Date : 281204
Source : Malaysia Today
Title : Deaths by Water - and Environmental Degradation
By J. Sri Raman
t r u t h o u t
Chennai, India - Selvaraj, 38, sturdy and ebony-dark, set out on the catamaran, the ancient Tamil raft of tied logs, a little past six in the morning. He did not return. Some eight hours later, rescuers found his body washed ashore, like the bodies of scores of other fishermen. Kannan, 14, went out a little later that Sunday morning to the Marina Beach, the pride of this South Indian city, its little piece of paradise. He carried his cricket bat, with a sticker of Sachin Tendulkar, the star of the game, on it. He, too, did not return home. His frail, little body was also found hours later on the once inviting sands.
Search was still on, though, for the bodies of the other members of his team and their opponents who were to play a weekend match on a field with a backdrop of waves.Krishnamurthy, 67, had driven there for a brisk morning walk along the long beach line, as had been his wont for a couple of years. They found his car, smashed and upturned.Survivors in the fishermen's hamlets close to the Marina count Selvaraj and others like him lucky indeed. Even the bodies of many, many other fishermen, who had gone into the sea for their morning catch, have not been found.
Officials put the number of missing fishermen at no less than 5,000.The best-known public hospital in this capital of the south Indian State of Tamilnadu, one of the worst-hit areas in the widespread Asian tragedy of December 26, has lined up scores of salt-smeared bodies for possible identification by their bereaved kin. Quite a few are still lying unclaimed - an indication that killer waves may have devoured whole families on the fringe of the city and survival.People, especially the poor, are prepared for the worst - but the worst they can imagine.
Down here, they were not prepared for this particular disaster, wrought by quake-generated waves (tsunamis, their Japanese name a household word here already) rising to a tidal height of 15 to 40 feet before crashing to kill. They were not prepared, and not only because they had fished only in a gentle sea and played or walked only on soft sands.True, the balmy Bay of Bengal had held no terrors for them before. There is a more basic reason, however, why the tremors and the resultant sea turbulence (claiming a toll of over 2,500 human lives) have taken Chennai and Tamilnadu totally unawares. The public here has been kept in the dark about a direct environmental threat that has been growing at a great pace over the past decade or so.What holds good for Tamilnadu does so as well for the rest of coastal India to reel from the impact of the calamity - the States of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and West Bengal.
In the wake of the tragedy, Tamilnadu is witnessing a series of helicopter surveys of the misery in cities, towns and marooned villages by ministers. The opposition and the ruling party are raking up disaster-related issues to fight over. Funds for relief operations can also become an issue between the State and federal governments in the coming days. Official statements and steps reveal no recognition of the role of environmental degradation in the making of the disaster.
The calamity highlights, more than anything else, the callous neglect of environment protection along the entire coastal belt of India, including Tamilnadu. A handful of environmental activists have been crying themselves hoarse over the issue, but the powers-that-be have preferred to dismiss them as cranks. At the core of the issue lies a corporate-political mesh of corruption that seeks to thrive on human misery and lives.India, by law, has a coastal regulation zone (CRZ), where building activities are supposed to be strictly regulated.
In Tamilnadu and elsewhere, as old lawyers would put it, the rules and regulations have been observed more in breach than in observance. The rapacious rich, callous corporates, and a state flush with the 'free market' spirit have indulged in impermissible real-estate activities in the allegedly protected zone.A concrete chain of residential colonies, star hotels and entertainment spots has robbed the land of all coastal protection from the once friendly sea. It is mainly the poor who have paid - with their lives - for this crime against the coastline.
When the dead have been cremated or buried, it will be time to tell the people that environmentalism is not elitism, as self-serving seekers of political power have taught them. At stake in the protection of India's coastal environment are the lives of not merely Olive Ridly turtles but the millions to whom it is not a money-spinning means.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
NASA spacecraft tracks global air pollution
Date : 161204
Source : sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : NASA spacecraft tracks global air pollution
LOS ANGELES: A NASA spacecraft has begun the first-ever daily tracking of how air pollution moves across the globe, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Wednesday. The data from the Aura satellite's four instruments will offer scientists their best look yet at the interplay between pockets of pollution and weather patterns, principal scientist Reinhard Beer said.
Beer said there was no political agenda linked to the project, which comes as US President George W. Bush is under international pressure to rejoin efforts laid out in the Kyoto protocol to fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gases. Bush withdrew from the agreement in 2001.
"What people do with the information is not something we can get involved in," Beer said. The data will show how industrial pollutants move through Earth's troposphere, the region that begins at the ground and rises about 17 km.
The US$785 million (RM2.9 billion), five-year mission was expected to help scientists predict where pollution pockets accumulate and how they travel so that "chemical forecasts" can one one day be possible, Beer said. Launched on July 15, the bus-sized spacecraft makes a complete survey of Earth every 16 days, sending back infrared images of concentrations of five of six major pollutants identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
"We are also trying to work backward to pinpoint the source regions," Beer said. "The best we could hope to do is say (a region) is a major source of a certain type of pollution."
Updated: 02:53PM Thu, 16 Dec 2004
Source : sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : NASA spacecraft tracks global air pollution
LOS ANGELES: A NASA spacecraft has begun the first-ever daily tracking of how air pollution moves across the globe, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Wednesday. The data from the Aura satellite's four instruments will offer scientists their best look yet at the interplay between pockets of pollution and weather patterns, principal scientist Reinhard Beer said.
Beer said there was no political agenda linked to the project, which comes as US President George W. Bush is under international pressure to rejoin efforts laid out in the Kyoto protocol to fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gases. Bush withdrew from the agreement in 2001.
"What people do with the information is not something we can get involved in," Beer said. The data will show how industrial pollutants move through Earth's troposphere, the region that begins at the ground and rises about 17 km.
The US$785 million (RM2.9 billion), five-year mission was expected to help scientists predict where pollution pockets accumulate and how they travel so that "chemical forecasts" can one one day be possible, Beer said. Launched on July 15, the bus-sized spacecraft makes a complete survey of Earth every 16 days, sending back infrared images of concentrations of five of six major pollutants identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
"We are also trying to work backward to pinpoint the source regions," Beer said. "The best we could hope to do is say (a region) is a major source of a certain type of pollution."
Updated: 02:53PM Thu, 16 Dec 2004
Leave the hills unspoilt for our children
Date : 111204
Source : sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Leave the hills unspoilt for our children
IF anyone needs a reminder on the foolishness of disturbing hillslopes, perhaps no lesson is stronger or more bitter than the Highland Towers tragedy of 1993. The words of so many critics of our lax governance -- that lives would be lost before the authorities sit up -- unfortunately proved true when 48 people perished under the rubble of the ill-fated condominium. Although 11 years have passed since that dreadful December day, the horror lives on for the survivors and the nation at large.
To be sure, the law on hillslope development has been tightened soon enough. As if to cleanse the nation's psyche of the emotional scars of that disaster, the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 has been suitably amended to prohibit the cutting of hills that are more than 35¼ in gradient.
And all state legislatures have resolutely agreed to be bound by the new rules of development. But to the public's dismay, that message has not permeated to the authorities that monitor development projects nor to the builders whose optimism about their next profit centre is unshaken by previous disasters, no matter how many of those have occurred.
Consequently, the public has been shocked by further episodes of landslides and building collapses in such places as the Cameron Highlands and Ampang.Conservation-minded groups have kept a wary eye out for signs of excessive eagerness to develop highland areas, as their experience has shown that the mighty lure of the development dollar is far too strong for a majority of policymakers to resist.
Structural plans, forest reserves, catchment areas and development guidelines notwithstanding, many a fragile ecosystem has been sacrificed before to the development imperative.That is unfortunate news for our quality of life. As the effects of environmental degradation accumulate, the impacts are felt downstream in the form of poorer water quality, increased siltation, more frequent flash floods, slope failures, biodiversity loss and worse.
Despite their deep sensitivity to these idioms of sustainable development, however, those at the helm must feel compelled to prioritise whatever generates more trickle-down wealth for the people. Such thinking, however, is deeply flawed. An eco-tourism drive that promises to propel the GNP skywards will bring desolation to the community instead if it destroys the very environment that attracts revenue-generating visitors.
The trail of damage caused by bulldozing such projects through produces much material for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports that planners pore over. Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, who has stopped some 30 projects that were approved without EIA reports, offers hope of a new-found respect for ecologically-sound development. But for each such restraining check, how many other unsustainable schemes steam ahead is anybody's guess. So new rules alone for the eco-friendly development of hillslopes will not be sufficient to stop the tide of environmental damage that is rolling on.
Policy makers need to embrace a new ethos that changes the value they place on the pristine acres of Nature that lie before their eyes from a revenue to a conservation basis.The control we show today will determine whether future generations will have a refreshing view of the horizon before them.
Source : sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Leave the hills unspoilt for our children
IF anyone needs a reminder on the foolishness of disturbing hillslopes, perhaps no lesson is stronger or more bitter than the Highland Towers tragedy of 1993. The words of so many critics of our lax governance -- that lives would be lost before the authorities sit up -- unfortunately proved true when 48 people perished under the rubble of the ill-fated condominium. Although 11 years have passed since that dreadful December day, the horror lives on for the survivors and the nation at large.
To be sure, the law on hillslope development has been tightened soon enough. As if to cleanse the nation's psyche of the emotional scars of that disaster, the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 has been suitably amended to prohibit the cutting of hills that are more than 35¼ in gradient.
And all state legislatures have resolutely agreed to be bound by the new rules of development. But to the public's dismay, that message has not permeated to the authorities that monitor development projects nor to the builders whose optimism about their next profit centre is unshaken by previous disasters, no matter how many of those have occurred.
Consequently, the public has been shocked by further episodes of landslides and building collapses in such places as the Cameron Highlands and Ampang.Conservation-minded groups have kept a wary eye out for signs of excessive eagerness to develop highland areas, as their experience has shown that the mighty lure of the development dollar is far too strong for a majority of policymakers to resist.
Structural plans, forest reserves, catchment areas and development guidelines notwithstanding, many a fragile ecosystem has been sacrificed before to the development imperative.That is unfortunate news for our quality of life. As the effects of environmental degradation accumulate, the impacts are felt downstream in the form of poorer water quality, increased siltation, more frequent flash floods, slope failures, biodiversity loss and worse.
Despite their deep sensitivity to these idioms of sustainable development, however, those at the helm must feel compelled to prioritise whatever generates more trickle-down wealth for the people. Such thinking, however, is deeply flawed. An eco-tourism drive that promises to propel the GNP skywards will bring desolation to the community instead if it destroys the very environment that attracts revenue-generating visitors.
The trail of damage caused by bulldozing such projects through produces much material for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports that planners pore over. Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, who has stopped some 30 projects that were approved without EIA reports, offers hope of a new-found respect for ecologically-sound development. But for each such restraining check, how many other unsustainable schemes steam ahead is anybody's guess. So new rules alone for the eco-friendly development of hillslopes will not be sufficient to stop the tide of environmental damage that is rolling on.
Policy makers need to embrace a new ethos that changes the value they place on the pristine acres of Nature that lie before their eyes from a revenue to a conservation basis.The control we show today will determine whether future generations will have a refreshing view of the horizon before them.
Penduduk Broga: Terima Kasih Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS)
Date : 311004
Source : Malaysia Today
Title : Penduduk Broga: Terima Kasih Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS)
PUTRAJAYA: Sekurang-kurang 50 penduduk dari Broga, Semenyih, telah ke jabatan Alam Sekitar semalam untuk mengucapkan terima kasih kepada jabatan tersebut kerana menolak laporan penilaian kesan alam sekitar (EIA) untuk cadangan tapak pembuangan sampah di sana.Pengerusi pro tem untuk Kumpulan Penduduk Broga menentang Projek Incinerator, Zulkefly Mohamad Omar berkata mereka mahu berterima kasih kepada (JAS) atas “dedikasi dan kebolehpercayaan” mereka.
“Diatas dasar yang sama jika JAS menolak laporan EIA untuk tapak pembuangan sampah itu, maka jabatan itu patut juga menilai projek incinerator tersebut.“Ini adalah kerana, kawasan Broga adalah kawasan tadahan air yang sensitif dan sebarang cadangan tempat pembakaran sampah boleh memberi kesan kepada kualiti air untuk 1.5 juta orang di Selangor dan Negeri Sembilan.“Kawasan itu juga berbukit-bukau dan oleh itu, boleh mengakibatkan kesan bahaya seperti tanah runtuh di masa hadapan,” kata beliau, sambil menambah yang penduduk melahirkan rasa berterima kasih mereka kepada Ketua Pengarah JAS Rosnani Ibarahim dalam pertemuan selama dua jam di sini semalam.
Pada April tahun ini, penduduk-penduduk Broga mengemukakan lebih 1,000 tandatangan memprotes cadangan tapak pembuangan sampah, dengan berkata adalah salah untuk menjalankan projek sedemikian di kawasan tadahan air.Zulkefly berkata kumpulan tersebut akan membuat temujanji dengan Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting secepat mungkin unutk menyuarakan protes mereka terhadap projek incinerator di Broga.
Source : Malaysia Today
Title : Penduduk Broga: Terima Kasih Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS)
PUTRAJAYA: Sekurang-kurang 50 penduduk dari Broga, Semenyih, telah ke jabatan Alam Sekitar semalam untuk mengucapkan terima kasih kepada jabatan tersebut kerana menolak laporan penilaian kesan alam sekitar (EIA) untuk cadangan tapak pembuangan sampah di sana.Pengerusi pro tem untuk Kumpulan Penduduk Broga menentang Projek Incinerator, Zulkefly Mohamad Omar berkata mereka mahu berterima kasih kepada (JAS) atas “dedikasi dan kebolehpercayaan” mereka.
“Diatas dasar yang sama jika JAS menolak laporan EIA untuk tapak pembuangan sampah itu, maka jabatan itu patut juga menilai projek incinerator tersebut.“Ini adalah kerana, kawasan Broga adalah kawasan tadahan air yang sensitif dan sebarang cadangan tempat pembakaran sampah boleh memberi kesan kepada kualiti air untuk 1.5 juta orang di Selangor dan Negeri Sembilan.“Kawasan itu juga berbukit-bukau dan oleh itu, boleh mengakibatkan kesan bahaya seperti tanah runtuh di masa hadapan,” kata beliau, sambil menambah yang penduduk melahirkan rasa berterima kasih mereka kepada Ketua Pengarah JAS Rosnani Ibarahim dalam pertemuan selama dua jam di sini semalam.
Pada April tahun ini, penduduk-penduduk Broga mengemukakan lebih 1,000 tandatangan memprotes cadangan tapak pembuangan sampah, dengan berkata adalah salah untuk menjalankan projek sedemikian di kawasan tadahan air.Zulkefly berkata kumpulan tersebut akan membuat temujanji dengan Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting secepat mungkin unutk menyuarakan protes mereka terhadap projek incinerator di Broga.
Broga incinerator project stays
Date : 301104
Source : 2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Broga incinerator project stays
KUALA LUMPUR: Offer letters to build a multi-billion ringgit incinerator in Broga, Selangor, which has a capacity to treat 1,500 tonnes of solid waste a day, have been issued to interested parties.
Housing and Local Government Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Lokman Hakim Mohamed Jasan said today the letters were issued on Oct 24 and the the parties have until year-end to decide whether to undertake the project."There are conditions laid down to contractors on whether they agree to implement the project based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and other related conditions," he told reporters.
Lokman said this when asked on the status of the controversial project following media reports that it would be reviewed after considering objections from local residents.
He said the project would be implemented next year if the developers agreed to the terms and conditions before the year-end.
"As of now, I can't say the project has been postponed as I have issued the offer letters, unless the contractors are unable to comply with the stipulated terms and conditions," he said.
However, he declined to name the developers who had been issued the offer letters.
DOE had conditionally approved the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment for the incinerator project on May 31.
It had set strict conditions for the project -- the main condition being a buffer zone of 1,500m radius around the project site, ruling out any buildings in the area.
The others are the plant's minimum chimney height to be set at 150m and the technology to be used should be "gastification (fluidised-bed type)" and "ash-melting" with air pollution control and energy recovery systems in place.
Written approvals from DOE were required before any construction work could begin.
The DOE also required sampling and analysis of gas emissions and particulate matter through the chimney (including for doxin and heavy metals) be done according to the scheduled frequency and adhere to agreed effluent limits. The other conditions imposed were the requirement for sewage, including waste water to be treated according to parameters set by the Environmental Quality Regulations (Waste water and Industrial Effluents) 1979 before it could be released into any land-based water body.
Source : 2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Broga incinerator project stays
KUALA LUMPUR: Offer letters to build a multi-billion ringgit incinerator in Broga, Selangor, which has a capacity to treat 1,500 tonnes of solid waste a day, have been issued to interested parties.
Housing and Local Government Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Lokman Hakim Mohamed Jasan said today the letters were issued on Oct 24 and the the parties have until year-end to decide whether to undertake the project."There are conditions laid down to contractors on whether they agree to implement the project based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and other related conditions," he told reporters.
Lokman said this when asked on the status of the controversial project following media reports that it would be reviewed after considering objections from local residents.
He said the project would be implemented next year if the developers agreed to the terms and conditions before the year-end.
"As of now, I can't say the project has been postponed as I have issued the offer letters, unless the contractors are unable to comply with the stipulated terms and conditions," he said.
However, he declined to name the developers who had been issued the offer letters.
DOE had conditionally approved the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment for the incinerator project on May 31.
It had set strict conditions for the project -- the main condition being a buffer zone of 1,500m radius around the project site, ruling out any buildings in the area.
The others are the plant's minimum chimney height to be set at 150m and the technology to be used should be "gastification (fluidised-bed type)" and "ash-melting" with air pollution control and energy recovery systems in place.
Written approvals from DOE were required before any construction work could begin.
The DOE also required sampling and analysis of gas emissions and particulate matter through the chimney (including for doxin and heavy metals) be done according to the scheduled frequency and adhere to agreed effluent limits. The other conditions imposed were the requirement for sewage, including waste water to be treated according to parameters set by the Environmental Quality Regulations (Waste water and Industrial Effluents) 1979 before it could be released into any land-based water body.
Samy Vellu calls for sustainable measures to protect environment
Date : 291104
Source : Sun2Surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Samy Vellu calls for sustainable measures to protect environment
KUALA LUMPUR: Sustainable counter measures should be identified to halt the decline in environmental quality, said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu today.There were many reports that the very nature of the environment was changing over the years and had reached an alarming level with continuous ozone depletion, habitat destruction, land degradation due to poor management and global warming.
Malaysia, like many developing countries, was facing the dilemma of how to balance development and the environment, he said when opening the 2nd Experts Meeting on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region,in Langkawi. The text of his speech was released here.
The meeting is a forerunner to the Senior Officials Meeting and Ministers' Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region to be held here on Jan 24 and Jan 25 next year respectively. "Construction of infrastructure facilities, especially new roads and highways will directly or indirectly create an environmental impact," said Samy Vellu.
He said Malaysia had always given priority to environmental impact while making infrastructure development.
The Langkawi Declaration provided for government support for activities related to the conservation of virgin forest and protection of natural habitat, he said. Malaysia also had an Environment Quality Act 1974 to regulate environmental impact assessment on specific activities under the Environmental Quality Order 1987, he added. He said Malaysia was moving ahead with the practice of introducing Environmental Auditing under the ISO 14001 certification for organisations.
Source : Sun2Surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Samy Vellu calls for sustainable measures to protect environment
KUALA LUMPUR: Sustainable counter measures should be identified to halt the decline in environmental quality, said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu today.There were many reports that the very nature of the environment was changing over the years and had reached an alarming level with continuous ozone depletion, habitat destruction, land degradation due to poor management and global warming.
Malaysia, like many developing countries, was facing the dilemma of how to balance development and the environment, he said when opening the 2nd Experts Meeting on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region,in Langkawi. The text of his speech was released here.
The meeting is a forerunner to the Senior Officials Meeting and Ministers' Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region to be held here on Jan 24 and Jan 25 next year respectively. "Construction of infrastructure facilities, especially new roads and highways will directly or indirectly create an environmental impact," said Samy Vellu.
He said Malaysia had always given priority to environmental impact while making infrastructure development.
The Langkawi Declaration provided for government support for activities related to the conservation of virgin forest and protection of natural habitat, he said. Malaysia also had an Environment Quality Act 1974 to regulate environmental impact assessment on specific activities under the Environmental Quality Order 1987, he added. He said Malaysia was moving ahead with the practice of introducing Environmental Auditing under the ISO 14001 certification for organisations.
Give the facts on managing waste
Date : 271004
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Give the facts on managing waste
ONE of the main complaints of Malaysians is the lack of cleanliness in the towns and cities. Many attribute this to poor management of solid waste. Government leaders and waste disposal contractors rightly point to the lack of civic consciousness.
However, there are also many who want to play a positive role to make the urban areas cleaner. Many more could be persuaded to be better citizens and help in the proper disposal of waste if they were to be better informed. Unfortunately, the government has largely failed to inform Malaysians about solid waste and its disposal.
Take the proposed solid waste management Act that is to enable the federal government to play a leading role in solid waste management and complete the privatisation process that began in the mid-1990s. Little has been explained to the people.For instance, will the local authorities have a role in solid waste management after the Bill is passed? Who will be responsible for enforcing cleanliness rules and regulations? Indeed, whom should residents call if and when they have complaints: their local authorities or the proposed solid waste department in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government?
Can the local authorities have control over the concessionaires when they do not appoint them? How will the concessionaires be paid? Who will determine the costs? Will there be separate billings for collection and disposal of solid waste? Will the local authorities have problems paying the bills like some did in the past? Will the government continue to bail out the poorer local authorities?
Indeed, many Malaysians who are apathetic about solid waste once their garbage is collected will play a more positive role if they were to be made aware of the costs and the mounting problems of waste disposal, such as leachate pollution, over-used landfills and illegal dumpsites. Malaysians must be told that it costs between RM90 and RM150 per tonne to collect, transport and dispose the waste in landfills. With 17,000 to 18,000 tonnes of waste that Malaysians generate daily, the cost of disposal is enormous.
What has happened to the "strategic" solid waste management plan that Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting promised two years ago when he was officiating a recycling project at Kota Kemuning?
A secret plan is useless unless it is for war against enemies. A secret solid waste management plan only creates more waste. This might explain why Malaysia has achieved only a 3% recycling rate, according to official figures, after spending about RM40 million from 2001-03.
Ong and his senior officers did occasionally provide solid waste related data in press conferences. These are useful, but inadequate. Statistics and information, including nasty truths about solid waste management problems and reports of commissioned studies, should also be posted on the ministry's website to promote informed discussions.
Local researchers who are interested in solid waste management should be able to build on what is already known and not get bogged down collecting data that are already in the files in the ministry. Their time and funds should be spent on collecting new data and formulating innovative ideas.
Furthermore, the ministry has been calling on local authorities to adopt Local Agenda 21, a consultative instrument that is based on the principle that consultation promotes compliance and cooperation for sustainable development.
In solid waste management, compliance with the rules and cooperation by all stakeholders are paramount in ensuring success.Surely the ministry must practise what it preaches. But fruitful consultations are predicated on the availability of data and information. When the government treats solid waste information like national security secrets, the sense of urgency to seek improvement is lost. The reluctance to let the facts out could be nothing more than the lack of transparency in many government departments.
But it could lead to a perception of apathy on the part of the officers entrusted to improve solid waste management. Worse, it could lead to suspicion that the minister or his officials want to hide embarrassing, or even illegal, matters.Unlike nuclear science, ordinary Malaysians, including housewives, can provide good ideas. After all, they generate waste and are familiar with the way it is stored and collected in their neighbourhoods. They also suffer when the management is ineffective or inefficient.Dr Goh Ban Lee can be reached at gohbanlee@yahoo.com.
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Give the facts on managing waste
ONE of the main complaints of Malaysians is the lack of cleanliness in the towns and cities. Many attribute this to poor management of solid waste. Government leaders and waste disposal contractors rightly point to the lack of civic consciousness.
However, there are also many who want to play a positive role to make the urban areas cleaner. Many more could be persuaded to be better citizens and help in the proper disposal of waste if they were to be better informed. Unfortunately, the government has largely failed to inform Malaysians about solid waste and its disposal.
Take the proposed solid waste management Act that is to enable the federal government to play a leading role in solid waste management and complete the privatisation process that began in the mid-1990s. Little has been explained to the people.For instance, will the local authorities have a role in solid waste management after the Bill is passed? Who will be responsible for enforcing cleanliness rules and regulations? Indeed, whom should residents call if and when they have complaints: their local authorities or the proposed solid waste department in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government?
Can the local authorities have control over the concessionaires when they do not appoint them? How will the concessionaires be paid? Who will determine the costs? Will there be separate billings for collection and disposal of solid waste? Will the local authorities have problems paying the bills like some did in the past? Will the government continue to bail out the poorer local authorities?
Indeed, many Malaysians who are apathetic about solid waste once their garbage is collected will play a more positive role if they were to be made aware of the costs and the mounting problems of waste disposal, such as leachate pollution, over-used landfills and illegal dumpsites. Malaysians must be told that it costs between RM90 and RM150 per tonne to collect, transport and dispose the waste in landfills. With 17,000 to 18,000 tonnes of waste that Malaysians generate daily, the cost of disposal is enormous.
What has happened to the "strategic" solid waste management plan that Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting promised two years ago when he was officiating a recycling project at Kota Kemuning?
A secret plan is useless unless it is for war against enemies. A secret solid waste management plan only creates more waste. This might explain why Malaysia has achieved only a 3% recycling rate, according to official figures, after spending about RM40 million from 2001-03.
Ong and his senior officers did occasionally provide solid waste related data in press conferences. These are useful, but inadequate. Statistics and information, including nasty truths about solid waste management problems and reports of commissioned studies, should also be posted on the ministry's website to promote informed discussions.
Local researchers who are interested in solid waste management should be able to build on what is already known and not get bogged down collecting data that are already in the files in the ministry. Their time and funds should be spent on collecting new data and formulating innovative ideas.
Furthermore, the ministry has been calling on local authorities to adopt Local Agenda 21, a consultative instrument that is based on the principle that consultation promotes compliance and cooperation for sustainable development.
In solid waste management, compliance with the rules and cooperation by all stakeholders are paramount in ensuring success.Surely the ministry must practise what it preaches. But fruitful consultations are predicated on the availability of data and information. When the government treats solid waste information like national security secrets, the sense of urgency to seek improvement is lost. The reluctance to let the facts out could be nothing more than the lack of transparency in many government departments.
But it could lead to a perception of apathy on the part of the officers entrusted to improve solid waste management. Worse, it could lead to suspicion that the minister or his officials want to hide embarrassing, or even illegal, matters.Unlike nuclear science, ordinary Malaysians, including housewives, can provide good ideas. After all, they generate waste and are familiar with the way it is stored and collected in their neighbourhoods. They also suffer when the management is ineffective or inefficient.Dr Goh Ban Lee can be reached at gohbanlee@yahoo.com.
Johor seeks RM700m for river clean-up
Date : 290804
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Johor seeks RM700m for river clean-up
JOHOR BARU: Johor has applied for a RM700 million allocation from the federal government to clean up its three main rivers which are severely polluted.
State Tourism and Environment Committee Chairman Freddie Long Hoo Hin said on Tuesday the state government planned to clean up Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Segget and Sungai Skudai in the Ninth Malaysia Plan from 2006 to 2010. "The rivers are severely polluted due to the dumping of liquid and solid wastes in the last 40 years and they need to be cleaned up for the future," he said after launching a cleanliness campaign for Lido Beach themed "Return 2 De Sea" organised by Hotel M Suites here.
The federal government would be furnished with a detailed report on the pollution, including proposed action plans, prepared by the Danish Cooperation on Environmental Development which studied the rivers with cooperation from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2003. He also said the Johor Baru City Council was spending some RM30 million a year to get rid of 380,000 tonnes of garbage and to beautify the city.
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Johor seeks RM700m for river clean-up
JOHOR BARU: Johor has applied for a RM700 million allocation from the federal government to clean up its three main rivers which are severely polluted.
State Tourism and Environment Committee Chairman Freddie Long Hoo Hin said on Tuesday the state government planned to clean up Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Segget and Sungai Skudai in the Ninth Malaysia Plan from 2006 to 2010. "The rivers are severely polluted due to the dumping of liquid and solid wastes in the last 40 years and they need to be cleaned up for the future," he said after launching a cleanliness campaign for Lido Beach themed "Return 2 De Sea" organised by Hotel M Suites here.
The federal government would be furnished with a detailed report on the pollution, including proposed action plans, prepared by the Danish Cooperation on Environmental Development which studied the rivers with cooperation from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2003. He also said the Johor Baru City Council was spending some RM30 million a year to get rid of 380,000 tonnes of garbage and to beautify the city.
Looking to the sun and biomass
Date : 070804
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Looking to the sun and biomass by Sharon Kam
Quantum H2's industrial engineer Chaizul Shamsuddin checks the hydrogen production chamber (HPC) system before starting the car. Though it can only be driven up to 50km per hour and is sometimes jerky, it is only the beggining.
BLESSED WITH generous reserves of oil and gas, Malaysia is painlessly able to meet its current energy needs. These fossil fuels, which are mainly sourced off the coast of Terengganu and Sarawak, provide 80% of the national primary energy supply.
Today, natural gas is the mainstay of our energy regime, fuelling 70% of power plants in the country.
However, electricity suppliers are turning increasingly to imports of coal, a cheap but polluting energy source. This trend will continue as the energy sector moves away from an over-depende
nce on oil, which provided almost 80% of the power generated at one point.
However, fossil fuels are finite and gradually depleting. Hence, the world is looking at renewable energy (RE) to power the future.
Major power and fuel companies in the world are vigorously looking into alternative sources of energy. Not to be left behind, Petronas, too, has embarked on a RE research programme.
Estimating our oil reserves is a subjective matter, as it can change with the discovery of new fields.
For now, Petronas expects the country's oil reserves to last another 18 years while gas reserves would last another 34 years.
"It is difficult to quantify when our oil and gas resources will be depleted," says Lim Cheong Chuan (pix), principal assistant secretary of the International and Sustainable Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications.
"Natural gas is estimated to last about three to four times longer than oil but we will never know exactly when. Maybe deep down in the ocean somewhere, there may still be large sources of oil which are still undiscovered."
However, one thing is for sure: oil will cost more in future as drilling for the resource gets more expensive, the deeper and more inaccessible the deposit.
According to the 2002 report on the National Energy Balance of Malaysia, oil consumption stood at 21.9 million tonnes and production at 33.6 million tonnes. Energy consumption is currently growing at a rate of 8% annually. Considering the fact that demand is constantly growing against finite conventional energy resources, it would be wise to diversify into renewable forms of energy. Furthermore, not only are fossil fuels finite, emissions from their combustion processes are also major contributors to greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming. Malaysia is a signatory to the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol which commit it to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides being replenishable, another plus for renewable energy is that it is generally cleaner than fossil fuels.
To ensure sustainability of energy resources and to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases, the government in the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001-05), gave RE the status of a fifth fuel after gas, hydro, coal and oil in its energy supply mix. The energy policy emphasises the importance of energy efficiency and RE initiatives. In line with this policy, efforts have been undertaken to encourage the use of renewable sources of energy, including solar, mini-hydro, municipal waste and agricultural biomass.
The present policy is to encourage the private sector to take the lead in RE development and application. Under the Small Renewable Energy Power programme (SREP) launched in May 2001, small power operators that use renewable sources can sell electricity to Tenaga Nasional, each providing up to a maximum of 10MW into the national distribution grid system.
To date, 59 applications have been approved with a capacity of 352MW, says Lim. "The bottom line is to encourage more RE power plants." The government's main focus at present is on biomass and solar (thermal) energy in view of their availability and huge potential. The main biomass resource in the country comes in the form of agriculture wastes, such as oil palm waste and rice husk, and municipal solid waste.
As the largest palm oil producer in the world, the country has more than 300 palm oil mills producing an estimated 19 million tonnes of crop residues per year. Empty fruit bunches, fibre and even palm oil mill effluent or wastewater can be used for the generation of steam and electricity. What is needed is to determine the viability of this resource use on an industrial scale.
The project, called the Biomass-based Power Generation and Cogeneration in Malaysia Palm Oil Industry (Biogen) Project undertaken by Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (PTM) with financing from the United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility and the government, kicked off in October 2002. The five-year project aims to be a model plant to demonstrate the viability of palm oil waste as a power generation source.
The programme's developers hope that financial institutions will be convinced about the viability of RE projects as a lack of finances is a major hindrance to their development, says PTM chief executive officer Dr Anuar Abdul Rahman (pix).
More recently, however, other uses for oil palm waste have emerged in the fertiliser and the pulp and paper industries, creating competition for the raw material.
"Oil palm waste is no longer a waste considering its use in other industries. It is no longer as freely or as regularly available as it was before, so there is a problem there," Lim explains.
Solar power is another important option, particularly for rural electrification and water heating.
Solar water heaters are commonly used by the urban population. It is estimated that some 10,000 units of domestic solar water heater systems have been installed nationwide.
However, solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply has been limited to some special applications in remote locations.
Although solar power has tremendous potential, especially for remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak, the cost of PV panels and technology is still too expensive for mass power generation, says Anuar. "Currently, about 400 kilowatts-peak (kwp) of solar power supply is grid connected with 362kwp coming from Technology Park Malaysia," he says. However, this cost equation is set to change.
The Malaysian Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV) Project, also undertaken by PTM, aims to reduce the cost of solar PV power supply in the long term by 20%, through its application in building designs. The full project is scheduled to begin early next year. "We aim to achieve a 20% reduction in cost which will make it comparable with the current cost of electricity," says Anuar. PTM is also the coordinator for the National Steering Committee on Solar, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell. The committee is currently drafting a road map for the next 20 years on the development of the new RE resources. It is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
The road map will chart out the problems and direction towards the successful development and application of these three RE resources in the country.
Hydrogen and fuel-cell technology, where energy is converted into electricity and heat without combustion have been identified as potential alternative sources of energy. "Hydrogen is the "in" thing because it is very clean as the only emission you get is water. Unfortunately, it is still very expensive and one would need to build suitable infrastructure for commercial usage," Anuar explains.
Other RE resources include household waste through landfill gasification, and mini-hydro plants.
Academic and research institutions are given opportunities to develop RE technology while RE fiscal incentives were given in the 2003 Budget.
Malaysia is currently working on hands-on applications of RE in a number of projects.
It is estimated that by achieving 5% share of RE in electricity generation, Malaysia can save RM2.8 billion over a 20-year period just by reducing coal imports. It would also result in a reduction of 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2020.
To date, less than 1% of electricity is RE-generated. "We are still at a very preliminary or academic stage. We are heavily dependent on fossil fuels but we have to start somewhere because it may take decades to achieve even 10% of RE-generated power for the country," says Lim. There are several barriers to the development and application of RE in the country, including the lack of awareness on the benefits of RE and the high cost of investments.
"The urgency lies in the fact that we may be a net importer of oil in the years to come," says Lim.
"We cannot afford to keep on pinching the technology from the other more developed countries because we have to pay for it, so we have to try to develop our local expertise," he says.
There is a lot of research on RE going on in the country but full-scale applications are lacking. This is mainly due to the ringgit and sen factor. RE developers who want to sell their power to TNB may find the tariff rates too low while financial institutions are still sceptical about financing RE projects.
Those who think that using RE is expensive probably forget to consider the cost to the environment compared with conventional fuel. As Lim says, "Unlike the haze, we cannot see greenhouse gases, so maybe that is why people do not feel the urgency."Have water will travel
IT WON'T BE too long before we see cars running on the road spewing water vapour instead of deadly exhaust fumes. theSun team had an opportunity to experience that future during a ride in one such vehicle recently. The test car was jerky at times, but overall it was smooth. It could be driven up to 50kmh, not very fast, but this is only the beginning of greater things to come, hopefully.
Chief engineer Chaizul Shamsuddin of Quantum H2 said the fuel cost of the car is 30-40% less than petrol and generates hardly any pollution. The company is not hoping to produce a car that runs on water, but rather the technology which allows not only the car but everything else which needs energy, to run on water. More accurately, the new energy source is hydrogen harvested from water. The car used for the experiment was fixed with the company's prototype HPC or hydrogen production chamber system.
This "breaks" water up to produce hydrogen gas which is regulated to serve as the fuel source for the car engine. The electricity produced from the HPC also powers the company's showroom. Hydrogen is safe, clean and abundant. After all, it is present in the air we breathe. Although hydrogen is known as a very efficient fuel (three times more efficient than petrol), it is not widely used as hydrogen extraction and production methods are very expensive. Thus, its use is limited to experimental needs.
Multi-million dollar research and development is being carried out around the world to find the best way to harness the gas as an alternative fuel. Locally, however, Quantum H2 Sdn Bhd, a small company with only a capital investment of a little over US$1 million (RM3.8 million), has over five years succeeded in inventing a system which can produce on demand hydrogen cheaply.
Company marketing director Yee K.P. (pix) says the HPC system is able to produce an unlimited amount of clean energy using water of almost any kind without external fuel and at a relatively low cost. In a process similar to cold fusion where energy can be produced using low heat, hydrogen gas is produced via a reaction between a specially concocted compound combined with water of any kind.
The hydrogen gas produced can then be used to generate electricity or heat, or as gas.
"You can use normal tap water, sewage water, milk, Coke, any kind of water and it will work just as well," says Yee. On the secret formula of the compound created, Yee would only divulge that it is made up of inexpensive yet abundantly available natural materials."It is something you can get very cheaply anywhere," he said.
Since the HPC produces hydrogen on demand, it also eliminates the conventional way of hydrogen storage in compressed containers making it safer as well. The HPC is also portable as it runs on the energy it produces. All you need is a little water and the special compound.
Samples of the hydrogen gas produced from the HPC were tested at the Environmental and Energy Technology Centre in Sirim and it was found that the hydrogen standard of purity produced was 99.9%.
One litre of water and 26 sen of the formulated material can produce about one kwh of electricity, heat and additional gas to operate a one-burner cooking stove for one to one-and-a-half hours. Yee said the company is working on refining the technology for various applications, including as vehicle fuel. "Imagine, instead of searching for a petrol station all you need is a little bit of water or anything else containing water, to run your car.
"Fishing boats need not store petrol or diesel on board, they just use sea water," he said.
However, it will take some time before the technology reaches that stage. Nevertheless, the company feels the technology is ready to be commercialised, at least to produce the energy needs for industries and office buildings.
"We would be able to sell electricity to the end- user at 40% less than what your regular energy cost. Large commercial buildings which spend hundreds of thousands of ringgit every month on their electricity bill should give this alternative a try," said Yee. He said a few companies have voiced interest in using the HPC-produced electricity supply for their buildings while a foreign government has also proposed a business arrangement with the company.
For information, e-mail quantum_h2@yahoo.com
Benefits of using palm diesel
THE Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), in collaboration with national oil company Petronas, has developed a patented technology to transform crude palm oil into a diesel substitute. Palm diesel has been systematically evaluated as diesel fuel substitute from 1983 to 1994. These included laboratory evaluation, stationary engine testing and field trials on a large number of vehicles including taxis, trucks, cars and buses. Field trials with Mercedes Benz of Germany on buses have been successfully completed with each bus covering 300,000km, the expected life of the engines.
No modification of the engines is required, there is cleaner exhaust emission and fuel consumption is comparable with petroleum diesel. The patented palm diesel technology is now exported to a company in South Korea. A more recent initiative is to use palm olein (or cooking oil) as an alternative fuel. It is used directly in blends with petroleum diesel. Many MPOB vehicles have been using the B2, consisting of 2% of palm olein in petroleum diesel. Hydrogen fuel cell carsFuel cell technology has been available for decades. Every major carmaker has been researching and developing some type of fuel cell vehicle. DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan predict that full commercialisation for the public will begin in a decade.
The toughest challenge is in making them cheap enough for everyone.
In 2002, Honda's FCX was the first fuel-cell car to be certified for use in the US. There are 12 Honda fuel-cell cars on the road in the United States to date. Recently, Associated Press reported DaimlerChrysler loaned five Mercedes-Benz A-class "F-Cell" cars to companies and a government department in Singapore for two years of road testing. Since 1994, Daimler-Chrysler has invested US$1 billion (RM3.8 billion) in the technology, which powers vehicles with compressed hydrogen.
The engines emit no pollutants, as the only waste material is pure water. Prototype hydrogen-fuelled vehicles typically cost US$1 million to US$2 million (RM3.8 million to RM7.6 million) each.
It'll cost Singapore S$50 (RM110) to refuel the car with a tank that can travel 160km. Refueling can be done at a specially equipped gas station in the eastern part of Singapore. The eco-house is developed by the director of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Advanced Engineering Centre Prof Kamaruzzaman Sopian and architect Shah Jaafar. It is the world's first self-sustainable house powered by hydrogen.
The house was constructed to showcase the viability of solar hydrogen technology for residential buildings. Instead of conventional electricity, the eco-house uses hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity to operate household appliances. PV panels are mounted on the rooftop and the solar power is used to convert ionised water into hydrogen through electrolysis, which breaks down compounds using electricity. The hydrogen tank is located some distance from the house and a pipe connects it to the utility gas line in the house. The gas operates a fuel cell to produce electricity.
The design of the house incorporates low energy features such as shades and daylight and natural ventilation to lower temperature. Technology Park Malaysia uses solar energy to power its IT server rooms and network equipment for TPMNet. The solar powered, grid connected system with a UPS battery bank and a generator backup ensures uninterrupted and secure power supply for TPM. This is the largest solar array project in the Asia Pacific. TPM's Solar Research Centre has also embarked on an R&D project which involves the production of silicon cells and solar module manufacturing. Future projects by TPM include harnessing solar energy for its Computer Integrated Farm to ensure continuous power supply for its Biotechnology Division.
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Looking to the sun and biomass by Sharon Kam
Quantum H2's industrial engineer Chaizul Shamsuddin checks the hydrogen production chamber (HPC) system before starting the car. Though it can only be driven up to 50km per hour and is sometimes jerky, it is only the beggining.
BLESSED WITH generous reserves of oil and gas, Malaysia is painlessly able to meet its current energy needs. These fossil fuels, which are mainly sourced off the coast of Terengganu and Sarawak, provide 80% of the national primary energy supply.
Today, natural gas is the mainstay of our energy regime, fuelling 70% of power plants in the country.
However, electricity suppliers are turning increasingly to imports of coal, a cheap but polluting energy source. This trend will continue as the energy sector moves away from an over-depende
nce on oil, which provided almost 80% of the power generated at one point.However, fossil fuels are finite and gradually depleting. Hence, the world is looking at renewable energy (RE) to power the future.
Major power and fuel companies in the world are vigorously looking into alternative sources of energy. Not to be left behind, Petronas, too, has embarked on a RE research programme.
Estimating our oil reserves is a subjective matter, as it can change with the discovery of new fields.
For now, Petronas expects the country's oil reserves to last another 18 years while gas reserves would last another 34 years.
"It is difficult to quantify when our oil and gas resources will be depleted," says Lim Cheong Chuan (pix), principal assistant secretary of the International and Sustainable Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications.
"Natural gas is estimated to last about three to four times longer than oil but we will never know exactly when. Maybe deep down in the ocean somewhere, there may still be large sources of oil which are still undiscovered."
However, one thing is for sure: oil will cost more in future as drilling for the resource gets more expensive, the deeper and more inaccessible the deposit.
According to the 2002 report on the National Energy Balance of Malaysia, oil consumption stood at 21.9 million tonnes and production at 33.6 million tonnes. Energy consumption is currently growing at a rate of 8% annually. Considering the fact that demand is constantly growing against finite conventional energy resources, it would be wise to diversify into renewable forms of energy. Furthermore, not only are fossil fuels finite, emissions from their combustion processes are also major contributors to greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming. Malaysia is a signatory to the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol which commit it to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides being replenishable, another plus for renewable energy is that it is generally cleaner than fossil fuels.
To ensure sustainability of energy resources and to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases, the government in the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001-05), gave RE the status of a fifth fuel after gas, hydro, coal and oil in its energy supply mix. The energy policy emphasises the importance of energy efficiency and RE initiatives. In line with this policy, efforts have been undertaken to encourage the use of renewable sources of energy, including solar, mini-hydro, municipal waste and agricultural biomass.
The present policy is to encourage the private sector to take the lead in RE development and application. Under the Small Renewable Energy Power programme (SREP) launched in May 2001, small power operators that use renewable sources can sell electricity to Tenaga Nasional, each providing up to a maximum of 10MW into the national distribution grid system.
To date, 59 applications have been approved with a capacity of 352MW, says Lim. "The bottom line is to encourage more RE power plants." The government's main focus at present is on biomass and solar (thermal) energy in view of their availability and huge potential. The main biomass resource in the country comes in the form of agriculture wastes, such as oil palm waste and rice husk, and municipal solid waste.
As the largest palm oil producer in the world, the country has more than 300 palm oil mills producing an estimated 19 million tonnes of crop residues per year. Empty fruit bunches, fibre and even palm oil mill effluent or wastewater can be used for the generation of steam and electricity. What is needed is to determine the viability of this resource use on an industrial scale.
The project, called the Biomass-based Power Generation and Cogeneration in Malaysia Palm Oil Industry (Biogen) Project undertaken by Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (PTM) with financing from the United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility and the government, kicked off in October 2002. The five-year project aims to be a model plant to demonstrate the viability of palm oil waste as a power generation source.
The programme's developers hope that financial institutions will be convinced about the viability of RE projects as a lack of finances is a major hindrance to their development, says PTM chief executive officer Dr Anuar Abdul Rahman (pix).
More recently, however, other uses for oil palm waste have emerged in the fertiliser and the pulp and paper industries, creating competition for the raw material.
"Oil palm waste is no longer a waste considering its use in other industries. It is no longer as freely or as regularly available as it was before, so there is a problem there," Lim explains.
Solar power is another important option, particularly for rural electrification and water heating.
Solar water heaters are commonly used by the urban population. It is estimated that some 10,000 units of domestic solar water heater systems have been installed nationwide.
However, solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply has been limited to some special applications in remote locations.
Although solar power has tremendous potential, especially for remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak, the cost of PV panels and technology is still too expensive for mass power generation, says Anuar. "Currently, about 400 kilowatts-peak (kwp) of solar power supply is grid connected with 362kwp coming from Technology Park Malaysia," he says. However, this cost equation is set to change.
The Malaysian Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV) Project, also undertaken by PTM, aims to reduce the cost of solar PV power supply in the long term by 20%, through its application in building designs. The full project is scheduled to begin early next year. "We aim to achieve a 20% reduction in cost which will make it comparable with the current cost of electricity," says Anuar. PTM is also the coordinator for the National Steering Committee on Solar, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell. The committee is currently drafting a road map for the next 20 years on the development of the new RE resources. It is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
The road map will chart out the problems and direction towards the successful development and application of these three RE resources in the country.
Hydrogen and fuel-cell technology, where energy is converted into electricity and heat without combustion have been identified as potential alternative sources of energy. "Hydrogen is the "in" thing because it is very clean as the only emission you get is water. Unfortunately, it is still very expensive and one would need to build suitable infrastructure for commercial usage," Anuar explains.
Other RE resources include household waste through landfill gasification, and mini-hydro plants.
Academic and research institutions are given opportunities to develop RE technology while RE fiscal incentives were given in the 2003 Budget.
Malaysia is currently working on hands-on applications of RE in a number of projects.
It is estimated that by achieving 5% share of RE in electricity generation, Malaysia can save RM2.8 billion over a 20-year period just by reducing coal imports. It would also result in a reduction of 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2020.
To date, less than 1% of electricity is RE-generated. "We are still at a very preliminary or academic stage. We are heavily dependent on fossil fuels but we have to start somewhere because it may take decades to achieve even 10% of RE-generated power for the country," says Lim. There are several barriers to the development and application of RE in the country, including the lack of awareness on the benefits of RE and the high cost of investments.
"The urgency lies in the fact that we may be a net importer of oil in the years to come," says Lim.
"We cannot afford to keep on pinching the technology from the other more developed countries because we have to pay for it, so we have to try to develop our local expertise," he says.
There is a lot of research on RE going on in the country but full-scale applications are lacking. This is mainly due to the ringgit and sen factor. RE developers who want to sell their power to TNB may find the tariff rates too low while financial institutions are still sceptical about financing RE projects.
Those who think that using RE is expensive probably forget to consider the cost to the environment compared with conventional fuel. As Lim says, "Unlike the haze, we cannot see greenhouse gases, so maybe that is why people do not feel the urgency."Have water will travel
IT WON'T BE too long before we see cars running on the road spewing water vapour instead of deadly exhaust fumes. theSun team had an opportunity to experience that future during a ride in one such vehicle recently. The test car was jerky at times, but overall it was smooth. It could be driven up to 50kmh, not very fast, but this is only the beginning of greater things to come, hopefully.
Chief engineer Chaizul Shamsuddin of Quantum H2 said the fuel cost of the car is 30-40% less than petrol and generates hardly any pollution. The company is not hoping to produce a car that runs on water, but rather the technology which allows not only the car but everything else which needs energy, to run on water. More accurately, the new energy source is hydrogen harvested from water. The car used for the experiment was fixed with the company's prototype HPC or hydrogen production chamber system.
This "breaks" water up to produce hydrogen gas which is regulated to serve as the fuel source for the car engine. The electricity produced from the HPC also powers the company's showroom. Hydrogen is safe, clean and abundant. After all, it is present in the air we breathe. Although hydrogen is known as a very efficient fuel (three times more efficient than petrol), it is not widely used as hydrogen extraction and production methods are very expensive. Thus, its use is limited to experimental needs.
Multi-million dollar research and development is being carried out around the world to find the best way to harness the gas as an alternative fuel. Locally, however, Quantum H2 Sdn Bhd, a small company with only a capital investment of a little over US$1 million (RM3.8 million), has over five years succeeded in inventing a system which can produce on demand hydrogen cheaply.
Company marketing director Yee K.P. (pix) says the HPC system is able to produce an unlimited amount of clean energy using water of almost any kind without external fuel and at a relatively low cost. In a process similar to cold fusion where energy can be produced using low heat, hydrogen gas is produced via a reaction between a specially concocted compound combined with water of any kind.
The hydrogen gas produced can then be used to generate electricity or heat, or as gas.
"You can use normal tap water, sewage water, milk, Coke, any kind of water and it will work just as well," says Yee. On the secret formula of the compound created, Yee would only divulge that it is made up of inexpensive yet abundantly available natural materials."It is something you can get very cheaply anywhere," he said.
Since the HPC produces hydrogen on demand, it also eliminates the conventional way of hydrogen storage in compressed containers making it safer as well. The HPC is also portable as it runs on the energy it produces. All you need is a little water and the special compound.
Samples of the hydrogen gas produced from the HPC were tested at the Environmental and Energy Technology Centre in Sirim and it was found that the hydrogen standard of purity produced was 99.9%.
One litre of water and 26 sen of the formulated material can produce about one kwh of electricity, heat and additional gas to operate a one-burner cooking stove for one to one-and-a-half hours. Yee said the company is working on refining the technology for various applications, including as vehicle fuel. "Imagine, instead of searching for a petrol station all you need is a little bit of water or anything else containing water, to run your car.
"Fishing boats need not store petrol or diesel on board, they just use sea water," he said.
However, it will take some time before the technology reaches that stage. Nevertheless, the company feels the technology is ready to be commercialised, at least to produce the energy needs for industries and office buildings.
"We would be able to sell electricity to the end- user at 40% less than what your regular energy cost. Large commercial buildings which spend hundreds of thousands of ringgit every month on their electricity bill should give this alternative a try," said Yee. He said a few companies have voiced interest in using the HPC-produced electricity supply for their buildings while a foreign government has also proposed a business arrangement with the company.
For information, e-mail quantum_h2@yahoo.com
Benefits of using palm diesel
THE Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), in collaboration with national oil company Petronas, has developed a patented technology to transform crude palm oil into a diesel substitute. Palm diesel has been systematically evaluated as diesel fuel substitute from 1983 to 1994. These included laboratory evaluation, stationary engine testing and field trials on a large number of vehicles including taxis, trucks, cars and buses. Field trials with Mercedes Benz of Germany on buses have been successfully completed with each bus covering 300,000km, the expected life of the engines.
No modification of the engines is required, there is cleaner exhaust emission and fuel consumption is comparable with petroleum diesel. The patented palm diesel technology is now exported to a company in South Korea. A more recent initiative is to use palm olein (or cooking oil) as an alternative fuel. It is used directly in blends with petroleum diesel. Many MPOB vehicles have been using the B2, consisting of 2% of palm olein in petroleum diesel. Hydrogen fuel cell carsFuel cell technology has been available for decades. Every major carmaker has been researching and developing some type of fuel cell vehicle. DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan predict that full commercialisation for the public will begin in a decade.
The toughest challenge is in making them cheap enough for everyone.
In 2002, Honda's FCX was the first fuel-cell car to be certified for use in the US. There are 12 Honda fuel-cell cars on the road in the United States to date. Recently, Associated Press reported DaimlerChrysler loaned five Mercedes-Benz A-class "F-Cell" cars to companies and a government department in Singapore for two years of road testing. Since 1994, Daimler-Chrysler has invested US$1 billion (RM3.8 billion) in the technology, which powers vehicles with compressed hydrogen.
The engines emit no pollutants, as the only waste material is pure water. Prototype hydrogen-fuelled vehicles typically cost US$1 million to US$2 million (RM3.8 million to RM7.6 million) each.
It'll cost Singapore S$50 (RM110) to refuel the car with a tank that can travel 160km. Refueling can be done at a specially equipped gas station in the eastern part of Singapore. The eco-house is developed by the director of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Advanced Engineering Centre Prof Kamaruzzaman Sopian and architect Shah Jaafar. It is the world's first self-sustainable house powered by hydrogen.
The house was constructed to showcase the viability of solar hydrogen technology for residential buildings. Instead of conventional electricity, the eco-house uses hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity to operate household appliances. PV panels are mounted on the rooftop and the solar power is used to convert ionised water into hydrogen through electrolysis, which breaks down compounds using electricity. The hydrogen tank is located some distance from the house and a pipe connects it to the utility gas line in the house. The gas operates a fuel cell to produce electricity.
The design of the house incorporates low energy features such as shades and daylight and natural ventilation to lower temperature. Technology Park Malaysia uses solar energy to power its IT server rooms and network equipment for TPMNet. The solar powered, grid connected system with a UPS battery bank and a generator backup ensures uninterrupted and secure power supply for TPM. This is the largest solar array project in the Asia Pacific. TPM's Solar Research Centre has also embarked on an R&D project which involves the production of silicon cells and solar module manufacturing. Future projects by TPM include harnessing solar energy for its Computer Integrated Farm to ensure continuous power supply for its Biotechnology Division.
Reducing wastage (water) the solution: ERA Consumer
Date : 200604
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Reducing wastage the solution: ERA Consumer
EVEN THOUGH WE may need to pay more for our water, the escalating costs of managing the commodity must be checked. Consumers have a right not to keep paying more for inefficient services.
The mass media have seen a virtual flood of letters from readers who want to see water supply improve before they pay higher tariffs.
As one angry Petaling Jaya resident said, he wants to be able to drink the water straight out of the tap before he pays more.
ERA Consumer and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations are firmly against any price increase considering the present state of the water supply.
Their main concern is the way water is gradually being transformed from a basic human right to a commodity to profit from, with the poor being hardest hit by the rising cost of access to the resource.
A removal of subsidies will be detrimental to the poor, says ERA Consumer secretary-general Indrani Thuraisingham, so any move to increase tariffs or to privatise water supply must be preceded by having certain safety nets in place.
We also need to change our priorities in the management of water, she adds.
Many state water agencies are encountering problems simply because they rely almost 100% on water supply management. When there is not enough water to meet demand, they build more expensive and larger dams and treatment plants. This is where all our money is going.
“Why don’t we focus on water demand management instead, such as reducing wastage, recycling and tackling pollution in waterways?” asks Indrani.
Money should instead be spent on rehabilitating rivers, protecting catchment areas, public education, and other measures to ensure sustainable water supply.
Indrani believes that using water tariffs as a means to control water usage should not be the preferred way, as the people should be educated and made to understand the need to conserve water and the environment.
She also believes that half the problems would be solved if the problem of non-revenue water (NRW) is tackled.
There has been no improvement in the rate of water loss or non-revenue water (NRW) which averages at 40% nationally. Leaky pipes and water pilferage have continued to be the main source of NRW for years.
It was reported that for 2002, Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (PUAS) lost RM565 million through non-revenue water.
“What is required urgently is improved efficiency through upgrading and rehabilitation of the existing distribution system,” she adds.
Indrani also called for better partnership between the stakeholders to ensure that money is spent to attain the sustainable use of water.
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Reducing wastage the solution: ERA Consumer
EVEN THOUGH WE may need to pay more for our water, the escalating costs of managing the commodity must be checked. Consumers have a right not to keep paying more for inefficient services.
The mass media have seen a virtual flood of letters from readers who want to see water supply improve before they pay higher tariffs.
As one angry Petaling Jaya resident said, he wants to be able to drink the water straight out of the tap before he pays more.
ERA Consumer and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations are firmly against any price increase considering the present state of the water supply.
Their main concern is the way water is gradually being transformed from a basic human right to a commodity to profit from, with the poor being hardest hit by the rising cost of access to the resource.
A removal of subsidies will be detrimental to the poor, says ERA Consumer secretary-general Indrani Thuraisingham, so any move to increase tariffs or to privatise water supply must be preceded by having certain safety nets in place.
We also need to change our priorities in the management of water, she adds.
Many state water agencies are encountering problems simply because they rely almost 100% on water supply management. When there is not enough water to meet demand, they build more expensive and larger dams and treatment plants. This is where all our money is going.
“Why don’t we focus on water demand management instead, such as reducing wastage, recycling and tackling pollution in waterways?” asks Indrani.
Money should instead be spent on rehabilitating rivers, protecting catchment areas, public education, and other measures to ensure sustainable water supply.
Indrani believes that using water tariffs as a means to control water usage should not be the preferred way, as the people should be educated and made to understand the need to conserve water and the environment.
She also believes that half the problems would be solved if the problem of non-revenue water (NRW) is tackled.
There has been no improvement in the rate of water loss or non-revenue water (NRW) which averages at 40% nationally. Leaky pipes and water pilferage have continued to be the main source of NRW for years.
It was reported that for 2002, Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (PUAS) lost RM565 million through non-revenue water.
“What is required urgently is improved efficiency through upgrading and rehabilitation of the existing distribution system,” she adds.
Indrani also called for better partnership between the stakeholders to ensure that money is spent to attain the sustainable use of water.
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