taken into account, says CM Push for green technology

KOTA KINABALU: SABAH is moving towards becoming an eco-friendly state that emphasises the "Green Cities" development concept.

This is in line with the government's effort in implementing the use of green technology, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

However, development must not be done indiscriminately but take into account the effects on the environment, he said in his speech at the launch of Sabah State Planning Conference in conjunction with World Cities Planning Day 2012 here yesterday.

The speech was read by state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor.

"While we are in the process of developing, it is vital to maintain our nature and I urge everyone to work together to achieve a sustainable development for future benefits.

"It is important to ensure structured and planned development as well as appropriate provision of open space for recreation by integrating green technology features," said Musa.

He added that this was vital in order to create a living environment that was conducive, peaceful and healthy.

He said green technology has a large potential in driving the national development and the industry that uses or develops products relating to green technology would provide job opportunities for the local community.

"The market for green products and technologies are huge, particularly in the renewable energy sector. Therefore, the state government is committed to implementing the application of such technology in Sabah."

On the theme for the event, "Planning Green Cities For Sustainable Future", he said it was timely and relevant to the realisation of the government's desire to achieve a development that preserves the environment.

Source: NST

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INSTITUTES AWARENESS ON GREEN TECHNOLOGY

KUALA LUMPUR: Higher education institutes can offer mandatory courses to instill greater awareness on green technology in Malaysians, says a Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) professor who specialises in the field.

Prof Dr Karl Wagner said creating awareness was the biggest problem and that the government and institutions of higher learning could collaborate with the media to provide a good platform for green technology.

“Students are the masterminds of the country’s future. They will and should have a chance to understand what is going on,” he told Bernama.

He said the Malaysian government could also issue something like the green journals once a month, which could act as a marketplace for exchange of ideas.

UniKL could play a role in helping to promote awareness as the university had a joint Masters programme with German universities which offered various Masters-level programmes in green-efficient buildings.

The German embassy in Malaysia has also been very supportive in this regard, he said, pointing out that UniKL had been working with the embassy, especially with the ambassador, Dr Guenter Gruber.

“The German embassy is very close to this aspect. This is our link to the government, we can say. He himself (the ambassador) is a green person. So, whenever we meet, we ask ourselves to do more such activities,” Wagner said.

Wagner said  Malaysia has linked up with the German embassy here and other institutions, such as the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce Industry (MGCC), concerning green technology.

He said Malaysia has also been quick to accept the need to promote green technology. Since 2009, there have been numerous initiatives as well as rules and regulations regarding green technology.

“There is one regulation that is probably still missing – the regulation on energy efficiency – which I have heard is going to be implemented from 2014 onwards,” he noted.

Energy efficiency refers to the measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases that are spread into the atmosphere (CO2 emission). Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas that a person breathes out or is produced when substances containing carbon are burnt.

Green technology comprises two aspects: energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE). Energy efficiency is applicable to existing buildings and deals with, for example, how to re-engineer fans or air conditioning systems to make them green in terms of CO2 emission.

Renewable energy, meanwhile, refers to solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy and heat arising from industrial productions.

“This heat is turned into energy, because all of these items are warm, and warm items always have a source of heat and a source of renewable energy,” he said.

UniKL is also building green mock-up houses in Bangi, Selangor, made of different building materials, so that the students can try them out and decide which they prefer the most in terms of building material, comfort and cost. (Bernama)

 Source: http://sabahkinimirror.blogspot.com/2012/06/institutes-awareness-on-green.html

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GE and Sabah firm said to be close to RM750mil geothermal plant deal

3 in green energy talks 1MDB

PETALING JAYA: 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and General Electric (GE) are among three companies currently in talks to develop the country's first geothermal plant in Apas, Tawau.

The third company in the venture, tagged at between RM750mil and RM800mil, is a Sabah-based green energy company which has inked a power purchase agreement with Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.

Sources familiar with the project told StarBiz that the companies were in the final stage of negotiations and expected to reach a joint agreement soon, possibly end of the month.

The renewable energy plant, when fully completed, can generate a total capacity of 67MW, supplying electricity to Tawau's population of 398,000.

The emission-free geothermal plant will tap natural hot fluids from the ground for steam production to drive the steam turbine generator; it will generate 36MW under phase one and an additional 31MW under phase two.

When contacted, a 1MDB spokesperson said the company did not comment on speculation.

Following 1MDB's recent acquisition of Tanjong Energy Holdings Sdn Bhd, CEO Shahrol Halmi had said it “signals the first step towards fulfilling the shareholder's aspiration for a more holistic eco-system to drive long-term energy security”.

According to the sources, GE will provide technical know-how, global expertise, equipment and technology.

GE is currently involved in Indonesia's biggest geothermal power plant, the Wayang Windu power plant, which taps into naturally occurring underground pockets of steam and hot water with wells as deep as three km.

In March 2011, Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup revealed that studies regarding the electricity generation potential of up to 67MW from geothermal resources discovered at a geothermal site in Apas had been completed.

Although a study by the Mineral and Geosciences Department was not a detailed one, the technical aspects indicated that the geothermal site in Apas had the potential to generate enough electricity to cater for the needs of the Tawau people.

The study also found a reservoir about 2,000m to 3,000m below the earth's surface with water at temperatures of 220-236 degrees Celsius. This heat was more than sufficient to generate electricity, Kurup had said after visiting the site.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said: “Malaysia's embracing of green technology is not only to conserve and preserve its resources, but is also envisaged to act as a new economic impetus for the country.”

The Prime Minister said the renewable energy target under the 10th Malaysia Plan was 5.5% of the total capacity mix in 2015 or 985MW of generating capacity, from less than 1% previously.

Read more: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/23/business/10972244&sec=business

Green  Sabah says: Geothermal plant will be Sabah's future power generating method, since this is one of the environmental friendly ways for generating electricity effectively, the Sabah government will be utilizing this to fulfill the demands of the users within the states.

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Malaysia First Geothermal Plant in Sabah.

Sabah will have the country’s first geothermal plant by 2014 as the State taps into environmental-friendly energy to feed the growing needs.

Yesterday, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and Tawau Green Energy (TGE) entered into an agreement called the renewable energy power purchase agreement (REEPA).

The ceremony commenced with Andrew S.R Amaladoss, Project Director of TGE, Ramzi Raad, Managing Director of TGE, Datuk Baharin Din, Managing Director of SESB and Zunaidah Osman, company secretary of SESB signing the documents.

The historic event was witnessed by Datuk Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Tan Sri Leo Moggie, Chairman of SESB and Dato Sri Che Khalib Mohammad Noh, President and CEO of TNB.

According to Amaladoss, the energy is not only renewable but also one of the most environment-friendly energy technologies available today.

The carbon print of geothermal power is 65 times lesser than coal, 49 times lesser than fossil oil and 40 times lesser than natural gas.

He also said that if well-maintained the reservoir can be sustained for the next 100 years.Work to the plant in Apas will kick off today with completion date for Dec 2014.

Based on the terms of the agreement, the generation plant with its capacity of 30MW will be incorporated into SESB’s Grid, utilizing the 132kV lines into Tawau and Kalumpang for a period of 21 years.

The project cost is estimated to cost almost RM400 million and will be financed by local financial institutions on a conventional project financing basis.

Source: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/54307

Green Sabah says: Geothermal is the most environment friendly renewable energy technologies available, therefore it is good that this project was planned to help resolve the power shortage issues in Sabah and at the same time help protect the environment.

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What is Green Technology?

 It is not difficult to understand what Green Technology is, basically, it is a  new and innovative, environment friendly technology that is created and used, at the same time conserve natural resources and protect the environment. Green Technology was some times referred as Clean technology or environmental technology.


Green Technology main goals are to find ways to produce technology that does not damage or deplete the Earth's natural resources. It is also meant as an alternative source of technology that could help reduces the use of fossil fuels, improving the health conditions of the people, animals and environment and also reducing the pollution impacts to humans and the earth.


Other than that, Green Technology also focused on manufacturing products that can be re-used or recycled so that the amount of wastes produced daily can be reduced. Not only so, social awareness from the people should also be spread out so that they could make changes in their daily life and aim for a better environment and health quality.


Well, basically this is what Green Technology is about. However, not only does the, government, businesses and large industries have to change the way they operate or manufacture, individuals like you and me can make a difference.

 Many people are unaware that the little changes they make in their daily lives can result to a big impact to the environment. So start taking small steps towards a greener future like reducing the use of resources such as papers, shut off lights and electricity appliances when not in use, carpool to reduce the use of fuel (it can help you save money too), recycle cans, paper, cartons, ink cartridges, plastic bottles etc, maximize the use of a single item to reduce waste. Bring your own green shopping bag while buying things at the grocers... These simple steps does not take much of your time and yet they can contribute significantly to the process towards a better tomorrow.

Source: http://whitney05.hubpages.com/hub/Green-Technology

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Types of Green Technology

Previously we discussed about what Green Technology is all about, today we shall discuss further about the various types of Green Technology:

1.Energy- Which is the most important and urgent concerns of green technology. There are more and more needs for energy generation methods which are more efficient, greener and better for the people and environment. Many country has been rejecting or reducing the use of fossil fuels and coals as these resources are getting lesser in the world and not to mention they are rather polluting as well. Some of the more favorable methods are those like hydro-powered generators, wind turbines and solar power which are able to produce cleaner energy without wasting resources.

2.Building- Green building is an innovative way for greener living. Environmental friendly materials such as recycled glass, bamboo in replace of wood, energy efficient technology and designs. Environmentally responsible and resource efficient process are used to build green building from designing, constructing, operating, maintenance, renovating and demolition. Other than that, there are also issues such as using energy, water and other resources efficiently, reducing waste, pollution and improving employees productivity and health.

3.Preferred Purchasing- This is where business and manufactures finds new ways of producing products which have the smallest impact on the environment. While consumers purchasing products that are more environmentally friendly.

4.Chemistry- Nowadays more companies are discovering greener alternatives for the previously environmentally harmful chemical products. It is also known as sustainable chemistry to encourage the design of products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry seeks to prevent and reduce pollution at is source and avoid problems before they happens.

5.Nanotechnology- It involves manipulating the materials to the smallest nanometer to best implement greener principles in the fields. It enhance the environmental-sustainability of processes and also improve sustainability. This could help minimize the potential environment and human health risk which is associated with the manufacture and use of nanotechnology products and to encourage the replacement of existing products with new nano-products that are more environmentally friendly throughout their lifecycle.

Sources:

http://whitney05.hubpages.com/hub/Green-Technology 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_chemistry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_nanotechnology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

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Forms Of Green Technology

Green technology can come in many different types. These are the three most substantial ones: Energy, Building and Purchasing.

Green Energy is the generated energy from green sources like wind, tide and solar. The advantages of these is there is slightly to no carbon produced in the initial creation of the energy. So, we can use as much energy as we want without having to worry about the carbon footprint we produce.

Green Building is the process of building houses and offices that are conducive. It means is the building are built using eco-friendly products with low thermal emissions. From this, electricity bills can be reduced. As the consumption of electricity is lower, the carbon footprint is lower too.

Purchasing green products is the way most of us can right way reduce our carbon footprint. The combination of doing many things well can result in huge changes. 

 

Sabah Chief Minister, Musa Aman claims that green economy can benefits the environment and economy. Green technology is also a part of this.

Therefore, let's go green guys!

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Solar Hybrid System - Great Green Technology

Solar hybrid system is one of the way that practising green technology. The sun becomes the main source to supply the energy and solar hybrid system helps in converting the sun's rays into electricity. That is why they are more green and more environmentally friendly when compared the diesel generator.

Green technology and sustainability are the future. Its objective is to preserve the environment, especially the climate of the earth by reducing the amount of carbon monoxide. That is why solar hybrid system must be a great part of this.

Sabah State Government is now initiating the green technology and they recently had provided electricity through the constructions of a solar hybrid system at Kampung Tanjung Batu Latu and Kampung Tanjung Batu Darat .

Therefore, more allocations are needed to implement this solar hybrid system in Sabah since grid connection for energy is not accessible due to geographical circumstances.

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