Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Brunei is a step closer towards developing its first large scale solar power plant project ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei’, with the installation of photovoltaic panels  by the Minister of Energy at the Seria Power Station yesterday morning to promote the development of renewable energy and hence, saving the nation’s natural resources.

The Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad bin Haji Daud said that the ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei’ Project is the first of its kind in the country and will be the largest in Southeast Asia.

“This project will place Brunei Darussalam on the green map and record a milestone for the country’s efforts towards sustainability, “the minister said in his speech.

“The event is an important point in the history of power generation in  Brunei Darussalam that will signify the embrace of a green power revolution,” the minister said while nothing that solar power holds major potential for not only its renewable nature but also for its cleanliness.

The demand for solar energy in other industrialized countries is increasing and deemed as one of the most promising types of renewable energy, said the minister.

The new industry which the minister termed as a “green job” created from the new energy sources will generate employment and add to the diversification of our national workforce while opening doors to other spinoffs.

“We have been placing the security of our domestic energy supply as our utmost priority as we envision moving beyond oil and gas , which are natural resources that would not be replenished within a period  enough to sustain our future generations. Yet it is these fossil fuels that we fully depend on to provide our energy needs.

“We have been consuming energy from oil and gas, at the cost of our environment. Scientists have proven that the temperature of our earth is warming and the rise of greenhouse gases generated by fossil fuel combustion has a great deal to do with this increase. We understand that the chemistry of the atmosphere has created an ecological damage, at a global scale,” the minister reiterated.

The minister further stressed on the changing weather patterns in the Sultanate that can  no longer be predicted. He also added that we are not only vulnerable to the shortages of fossil fuels but also that of climate warming.

“It is very timely that we are taking steps to diversify our energy supply other than fossil fuels and are exploring a more sustainable source of energy for our future development. It is indeed another blessing for us that we have the sun and an abundance of it to generate electricity,” the minister said.

The minister added that the ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei’ project will involve running tests at six different types of photovoltaic panels to identify the type which would best suit our climatic condition. Through this process, technology ‘know-how’ would be gained by our local people as well as acquiring the skills to run a solar power plant and its connection to the grids.

Prior to concluding his speech, the minister highly applauded Mitsubishi Corporation for the project and their contribution to the nation will further enhance the deep relationship that has already been built for over 40 years.

Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Corporation, Mr. Seji Kato said that apart from the Brunei LNG industry, Mitsubishi has also been working with His Majesty’s government on agricultural development activities. The establishment of McFarm in 1978m which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Mitsubishi, was aimed at developing techniques for livestock breeding and hydroponics. Having accomplished the initial objectives, the assets and operations of McFarm venture were transferred to the Department of Agriculture last year.

Subsequent consultations between Mitsubishi Corporation and the Department of Agriculture have led to a new scheme, centering on support for the rural farming community through technical assistance and training.

“In 2007, we began to explore ways to actively support the government’s initiatives in the field of environmental protection and sustainability,” he said.

In August 2008, its discussion with the Energy Division at the Prime Minister’s Office culminated in a Memorandum of Understanding between His Majesty’s government and Mitsubishi to jointly undertake a large-scale photovoltaic demonstration project to be installed at the Seria Power Station in Belait.

“Mitsubishi provided the capital and expertise required to design, install and operate the system as well as HR support, training and technical assistance in the areas of operation and maintenance,” Mr. Seji Kato said.

In addition to being one of the largest photovoltaic facilities in Southeast Asia, the ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei’ project will also be the nation’s first large scale solar power plant with nominal output capacity of 1.2MW.

He noted that the’know-how’ gained through the project will be shared with the government to develop local expertise in the technology and to promote the further development of solar power in the Sultanate.

In his speech, he assured that the work is progressing well and the design process was completed January last year while construction began in August. The event held yesterday celebrated the installation of the PV panels. Two out of six different types of modules will be put to the test. It is expected that the entire system will be up and operational by mid August this year.

“Upon completion, the plant will be commissioned and transferred to the government. Joint verification tests and evaluation of the various types of modules will be jointly carried out by Mitsubishi, Energy Division at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Electrical Services (DES) for a period of three years after commissioning,” he said in concluding his speech.

After the installation of the PV panels, the Minister of Energy proceeded to view the solar operated model house which is a project by students from PAP Hjh Rashidah Sa`adatul Bolkiah Secondary School in Lumut and also visited the photo gallery depicting the key events of the project.

The ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei’ project is expected to generate some 1.33MWh of electricity per year, which would effectively save the nation approximately 340,400 liters of crude oil equivalent and bring about a reduction of 940 tonnes of CO2 emission annually.

Photovoltaic technology has the ability to generate electricity from sunlight and it is a relatively new technology, which offers many new opportunities in generating green electricity.

By Liza Mohd
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin