Fast & Furious transforming Melaka into Green

Let there 

be light 

Sarawak Energy illuminates 

two longhouses in Batang 

Ai’s interior through solar 

Pursuing green 

packaging 

potentials 

How often, when shopping, do 

you find yourself choosing a 

product because of its packaging? 

Second 

balloting done 

SEDA carries out process for 

solar photovoltaic applications 

for non-individuals 

IN THIS 

ISSUE 

Natural gas 

subsidies in 

Malaysia 

Feather in 

Heriot-Watt’s 

cap 

Wastewater 

you can 

drink 

Navigating 

the Atlantic 

as a giant 

turtle 

Fast & 

Furious 

With his foot firm on the pedal, Chief 

Minister Datuk Seri Ir Idris Haron 

accelerates Melaka to several laps 

ahead of other States in promoting 

green technology, sustainability and 

an eco-friendly environment 

PP 18355/12/2013 (033744) 

Vol 2 Issue 6 RM12.00 

April - May, 2015

Menara Sarawak Energy : First Green Building in East Malaysia, awarded with Final Green 

Building Index (GBI) Silver Rating under the Non-Residential New Construction (NRNC) Category. 

Building on a proud history of more than 70 years as an effective 

local utility company, Sarawak Energy is taking bold steps to 

support the transformation of Sarawak into a modern and high 

income economy. By developing clean power for new industries at 

competitive prices, we are creating new opportunities in Sarawak 

for generations to come. The Sarawak State Government’s vision 

of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy or SCORE, is now a 

reality. 

Sarawak Energy is the catalyst in driving the success of SCORE that 

provides the “Power to Grow”, envisaged to create a stronger 

economy for the State of Sarawak, Malaysia.

2 EDITOR’S NOTE 

Melaka, 

where it all began 

IT SEEMS to make sense that Melaka has stolen a march on the other States in advancing 

green technology and sustainability and an eco-friendly environment. 

Afterall, wasn’t this where Malayan civilisation begun, in 1400? 

If I remember my history correctly, Parameswara, who was fleeing from Sumatra, 

arrived on Melaka’s shores in the late 14th centry. While resting under a tree during a 

hunt, one of Parameswara’s dogs cornered a mousedeer. The defensive instinct of the 

mousedeer saw it pushing the dog into the river. 

All this had not passed Parameswara, who was amazed by the mousedeer’s tenacity and 

will to survive. Parameswara decided then and there, that he would reside at that place, naming 

it Melaka after the Melaka tree in the shades of which he sought rest. 

There began Malayan civilization, and Parameswara eventually 

embraced Islam and became known as Iskandar Shah. 

Under Sultan Mansur Shah, Melaka became a protectorate of China, 

and the relationship was cemented by Sultan Mansur Shah’s marriage 

to Hang Li Po, whose attendants also married locals to breed 

the people we today know as Babas. 

Melaka fell under the Portuguese empire in 1511, the Dutch in 

1641 and eventually Britain in 1824. 

Melaka strategic position along the popular Straits of Malacca 

made it a popular stop for seafarers. 

Today, Melaka is a must-stop destination for tourists from not only 

Europe but from Asean nations as well, especially Singaporeans who 

swarm the city State every weekend. 

Melaka was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. 

Efforts to preserve Melaka have been ongoing, with the present 

State government, under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ir Idris Haron, 

pushing the no-holds-barred “green” agenda to maximum capacity. 

It is Melaka’s intention to be declared a Green Technology City 

by 2020. Such has been their pace and resolve that Melaka’s efforts 

gained recognition by KeTTHA. During the KeTTHA Excellence Awards (KEA) last year, it 

was unsurprising that two Melaka entities won awards. 

Given its commitment to transform Melaka Historical City into a green technology city, Kumpulan 

Melaka Berhad was awarded the Energy Excellence Award for its 5MWp Solar farm 

Project. The evaluation of projects submitted to the Energy category was based on creativity, 

innovation, sustainability, impact and accountability. 

Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad won the Water Excellence Award for successfully reducing the 

Non-Revenue Water rate in Melaka – from 33.9 per cent to 22 per cent over a period of five 

years from 2008. 

Melaka GreenTech Corporation, under the stewardship of Chief Executive Officer Datuk 

Kamaruddin Mohd Shah, has been co-ordinating the State’s efforts to ensure timelines and 

benchmarks are strictly adhered to. 

At least one GreenTech official from another State whispered to me: “I wish we had the 

same political will in my State too. Melaka are miles and miles ahead of us all in achieving the 

targets set by the Prime Minister.” 

A tinge of envy and enormous respect were so obvious in the voice of this State official. 

It all began in Melaka some eight centuries ago, and it has begun again…where else but 

in Melaka. 

Let there 

be light 

Sarawak Energy i luminates 

two longhouses in Batang 

Ai’s interior through solar 

Pursuing green 

packaging 

potentials 

How often, when shopping, do you 

find yourself choosing a product 

because of its packaging? 

Second 


SEDA carries out process for 

solar photovoltaic applications 

for non-individuals 

IN THIS 

ISSUE 

Natural gas 

subsidies in 

Malaysia 

Feather in 

Heriot-Watt’s 

cap 

Wastewater 

you can 

drink 

Navigating 

the Atlantic 

as a giant 

turtle 

Fast & 

Furious 

With his foot firm on the pedal, Chief 

Minister Datuk Seri Ir Idris Haron 

accelerates Melaka to several laps 

ahead of other States in promoting 

green technology, sustainability and 

an eco-friendly environment 

PP 18355/12/2013 (033744) 

Vol 2 Issue 6 RM12.00 

April - May, 2015 

Publisher 

HK Gan 

hkgan@theplus.my 

Managing Editor 

Johnson Fernandez 

johnson@theplus.my 

Photo-Journalist 

Kevin Wong 

kevin@theplus.my 

Contributors 

Aniz Adura Ab. Majid 

Sheila Kumar 

Nur Aimi Ibrahim 

Intan Suriani Rosdi 

Columnists 

Lim Gene-Harn 

Zaini Abdul Wahab 

Kenny Hoo 

Kevin Hor 

R. Jeganathan 

Seema Nanoo 

Abhishek Rohatgi 

Antonio Della Pelle 

Editorial Coordinator 

Sarah Zain 

sarah@theplus.my 

Creative Director 

Arvin Varman 

arvin@theplus.my 

Head of Marketing 

Wong Tze Cheen 

tcwong@theplus.my 

Published by: 

THE PLUS COMMUNICATIONS 

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Block F-05-3, 

Jalan SS7/13A 

Plaza Kelana Jaya 

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JOHNSON FERNANDEZ 

Green+ | April-May 2015

4 CONTENTS 

P.6-9 

Towards a resilient city 

Idris aims to establish Melaka as one of the leading 

green States in the region 

P.10 

Idris: Melaka to focus on six key 

factors 

They will open up investment opportunities in the 

green technology industry 

P.12-13 

P.14 

P.12-13 

In tandem with State plans 

Ideas to include green technology concepts in 

SAMB’s operations is an ongoing effort 

P.14 

Attracting ‘green’ investors 

MSDC encourages application of green technology 

in construction and manufacturing 

P.6-9 

P.16-17 

Melaka gains worldwide recognition 

Historical city bags two international awards 

P.18 

Alor Gajah to create jobs for locals 

Council to focus on promoting and maintaining 

renewable energy projects 

P.20 

An industry player 

KMB proves itself with two solar-related projects 

P.22-25 

Towards sustainable green growth 

Building smarter communities 

P.26-31 

Understanding the current ‘position’ of REEMs 

Concern is more on how competent are REEMs in 

promoting and assisting to implement sustainable 

energy management activities 

P.10 

P.32-37 

Think again before making more babies - The 

21st century taboo? 

Redefining ‘growth’ before riding the ‘Green’ wave 

P.18 

P.38-39 

Property boosts to continue in Jakarta till 

2043 

Most auspicious sectors and directions in the forthcoming 

good Feng Shui Period will be the South 

and North 

P.40 

Can On-Bill Financing be the next SAVE 

Programme? 

On-bill financing is a scheme where a utility company 

provides loan to owner to enable the purchase 

of energy-efficient appliances 

P.16-17 

P.42-43 

The Forest, an energy portal 

Bringing the forest into our living space 


CONTENTS 

5 

P.44-45 

Natural gas subsidies in Malaysia: 

Current situation and outlook 

Pressure on policy-makers to remove the 

inefficient subsidies 

P.46 

Discipline, attitude and commitment 

brings ‘green’ glass 

Glassdac’s objective is to provide the comfort 

solutions to create a green environment 

in order to reduce CO 2 

emission 

P.42-43 P.46 P.62-63 

Recycling key to averting a global water 

crisis 

P.47 

Second balloting done 

SEDA carries out process for solar photovoltaic 

applications for non-individuals 

P.48-50 

Let there be light(48) 

Sarawak Energy illuminates two longhouses 

in Batang Ai’s interior through solar 

Stepping up sustainability efforts 

(P.49) 

Initiative an essential step towards ensuring 

hydropower projects are implemented and 

run according to guidelines 

Sarawak Energy adds eco-friendly electric 

vehicles to fleet (P.50) 

Nissan Leaf EVs will play integral part in 

company’s learning curve 

P.52-54 

Pursuing green packaging potentials 

How often, when shopping, do you find yourself 

choosing a product because of its packaging? 

To a certain degree, we tend to judge 

a book by its cover – or, as in this instance, 

the product by its packaging 

P.56 

P.58-59 

P.64 

Reducing fuel and energy costs 

Innovative High Perfomance Syn-Energy 

Technology was developed by Amiran 

Technology 

P.66 

Mature forest needed to protect species 

from climate change 

When drought conditions of ENS change 

rainfall patterns for years, plants, water 

availability and fire regimes alter dramatically 

ENSO, otherwise known as the El Niño 

Southern Oscillation, is one 

P.68-69 

How AIDS moved from chimps and, 

now, gorillas 

Chimps, pan troglodytes, proven source of 

M and N, within populations living in the 

south of Cameroon 

P.70 

Oil boom in Texas is over? 

For a year or two, shale oil seemed to 

encourage the American dream of growth 

and cheap energy, but it was a literal 

(Keystone) pipe-dream 

P.56 

Powering the Green Economy 

This year IGEM 2015 will also feature two 

unique sub-events 

P.57 

GreenTech and MIP ink partnership to 

boost sustainable cities 

All 149 municipalities to implement Low 

Carbon Cities Framework & Assessment By 

2020 

P.58-59 

Feather in their cap 

Heriot-Watt intends to push green agenda 

among staff and students 

P.60-61 

The Carrier Man can 

The AquaEdge 23XRV reduces energy consumption 

by up to 44 per cent compared to 

industry standard 

P.62-63 

Wastewater you can drink 

P.60-61 

P.72-73 

P.72-73 

How mantis control their leaps 

They rotate limbs and abdomen independently 

in order to sail through the air 

keeping their bodies level and directly parallel 

to the target 

P.74-75 

Reports on a better Aral Sea 

Millions of people there need support 

because of the loss of industry and the 

health problems associated with the dust 

from the dying sea 

P.76 

Bees - Humans, in false memory at 

least 

Animals have never been investigated for 

these traits of behaviour and bees will be 

the last to suspect of unreliability 

P.78-79 

China comes clean (legally at least) 

Much of the Chinese groundwater is suffering 

from contamination 

P.80 Green Events 2015 


6 COVER STORY 

Towards a 

resilient city 

Idris aims to establish Melaka 

as one of the leading green 

States in the region 

• BY JOHNSON FERNANDEZ 

Chief Minister Datuk Seri 

Ir Idris Haron re-iterated 

Melaka’s vision to 

become a green technology State 

by 2020. 

He told an international audience 

that Melaka was driven 

by Prime Minister Datuk Seri 

Najib Razak’s pledge during the 

Conference of Parties (COP-15) 

in Copenhagen in 2009 to reduce 

Malaysia’s carbon intensity by 40 

per cent by 2020. 

Melaka, he said, became the 

first State in Malaysia to adopt 

the United Nation’s Urban 

Environmental Accords Green 

City rating system. 

Idris was speaking at the 

Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific 

2015 Congress in Bangkok on 

February 11. 

Among the eminent 

personalities present 

at the Congress were David 

Cadman (President, ICLEI Global 

Executive Committee), Mom 

Rajawongse Sukhumbhand 

Paripatra (Governor of Bangkok), 

Shamshad Akhtar (Executive 

Secretary, UNESCAP), Shunichi 

Murata (Deputy Executive 

Secretary, UNESCAP), Gino van 

Begin (Secretary General, ICLEI), 

Ashvin Dayal (Associate Vice- 

President & Managing Director, 

Rockefeller Foundation – Asia), 

Supachai Tantikom (Advisor to 

Governor of Bangkok), Luiz de 

Mello (Deputy Director, Public 

Governance and Territorial 

Development), Olaf Handloegten 

(Head of Management Unit, 

Global Initiative On Disaster Risk 

Management) and Kaveh Zahedi 

(Regional Director, UNEPROAP). 

“The government of Melaka 

has rigorously targeted the protection 

of the environment and 

resources, and sustainable development, 

since the 80s. It implemented 

this policy into countless 

development and social being 

programmes,” said Idris. 

“We adopted the Melaka Green 

Technology Blueprint and prepared 

a list of indicators 

as recommended 

by the Urban Environmental 

Accords (UEA) to pursue green 

development. We also established 

the Green Technology 

Council to oversee and monitor 

our efforts to achieve Melaka’s 

Green Vision.” 

He informed the Congress 

that the Melaka River underwent 

Recently, we 

received the Green 

Ambassador 

Awards from 

The Green 

Organisation, 

United Kingdom 

for our efforts 

to transform the 

Melaka River.” 

a rehabilitation and beautification 

project since two decades 

ago. In July last year, the second 

phase was completed, which 

entailed 5.2km of waterway 

costing RM283m. The rehabilitation 

increased the water quality 

of the river from Class II to Class 

IIB, which resulted in the increase 

in land value alng the riverbank. 

“I can safely claim that more 

than 80 international languages 

have been spoken on the Melaka 

River cruise. Please spend some 

time taking the cruise and the 

river will tell you a lot of stories. 

“And this initiative is also inline 

with our ‘Go Green’ policy and to 

further enhance our main objective, 

which is to bring back the 

glory of Melaka. With your ideas 

and creativity, the glory of Melaka 

shall return. 

“Recently, we received the 

Green Ambassador Awards from 

The Green Organisation, United 

Kingdom for our efforts to transform 

the Melaka River,” said Idris. 

Melaka, with an area of 1,650 sq 

km, has three administrative districts 

– Alor Gajah, Jasin, Central 

Melaka and four local authorities 

– Melaka Historic City Council, 

Alor Gajah Munical Council, Hang 

Tuah Jaya Municipal Council, 

Jasin Municipal Council. 

Melaka is also known as a 

global tourist destination and 

attained the UNESCO World 

Heritage city Status in 2008. 

Tourist arrivals in Melaka were 

estimated at 14.3m in 2013. 

In April last year, the Indonesia– 

Malaysia-Thailand Growth 

Triangle (IMT-GT) had its workshop 

on the Green City Action 


COVER STORY 

7 

Plan for Melaka. The workshop 

was organized to promote 

intra-regional, integrated and 

sustainable urban development. 

It aims to enable Asean’s 

up-and-coming urban centers 

to achieve healthy growth rates 

coupled with a high quality of life. 

MELAKA GREEN BLUEPRINT 

MELAKA’S consumption of 

energy, water and other resources 

is expected to increase drastically. 

The amount of waste generated 

is also expected to increase 

unless corrective measures are 

taken. 

Similarly, increasing tourists 

and revenues are tremendous 

benefits to the State. But there are 

challenges with regards to traffic 

congestion, and overcrowding 

in heritage areas can discourage 

visitors from coming and affecting 

Melaka’s competitiveness as 

a tourist destination. 

Melaka is coastal community, 

with a history that saw Melaka 

become a bustling trading post 

in the 16th century due to its strategic 

location on the Malacca 

Strait. The same geographic 

advantage can become a disadvantage. 

Because of climate 

change, global temperatures and 

Melaka needs to 

make sure that 

as we continue 

development 

of our coastal 

areas, we do so 

with a thorough 

understanding of 

the risks we may 

face because of 

climate change.” 

sea level are expected to rise in 

this century. 

“The amount of change is still 

under debate, but Melaka needs 

to make sure that as we continue 

development of our coastal areas, 

we do so with a thorough understanding 

of the risks we may face 

because of climate change,” said 

Idris. 

GREEN CITY ACTION PLAN 

(GCAP) 

GCAP provides a set of recommendations 

that are aimed at 

maintaining Melaka’s competitiveness 

as a popular tourist and 

investment destination, keeping 

environmental challenges to a 

minimum, and establishing the 

State as a role model for livability 

in the region. 

The action plan provides Melaka 

with a clear path towards becoming 

a sustainable community. 

“For me personally, it reflects 

a comprehensive approach that 

brings together individual actions 

that we have already started, and 

provides me with clear direction 

on what we need to do in the 


8 COVER STORY 

coming years. 

“What I also like about the 

action plan is that it requires us to 

undertake the right types of analysis 

and data collection that are 

needed if we want to bring about 

large-scale change. A key recommendation 

of the action plan is to 

undertake good long-term planning 

that is based on sound data. 

“By doing so, we will invest 

our resources in actions that 

will provide the largest potential 

impact. It also takes us towards 

a more informed decision-making 

process where we can gauge 

the potential impact of an action 

before we actually commit 

resources to it,” Idris pointed out. 

GCAP also gives due recognition 

to the importance of training 

and awareness programme. One 

of the action plans is to establish 

an International Green Training 

Center in Melaka to spearhead the 

awareness and training activity in 

areas of sustainability and green 

technology. 

“I believe that this programme 

is very important to ensure the 

success of Melaka GCAP and 

also to educate general public 

about climate change, global 

warming, green technology and 

green practices.” 

ICLEI — Member 

IDRIS announced that Melaka was 

a proud member of ICLEI since 

Nov 11 last year. The membership 

allows Melaka to connect with 

over 1,000 cities the world-over 

which are also transforming into 

resilient and sustainable cities. 

Melaka is working closely with 

ICLEI and IMT-GT to develop the 

first State-level carbon inventory 

green house gasses emission 

inventory for Melaka. The 

outcome would be published 

and presented during the UN 

Framework Conventions for 

Climate Change (UNFCCC) 

Conference of Parties (COP-21) 

in Paris this November. 

The report would give Melaka 

I believe that this 

programme is 

very important 

to ensure the 

success of Melaka 

GCAP and also to 

educate general 

public about 

climate change, 

global warming, 

green technology 

and green 

practices.” 

a clear picture of its total carbon 

emissions and to define mitigation 

programmes to reduce our 

emissions. 

Melaka is also working continuously 

with Asian Development 

Bank (ADB) to produce Green 

City indexing and baseline indexing. 

The project will focus on 

improving the capacity for urban 

planning and capacity building 

for the local government officials 

in Melaka through three outputs. 

Such improvements will be measured by adoption and 

implementation of GCAP. The outputs are: 

• The “pintar model” aimed at establishing approaches, 

and analyzing the progress of green city development a 

result of the adoption of the gcap; 

• Capacity building program and modules for enhancing 

capacity and learning on integrated urban development 

and environment planning issues and for managing the 

baseline and benchmarking models that will be handed 

over to Melaka. 

• Policy dialogue conducted through knowledge sharing 

and awareness raising in-country and regional workshops 

to expand the implementation of the gcap and create future 

regional investment opportunities. 

National Smart Community Programme – to deliver GCAP 

MELAKA is part of the special programme under the Smart 

Community Programme at national level to implement the 

GCAP. Melaka is embarking on several projects such as: 

• Energy efficiency projects – currently we initiated the 

transformation of nine State government buildings into 

energy efficient buildings through energy performance 

contracts (EPC) and 20 private buildings, including hotels 

and industries. 

• Waste Eco Ppark in Sungai Udang — to develop industrial 

recycling clusters 

• Solar park — @ Melaka World Solar Valley 

Datuk Kamarudin Md Shah, 

GreenTech Melaka Chief 

Executive Officer 

• Smart grid — Melaka have already started the pilot 

project by installing smart meters to almost 400 houses in 

Ayer Keroh. 


COVER STORY 

9 

Green Highlights 

Other ongoing green projects are: 

• Melaka river rehabilitation 

and beautification project — we 

are transforming from a smelly 

river to tourist destination, it is 

going to be the San Antonio, 

Texas waterway in Asia. 

• The Hang Tuah Jaya Green 

City — to develop a new township 

that focus on green development 

norms. 

• Melaka World Solar Valley — 

to develop a new township that 

focuses on green and solar technology 

development. 

• Solar farms — Two massive 

solar farms with a total capacity 

of 13 megawatts 

• Electric bus — we plan to 

convert almost all our diesel 

buses to electric bus in our cities 

and we targeting 40 electric buses 

to be running this year. 

• Melaka Green Seal — 

Developing own green rating tools 

for residential and non-residential 

buildings. The provisions of the 

Melaka Green Seal are embedded 

in our local council processes, 

starting from build-permission 

to certification of completion and 

compliance, enabling Melaka to 

pass the green knowledge to 

developers and contractors. 

I have been taking 

a personal interest 

in Melaka’s green 

agenda and will 

continue to remain 

engaged in the 

implementation 

process. I 

recognize that 

some of the 

actions identified 

in the action 

plan require us 

to work together 

across different 

sectors and with 

different levels of 

government.” 

“I have been taking a personal 

interest in Melaka’s green agenda 

and will continue to remain engaged 

in the implementation process. I recognize 

that some of the actions identified 

in the action plan require us 

to work together across different 

sectors and with different levels of 

government. 

“For this, we will need to 

strengthen our green governance 

structure as recommended in the 

GCAP. We also need to build a strong 

constituency in support of our green 

activities and will continue to engage 

with key stakeholders including the 

private sector and residents. 

“I am really thrilled that the chief 

ministers and governors forum 

selected Melaka, Songkhla and 

Medan to be the initiators of IMT- 

GT’s flagship green cities initiatives. 

King’s Green Hotel 

was awarded the 

Melaka Green Seal 

I can’t wait to share ideas and challenges 

as we set course on this 

journey together and become 

models not only in Malaysia, 

Thailand and Indonesia but also for 

other Asian countries and beyond,” 

Idris rounded up. 

Idris further pledged to make 

Melaka more livable for all its residents 

and visitors, and establish 

itself as one of the leading green 

States in the region. 

Melaka will host Resilient Cities 

Asia 2016. 

4th Global Science Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) in New York 


10 STATE GREEN GOVERNANCE 

Idris: Melaka to focus on 

six key factors 

They will open up investment 

opportunities in the green 

technology industry 

BROTHERS IN ARMS (from left): Nik Ahmad Faizul Abdul Mallek (Vice-President, MIGHT), Datuk Harjeet Singh (Deputy Secretary General, KeTTHA), Datuk Dr Mohd 

Yusoff Sulaiman (CEO & President, MIGHT), Datuk Wira Md Yunos Husin (Exco — Education, Higher Education, Science & Technology, Green Tech and Innovation), Datuk 

Seri Ir Idris Haron (Chief Minister, Melaka), Datuk Wira Naim Abu Bakar (State Secretary, Melaka), Md Rawi Mahmud (Deputy Exco - Education, Higher Education, Science 

& Technology, Green Tech and Innovation), Mohamad Razif Mubin (Director, Environmental Economics and Natural Resources — PMO), Datuk Kamarudin Md Shah (CEO, 

Melaka GreenTech) 

Melaka Chief Minister 

Datuk Seri Ir. Idris 

Haron launched the 

Knowledge Sharing Seminar 

Green Governance in Malacca on 

March 23 in Malacca. 

It was jointly organised by Green 

Technology Corporation Melaka 

and Malaysia Industry Group for 

High Technology (MIGHT). 

During the launch, Idris said 

Melaka has begun implementing 

plans to focus primarily 

on green technology development 

and with the creation of the 

Green Technology Malacca as a 

policy-making body, it was recognised 

as a developed State in 

2010 based on indicators OECD. 

He added: “At the same time, 

Melaka has also become a Model 

Green City Initiative through 

the Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) in 

2012, which involved other cities 

namely, Songkhla (Thailand) and 

Melaka has become 

a Model Green City 

Initiative through the 

Growth Triangle (IMT- 

GT) in 2012, which 

involved other cities 

namely, Songkhla 

(Thailand) and Medan 

(Indonesia).” 

— Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron, 

Melaka Chief Minister 

Medan (Indonesia). 

“The State government would 

like to thank the Economic 

Planning Unit (EPU), Green City 

Action Plan (GCAP) in collaboration 

with the Asian Development 

Bank (ADB), which was launched 

in May 2014. GCAP — which 

focuses on six key sectors, water, 

energy, transport, zero waste, 

tourism and urban forests and 

agriculture — will open up investment 

opportunities to the green 

technology industry.” 

President and Chief Executive 

Officer of MIGHT, Datuk Dr. Mohd 

Yusoff Sulaiman also stressed 

the importance of the industry in 

the lead in developing countries, 

where, “under the national agenda, 

Science to Action (S2A) which is 

led by the Prime Minister himself. 

S2A is also aiming to increase the 

national capacity through the replication 

process and the adoption 

of the best practices which have 

been successful.” 

The joint venture between 

MIGHT and PHTM in building 

and strengthening the Smart 

Community Program in Melaka 

is centred on the City of Green 

Growth As a Catalyst by GCAP. It 

aims to open the market for green 

projects to attract investment by 

the industry. 

Dato Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman 

said: “The national development, 

especially in towns that became 

catalysts, must be prepared to 

handle the challenges of the 

future with regards to the rate of 

increase in urban population and 

also the effects of global climate 

change. 

“Both of these issues are 

among the major challenges in 

the global and national levels 

that need to be addressed as 

soon as possible through the 

Smart Communities program. In 

this regard, the role of the State 

government and Local Authorities 

are important in strategising the 

formulation and implementation 

of the Green Governance at the 

State and every city.” 


12 Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad 

In tandem with State plans 

Ideas to include green technology concepts in SAMB’s operations is an ongoing effort 

GREEN Technology is a 

relatively new subject of 

interest in SAMB. 

However , SAMB will endeavour 

to implement steps towards 

achieving green technology in its 

operations in line with the State 

government’s aspirations of obtaining 

a green technology city status 

by 2020. Although it is still in its 

infancy at this stage, SAMB has 

taken the necessary steps and will 

initiate the detailed implementation 

planning in its business plan. 

One aspect of green technology 

which has been implemented 

in SAMB is in its water treatment 

process. The introduction of electro-chlorination 

to replace the conventional 

chlorine gas as a disinfectant 

in water treatment is a 

pioneer step towards SAMB’s 

green technology effort. 

This process releases hydrogen 

gas into the atmosphere as 

a by-product, thereby counteracting 

the carbon dioxide concentration 

which is the primary source 

of the greenhouse effect, leading 

to global warming. Although the 

effect is very minuscule, it will go 

a long way eventually in contributing 

to the state’s effort of promoting 

green technology. 

To date, SAMB has installed this 

technology in two of its WTP- the 

Bukit Sebukor WTP in 2011 and 

the recently commissioned DAF 

2 WTP in mid 2014.The system 

which is commissioned in the 

Bukit Sebukor WTP has the added 

advantage of ensuring a safe environment 

whereby the high risk of 

chlorine gas leak is averted since 

the surrounding area has a high 

density of housing and industrial 

activities, besides neighbouring a 

semi residential secondary school. 

The original disinfectant process 

uses chlorine gas, and being a 

heavy gas, the risk of chlorine leak 

can lead to a disastrous tragedy 

Datuk Ir Mohd Khalid Nasir, SAMB 

Chief Executive Office 

since the WTP is located on high 

ground. On the other hand, the use 

of electro-chlorination which emits 

hydrogen gas, known to be the 

lightest gas, will help to alleviate 

a potential environmental disaster. 

Following the successful implementation 

of this project, SAMB is 

embarking on a similar project utilising 

the same concept at another 

treatment plant - the Chin Chin 

plant which is also located in a 

densely populated village environment. 

Although the capital 

cost incurred is comparable to the 

conventional chlorine gas dosing 

system, the benefits derived from 

this technology far outweighs the 

installation and operating costs 

associated with it. 

Every WTP produces sludge 

from its two principal treatment 

processes - flocs produced from 

coagulation and filtrate from filter 

backwashing. 

Conventionally, two types of 

sludge disposal are employed - a 

sludge lagoon in which the supernatant 

produced is discharged to 

the nearest water source which 

eventually will be channeled to 

the main waterways or a sludge 

drying bed in which the dried 

sludge cakes will be transported 

out to a landfill or any other suitable 

disposal facility subject to the 

DOE’s approval. 

Although this system has the 

added advantage of minimum 

operating costs, the large land 

area required (and with that a 

substantial land acquisition cost 

involved) can be a restrictive factor 

if available land area is limited. 

The other sludge treatment alternative 

employs a mechanical 

system which only requires a small 

footprint. 

However, the capital and operating 

costs including maintenance 

costs might be high over the years, 

and as with the sludge lagoon 

concept, the supernatant produced 

will also eventually be discharged 

into a waterway, adding a burden 

to the waterway in terms of pollution 

discharge. 

Unfortunately the Bkt Sebukor 

WTP mentioned earlier does not 

have any sludge treatment facility. 

Being the oldest plant in Melaka 

(built in the 1950s and upgraded 

on two occasions over the years), 

the sludge produced is directly discharged 

into Sg. Melaka, adding 

a burden to its already polluted 

parameters. 

With its limited land area, constructing 

a lagoon is out of the 


Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad 

13 

question and the only alternative 

is to install a mechanical sludge 

treatment facility. With this in mind, 

SAMB has installed such a system 

using a filter belt press type with 

zero discharge into the Sg. Melaka. 

The supernatant produced is 

fully recycled back to the plant 

for treatment, indirectly employing 

a green technology concept 

to its operation. In short, the Bkt 

Sebukor plant will eventually 

portray the characteristics of a 

green WTP. 

A future innovation in green 

technology is the use of solar panel 

to harness energy from the sun 

to generate renewable energy. It 

was suggested that the wide open 

areas of the surface of SAMB’s 

dams are suitable for locating 

solar panels to generate the solar 

energy of the sun. 

It is learnt that this technology 

has been implemented in developed 

countries especially in 

Europe, and although this idea 

seemed remote to SAMB at this 

stage, it is possible to pursue this 

subject in the coming years. 

It was even suggested to include 

this concept during the recent 

value management exercise for 

the proposed Empangan Jernih, in 

line with the State’s and KeTTHA’s 

green revolution concept. Ideas 

to include green technology concepts 

in SAMB’s operations is an 

ongoing effort and SAMB will look 

seriously into this subject in future 

operating periods. 


14 MELAKA STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 

Attracting ‘green’ investors 

MSDC encourages application of green technology in construction and manufacturing 

THE Melaka State 

Development Corporation 

(MSDC) is a provider for 

industrial areas in Melaka World 

Solar Valley (MWSV). 

AUO SunPower Sdn Bhd is one 

of the better-known Malaysian PV 

solar manufacturing companies 

located in MWSV and the only 

Malaysian company to receive the 

Lead Platinum certification from 

the US Green Building Council 

(USGBC). 

Besides that, a solar farm was 

built in line with the State government’s 

mission to become the 

first green technology State by 

the year 2020. MSDC is also promoting 

and focusing on Investors 

who wish to invest in the Industrial 

sector in High Technology and 

Renewable Energy. 

Recently, MSDC attracted 

investors from China, Xinyi 

Glass Holdings Limited, 

Datuk Ir Baharam 

Mohd, MSDC 

Chief Executive 

Officer 

with an investment value of RM1.2 

billion. They set up a factory in 

Elkay Industrial Estate. Xinyi 

Glass Holdings Limited Company 

produces automobile glass 

replacement products 

which comply 

with green 

technology. 

MSDC also encourages manufacturers 

who like to build plants 

by applying the concept of green 

technology in the construction and 

practice of manufacturers. Among 

the proposals of MSDC to manufacturers 

is using the rainwater 

harvesting system as well as 

buildings that comply with green 

building index. 

On January 13, 2015 MSDC 

was the winner of “Low Carbon 

City Framework” (LCCF). MSDC 

have been chosen based on the 

practice of “Building Consumption 

Input System” (BCIS) which is 

monitoring the electrical energy 

consumption of water in each 

building. 

MSDC is also conducting a 

campaign of planting trees 

called “One Staff to a Tree”. 

This is an effort to implement 

green practices among the 

staff. 

MSDC Office 


in this issue 

Ü Tea Team produces results 

Ü Weaving hope for future 

Ü Pomeroy unveils Newpark 

Ü China’s land treatment 

success 

NRE’s 11 goals 

towards a better 

environment 

Implementation of CAAP critical in 

reducing greenhouse emissions 

and combating global warming 

Nam Cheong 

launches new 

‘green’ AHTS vessel 

Not just cost-effective 

but also fuel efficient and 

environmentally-friendly 

Technology 

Provider 

As a premier solution provider, President 

and CE Dato’ Dr Zainal Abidin Mohd Yusof 

is the driver behind SIRIM’s quality and 

technology innovations that help 

companies to compete better

16 HISTORICAL MELAKA CITY COUNCIL 

Melaka gains worldwide 

recognition 

Historical city bags two international awards 

‘GREEN WORLD 

AMBASSADOR’ AWARD 

CEREMONY AT HOUSE OF 

PARLIAMENT, LONDON 

Malacca created history 

when it was awarded 

the ‘Green World 

Ambassador’. Chief Minister, 

Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron 

received the award at The Terrace 

Pavilion, the British Parliament at 

Westminster, on Nov 11, 2013. 

The ceremony was attended by 

500 guests representing various 

communities around the world. 

Malaysia was also recipient of 

the ‘Green Apple Awards’ at last 

June. 

This award strengthened 

Melaka’s standing on the world 

stage and to further boost efforts 

to maintain the green environmental 

sustainability. 

This recognition also clearly 

demonstrated the commitment 

in implementing the Melaka 

River Beautification Project 

Conservation and Melaka becoming 

a tourist destination at domestic 

and international levels. This 

award will certainly serves as a 

catalyst to promote and encourage 

all stakeholders, including citizens 

of the city, to be involved in 

environmental care. 

MBMB Mayor 

Datuk Zainal Hussin 

with the Asean Ministerial Meeting 

on Asean in Vientiane, Laos on 

October 30, 2014. 

MBMB received this award 

based on several initiatives such 

as: 

• Management of the environment 

and promotion of 

clean environment in the 

area of MBMB administration 

to take into account 

several features including 

clean air, soil and 

uncontaminated water 

management 

• Prohibition of discharge 

of oil to drain with the mandatory 

enforcement of 

Grease Trap installation 

• Requiring rainwater collection 

system for building 

approval (SPAH) 

• Establishing a park in 

the hotel area ; King Hotel 

in Bachang, Melaka. 

• Proclaiming ‘Green Low 

Carbon City’ in heritage 

areas 

• ‘Clean Air for Smaller 

City’ Project 

• Tree planting program 

in the MBMB area until 

October 2014 of 18,929 

trees were planted 

STUDY VISIT BY 

COMPASSVALE SECONDARY 

SCHOOL, SINGAPORE 

On March 12, 2015, Historical 

Melaka City Council (MBMB) 

received students from 

Compassvale Secondary School, 

Singapore. A total of 180 students 

and 10 teachers, headed by Ms 

Tay Siew Woon, were on the trip. 

It took place at Taming Sari Hall, 

MBMB and the visitors were provided 

exposure and knowledge 

about town planning and developments 

(landscape). 

They were also briefed about 

Melaka’s intention towards 

green technology city. The delegation 

was welcomed by MBMB 

staff headed by Zuhaila Ahmad 

Zubel, Assistant Director of Town 

Planning Department MBMB 

and Hafizam Mustafa, General 

ENVIRONMENTALLY 

SUSTAINABILITY CITIES 

AWARD, 2014 

Melaka Historical City 

Council (MBMB) received the 

Environmentally Sustainable 

Cities Award 2014 in conjunction 


HISTORICAL MELAKA CITY COUNCIL 

17 

Earth Hour 2015 at MBMB 

Above: Before Earth Hour 8.00 pm • Below: During Earth Hour 8.40 pm 

EARTH HOUR, 2015 

Earth Hour is a global environmental 

initiative in partnership 

with WWF. Individuals, 

businesses, governments and 

communities are invited to turn 

off their lights for one hour on 

Saturday, 28 March 2015 at 

8.30pm (local time) to show their 

support for environmentally sustainable 

action. 

In conjunction with that, MBMB 

took the responsibility by participate 

in this one hour event. The 

tag line for the global campaign 

was “Change Climate Change”, 

returning to the movement’s original 

focus to initiate citizen action 

on global warming. It was held at 

Dataran MBMB and joined by students 

from Kolej Komuniti Bukit 

Beruang and crowds all over the 

city. 

Manager, Operations Division of 

Green Technology Corporation 

Melaka (PTHM). 

The program began with a 

video presentation on the development 

and implementation of 

green technologies in Melaka for 

students to get an overview and 

a better understanding of town 

planning and focus on balancing 

the eco-system. 

Hafizam explained the concept 

Green+ | April-May 2015 

of green development in Melaka 

overall. He also described the 

process using the electric buses 

and green vehicles in Melaka. 

Students were seen diligently 

taking down notes. 

The programme ended with 

exchange of gifts. 

The delegation also visited the 

World Solar Valley, Alor Gajah 

headed by Sulaiman from MPAG. 

MBMB Mayor signed The Durban Adaptation Charter during ASIA - PACIFIC 

Resilient Cities 2015 Congress Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

18 ALOR GAJAH MUNICIPAL COUNCIL 

Alor Gajah to create 

jobs for locals 

Council to focus 

on promoting and 

maintaining renewable 

energy projects 

THE Alor Gajah Municipal 

Council is the local authority 

which actively carrries out 

programmes and activities based 

on the Green Technology Policy 

launched by the Prime Minister in 

2009. 

It is in line with the State government’s 

intention to lead in the 

green technology sector in the 

country which will result in having 

cities, townships and communities 

built on the fundamentals of green 

technology. 

Major projects are aimed at creating 

sustainable urban systems in the 

Alor Gajah Municipal Council’s areas 

of jurisdiction, in particular the generation 

of electricity from renewable 

energy sources. Solar energy has 

been identified as the most feasible 

option in this initiative. 

The AUO Sunpower Sdn. Bhd., a 

solar cell factory in Rembia Industrial 

Area, district of Alor Gajah, is a 

RM2.5 billion foreign direct investment. 

It’s the first big-scale green 

technology manufacturing industry in 

Melaka and has successfully inspired 

community-based renewable energy 

programmes as well as other industrial 

and commercially-based green 

Solar Cells Industry at AUO 

Sunpower Sdn Bhd 

Alor Gajah Municipal Council received International Green Apple Awards For 

Environmental Best Practice And Sustainable Development 2014 at London. 

technology approaches. 

It generates a total of seven 

Megawatts of electricity from a 

clean and renewable source (solar 

farm) from commercial and individual 

installations of solar photovoltaics 

from “Solar Retrofitting On 

Solar Retrofitting On Rooftops 

Community Pilot Project 

Rooftops Community Pilot Project” 

which equals 6,017 tonnes of CO² 

emission reduction. This is targeted 

for Alor Gajah area with an additional 

10% generation from public amenities 

areas installed by the council. 

lagship development of Melaka 

World Solar Valley was RDIC 

Centre (Research, Development, 

Innovation & Commercialization 

Centre) planned on an area (122 

acres) within Melaka World Solar 

Valley (7,248.43 hectares) as a 

Solar Industry Hub which involves 

research, development, innovation 

and commercialization activities and 

capable of capturing majority of solar 

energy technology market within this 

region. 

To support all indicators under 

Urban Environmental Accords 

(UEA), Alor Gajah Muncipal Council 

also established several initiatives 

involving public community 

Datuk Murad Husin President of Alor 

Gajah Municipal Council 

programmes such as recycling, zero 

waste in residential areas, electric 

and hybrid car park sticker, campaign 

on no polysterine, plastic bags 

and others. 

“Alor Gajah will focus on promoting 

and maintaining renewable 

energy projects which involve both 

the public and private sectors within 

the Alor Gajah Municipal Council 

areas as a catalyst for green technology 

implementation and sustainable 

development approaches, specifically 

in the application of solar 

energy technology in an urban scale 

environment,” said Datuk Murad 

Husin, President of Alor Gajah 

Municipal Council. 

For all projects and green technology 

initiatives, the council has mobilised 

its resources and jurisdiction as 

a local authority to ensure that beneficial 

green technology projects 

are implemented within its areas to 

create economic opportunities for 

local residents and contribute to sustainable 

development. 

The council has also introduced 

guidelines which have gained 

support from the private sector, 

especially property developers to 

implement green technology components 

in new property development 

projects. 


20 KUMPULAN MELAKA BERHAD 

An industry player 

KMB proves itself 

with two solarrelated 

projects 


22 MiGHT 

Towards Sustainable 

green growth 

Building smarter communities 

• By Nik Ahmad Faizul Abd Malek (Program Director, Smart Communities ) 

• nikfaizul@might.org.my 

A 

strategic paper on Smart 

Communities was presented 

at the inaugural 

meeting of the Global Science 

and Innovation Advisory Council 

(GSIAC) on 17th May 2010, 

chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister 

of Malaysia. Subsequently and 

as an effort to elevate the importance 

of science and technology 

in national planning and to 

sustain growth beyond 2020, the 

Science to Action (S2A) initiative 

was subsequently launched 

by the Prime Minister on 1st 

November 2013. One of the 

S2A flagship programmes identified 

is the Smart Communities 

Programme. 

One of the key focuses for 

Smart Communities is Cities. In 

line with the S2A’s objective to 

be action oriented with grounded 

impact, this programme would be 

industry driven in nature to drive 

growth, especially in the new 

emerging industries through the 

application of science and technology, 

leading to new implementation 

and business models. 

WHY SMARTER CITIES? 

As cities grow, it faces a 

number of challenges namely 

increase in population, energy 

consumption, and green house 

gas emission level. Preparing 

communities against these grand 

challenges, is now a necessity 

through the following initial 

efforts : 

• The pledge by Malaysia 

on adopting an indicator of voluntary 

reduction of up to 40 

percent in terms of emissions 

intensity of GDP, 

• Forecasted Future 

Investment in Smart City; 

• World Bank’s Malaysia 

Economic Monitor 2011;and 

• Malaysia’s Green 

Technology Foresight 2030. 

GLOBAL TREND ON 

URBANISATION: 

The United Nations report 

on Urban and Rural Growth 

for Developed and Developing 

Countries: 1950-2050 indicates 

that currently more than 50% of 

world population live in urban 

areas and would increase to 

almost 90% in the next 20 years 

as world population is expected 

to grow from 6.9 billion to 8.9 

billion people, of which, 8 billion 

will be living in urban areas. 

Cities are also responsible for 60 

% - 80% of the world’s energy 

consumption and greenhouse 

gas emissions. Cities have therefore; 

become the focal point of 

engagement with issues of 

addressing socio-economic 

needs and sustainability. 

WORLD BANK ECONOMIC 

MONITOR 2011 ON 

MALAYSIA FOCUSING ON 

SMART CITIES: 

The World Bank Economic 

Monitor summarises that the 

requirements to transform 

Malaysian cities are closely 

linked to broader structural 

reforms outlined in the New 

Economic Model (NEM). Key 

extracts of the report are: 

a. Cities are central to 

Malaysia’s aspiration to become 

a high-income economy: 

Higher levels of urbanization are 

associated with higher productivity 

and overall economic growth. 

This is because cities create 

proximity and facilitate the flow 

of knowledge that drives innovation. 

Therefore, in order for 

Malaysia to achieve its goal to 

become a high income economy 

by 2020 it needs to make its 

cities smart; 


MiGHT 

23 

FORECASTED FUTURE 

INVESTMENTS: 

Globally, the expenditure on 

technologies to support the 

Smart City is estimated at USD 

100 billion in the next 10 years. 

The annual expenditure on core 

technologies is estimated to be 

at USD 16 billion per-annum by 

2020. 

Malaysia, as a developing 

nation that aims to be a developed 

and high-income nation 

by 2020 needs to ensure that 

the necessary strategies are 

deployed into cities through 

private and public partnership 

involving the following issues : 

1. Assist in optimising government 

investment and maximising 

outcomes; 

2. Accelerate and intensify 

industry creation on green technology 

and sustainable development 

through inter-ministerial, 

inter-agency and inter-industry 

association coordination; 

3. Induce multi-stakeholders 

partnership platform to cater for 

the multiple interests and content 

through the City Development 

Partner (CDP); 

4. Provide new market space 

for investors (FDIs and DDIs) 

in the emerging industries with 

longer term outlook to induce 

industry participation and 

investment in green technologies/capabilities 

to implement 

sustainable green projects in 

Malaysia and beyond. 

WHAT IS SMART 

COMMUNITIES? 

There have been many interpretations 

and definitions on 

Smart City depending on multiple 

perspectives, one of which 

is ‘technological fusion in a 

strategic way to bring sustainability, 

citizen well-being and 

economic development’. There 

are several national policies and 

initiatives related to Smart City 

involving climate change, green 

technology and ICT. 

The diagram on Smart 

Melaka as Platform for Green Market Access to Malaysia & ASEAN Region 

• 

Benchmarking on 

Green Implementation 

• 

Driving industry participation 

• 

Sub-Regional B-B Collaboration 

on market penetration 

Strategic linkages 

• 

Industry Driven Projects 

• 

Expanding the National 

Smart Communities 

Program 

• 

Streamlining National 

Green Implementation 

Stage 3 

Market 

INDONESIA-MALAYSIA-THAILAND 

GROWTH TRIANGLE 

Sister Cities Program 

Through the Green Agenda 

STRATEGIC (Melaka as Green City Model) 

PARTNERSHIP ON 

SUB-REGIONAL 

Stage 1 Market 

ECONOMIC COOPERATION 

MELAKA 

+ 

Other Key Cities 

in Malaysia 

Stage 2 Market 


24 MiGHT 

Smart Communities Projects in Melaka 

MELAKA 

Industry 

Investment 

Opportunities 

2014-2020 

MALAYSIA 

Industry 

Investment 

Opportunities 

2014-2020 

Communities components as 

described below is an initial 

effort to consolidate and synergise 

these policies under this 

programme. 

Integration across city systems 

is important through 3 key components 

to make cities smarter 

through 3 key components : 

City functions to ensure more 

effective city operations through 

green technology applications 

City community needs through 

providing value experiences in 

e-services 

City data integration and performance 

monitoring/reporting 

MARKET CREATION FOR 

GREEN & ICT PROJECTS 

Bridging the market, technology 

and funding is key to the 

success of in any industry driven 

Smart City projects. Hence, 

implementation model through 

Private-Public Partnership (PPP) 

is key to the success towards 

creation of industry driven projects 

as depicted below. 

CONCLUSION 

Putting all the puzzle pieces 

together, smart city is ideal platform 

towards synergising and 

aligning multiple nation-building 

efforts leading to a sustainable 

Green Growth. 

In accelerating the Industry 

Driven Smart City projects, it is 

also crucial to adopt the right 

implementation and business 

models which are conducive for 

the industry to invest through 

PPPs that involve new value 

chain development, as well as 

value add to the locality in terms 

of businesses to SME/SMIs, job 

opportunities, etc. 

It is also fundamental that the 

governance on projects implementation 

supports the interest 

of the industry in terms of timely 

decision making and facilitative 

in nature. Governmental platform 

in on the green agenda 

is a necessity at state level, 

in strengthening green governance, 

supported by industry 

led Task Force in strategic areas. 

The key challenge in most 

countries now (including developing 

nations) is addressing the 

enablers for Smart City, in facilitating 

industry investments into 

these new emerging areas. It 

is expected that the market will 

picks up in 2016 onwards. Hence, 

the global rat race in Smart City 

has started since 2010 and the 

country that manages to accelerate 

and organise itself in 

addressing these Enablers will 

be the front runners to reap the 

initial global market leadership. 


Energy Events Worldwide 

Leading Trade Fair Network for Renewable and Conventional Power 

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Turkey 

Canada 

China 

Germany 

ICCI 

Istanbul 6 - 8 May 2015 / 27 - 29 Apr 2016 

Electrotech EURASIA 

Istanbul 17 - 20 Mar 2016 

CanWEA 

Toronto 5 - 7 Oct 2015 

Solar Canada 

Toronto 7 - 8 Dec 2015 

Battery Energy Storage SHANGHAI 

Shanghai 27 - 30 Oct 2015 

HANNOVER MESSE 

Hannover 25 - 29 Apr 2016 

www.hannovermesse.de/worldwide

26 COLUMN 

Understanding 

the current ‘position’ of REEMs 

Concern is more on how competent are REEMs in promoting and 

assisting to implement sustainable energy management activities 

Zaini Abdul Wahab is a principal 

consultant & director of Connecys 

Sdn Bhd which specialiszes in 

consultancy for sustainable energy 

management system. He was also 

Director of Energy Efficiency at 

Sustainable Energy Development 

Authority (SEDA) Malaysia and led 

the national EE initiatives under 

ETP and also was the key resource 

person in the drafting of EE & 

Conservation Act by the Ministry of 

Energy, Green Technology and Water 

The REEM is a fairly new competency 

for compliance towards 

electricity regulatory requirements 

in Malaysian market compare to 

other competencies such as competent 

electrical engineer, electrical 

service engineer and chargeman 

for safety while working at electrical 

installations. 

Functions and duties of REEM 

in EMEER 2008 are also very 

general and in can be interpreted 

in many ways and if not being well 

explained and guided by the regulator. 

The market need to be made 

aware that the key objectives of 

EMEER 2008 is to ensure energy 

resources is managed efficiently 

and REEMs are expected to play 

the critical roles for that to happen. 

Currently, many REEMs are 

working fulltime at their existing 

workplace which makes the total 

number of REEMs that would 

result in at least the compliance 

towards EMEER 2008 is far less 

than enough. This has already 

created unhealthy environment in 

the market when the demand outweighs 

supply where some REEMs 

are willing to rush the quantity 

rather than the quality of services 

delivered. 

Companies also will ask other 

companies and finally they will 

decide based on their actual needs 

to appoint REEM. Without proper 

advice and guidelines, companies 

may end up appointing REEM 

with their own reasons and not 

in tandem with the objectives of 

EMEER 2008 implementation. 

This scenario needs to be closely 

monitored by the regulator and to 

close the gaps on different perceptions 

and assumptions by companies 

and REEMs about complying 

with EMEER 2008. 

My main concern is more on how 

competent are REEMs in promoting 

and assisting to implement 

sustainable energy management 

activities for the affected installations 

and for other intensive energy 

users as a whole. 

On-going campaigns to 

increase awareness on the potential 

of new career and business 

opportunities is required to attract 

more EE professionals, practitioners 

and others with related 

energy-efficiency working experience 

to apply to become REEM. 

HOW AFFECTED INSTALLA- 

TIONS SEE REEMS 

The general understanding 

about EMEER 2008 is they need to 

implement energy-saving measures, 

which is not totally correct 

since the focus of the law is on 

the management of energy at the 

affected installations. 

This is where the regulator 

needs to explain clearly and extensively 

that the law is not all about 

energy savings. EMEER 2008 is 

actually focusing on the management 

component of total energy 

management solutions which also 

cover the technical component 

which in turn are directly related to 

energy-saving measures. When 

the energy resources are being 

managed efficiently, it will subsequently 

result in identifying ways to 

eliminate wastage that will improve 

energy resources utilization in the 

facilities. 

To put so much emphasis on 

energy savings will create the 

impression of quickly to jump into 

possible immediate measures to be 

implemented if they need to comply 

with EMEER 2008 and measures 

can be quickly associated with 

costs to implement too which shift 

the attention to EE technologies 

(products). 

There are various types of 

installations when it comes to on 

how they look at EMEER 2008. 

Generally, I categorise them as 

follows: 

• Just would like to comply to 

avoid issues with the authorities, 

their certification requirements and 

etc where management of energy 

A training 

programme being 

conducted by a REEM 

perceived is not so critical to them; 

• Ready to comply since energy 

management activities have been 

implemented for many years as 

a part of corporate policy and 

directions; 

• Want to comply but delayed 

their actions due to other important 

commitment and in the same 

time findings it hard to get REEMs 

due to insufficient supply. Some 

are also unsure about how much 

values REEM will bring with the 

costs that they need to fork out. 

They are also raised concerns on 

lack of reference on the scope of 

works of a REEM to deliver with 

proposed fees; 

• With wait and see attitude and 

trying to delay to comply it if possible 

since the appointment of REEM 

seen as additional and unnecessary 

costs; 

• Keen to comply and immediately 

and taking necessary actions 

to indicate their on-going commitment 

as “green” or law abiding 

organizations; 


COLUMN 

27 

• The management is not 

aware about it at all and leave it 

to the related department to take 

care of it; and 

• Some of them just do not care 

at all. 

Another key factor is what is the 

installations affected by EMEER 

2008 expect from REEMs which 

very much depending on how they 

see the implementation of the law 

by the regulator in terms of enforcement 

and other support measures 

available for them to start 

to embark on more significant initiatives 

in energy management 

to achieve bigger savings. For 

example, a big scale investment 

for major energy efficiency retrofitting 

project may need external 

funding and support services may 

be required for monitoring and verification 

services for banks to feel 

confident to give loans. 

Any inconsistency and unclear 

direction for long term from the regulator 

in implementation will lead 

into more and more installations to 

take this law more lightly for proper 

compliance which will really give 

them desired impacts. 

I am not trying to say here which 

is right or wrong but only would like 

to bring the attention of all parties 

involved on how to achieve goals 

and create impacts from the implementation 

of EMEER 2008 for 

energy efficiency in Malaysia as 

whole and not just for potentials 

business opportunities. 

POSSIBLE TYPES OF REEM 

The Energy Commission is only 

issuing one type registration certificate 

for REEM unlike other competency 

certificates issued by them 

for electrical safety where the classification 

of each type of competency 

is clearly stipulated by provisions 

in the related regulations. 

Based on feedback by some 

affected installations and also 

REEMs in the market, I classify 

REEMs into the following types: 

• Appointed as a REEM at the 

installation where he/she is working 

now where I believe most of the 

REEM for compliance are in this 

group; 

• Assigned as the key personnel 

for energy management activities 

at the installation and working 

closely with an external REEM 

appointed by the organization for 

the installation; 

• Appointed as the third 

party as REEM by affected installations 

they can be appointed by 

more than one installation. This 

group normally consultants and 

they are serving many clients with 

their own team; 

• Not appointed any installation 

and just keep the certificate as one 

of their competency recognitions 

To become a REEM under 

EMEER 2008, you do not have to 

a technical specialist or specialized 

in other areas in energy efficiency. 

Then, appointment of REEM by 

any company for the purpose of 

compliance will not guarantee 

any energy cost reduction yet. 

However, being a specialist in 

certain areas, especially on how 

to identify and implement energy 

cost saving measures, definitely 

will bring more values to companies 

appointed them as REEM at 

their facilities. 

Here I would like to elaborate 

further on what type of REEM 

anyone could be. To be realistic 

and practical, monetary factor 

would be one of the key factors 

among others. 

Project management by a REEM 

WHAT REEMS CAN OFFER? 

To my understanding, the spirit 

of EMEER 2008 is more to give 

the freedom to each installation to 

manage their energy efficiently. It 

can be seen with so many general 

provisions and minimum mandatory 

requirements that need to be 

complied with. That actually gives 

the flexibility to REEM to figure 

out the best or the most practical 

package to offer other than just for 

compliance. 

It is very crucial for REEMs to be 

able understand their “real” functions 

and duties clearly and convincingly 

since provisions stated 

in EMEER 2008 are very brief and 

general. Their ability to do that normally 

will determine what type of 

REEM they would be and that will 

lead to what type services to be 

delivered at affected installations 

that agreed to appoint them. 

From the market information 

and communications with some of 

fellow REEMs, there are REEMs 

being paid from about RM500 per 

month to more than RM50,000 

for one installation per year for 

services delivered to affected 

installations. 

There are also REEMs 

appointed at many installations at 

one time and the highest number 

for one REEM that I am aware so 

far is about 20 installations. For 

this type of arrangement, a REEM 

is expected to be supported by a 

team of personnel or strategic partners 

for them to be able to deliver 

effective services or they may just 

deliver minimal services which are 

mainly only related to compliance 


28 COLUMN 

to EMEER 2008. 

I am not going to question the 

fees or how many installations for 

each REEM can be appointed but 

I would like to discuss how every 

REEM will or should position 

himself in the market. It’s a free 

market and everyone has absolute 

right to find the best way to 

secure clients. 

As REEMs, I would like to highlight 

how we would be able to 

promote efficient management of 

energy that will benefit the installation 

itself from energy saving 

results achieved through efficient 

management of energy. 

This will determine the tangible 

values and benefits in the appointment 

of a REEM in the eye of the 

installation’s owner to commensurate 

with the fee they are willing to 

pay. 

There may be more rational but 

what I am going to highlight here 

are: 

• For different types of organizations, 

REEMs have to have 

different approaches to sell 

themselves to get appointed with 

the suitable scope of works to fulfil 

each installation’s requirements 

and their expectations and perceptions 

towards EMEER 2008 compliance; 

and 

• How REEMs position themselves 

in the market will create the 

perception towards them among 

the affected installations as a whole 

and companies that appointed 

them, fellow REEMs and also from 

the regulator’s point of view. 

I came across installations that 

have energy efficiency projects. 

They shared some of their experiences 

with REEMs they appointed. 

For companies that appointed 

REEMs from their qualified internal 

personnel, normally they would 

not have many issues. Negative 

comments normally come from 

companies that appointed external 

REEMs that could not see or 

realize the benefits despite paying 

certain amount of fees on monthly 

basis other than complying to 

EMEER 2008. 

There are companies which 

send me enquiries on REEM services 

that I am also offering as 

one of our consultancy services. 

I would say almost all of them are 

just interested to appoint REEM for 

the purpose of compliance only and 

looking for the “best price”, which 

means the cheapest price. 

Some of them already received 

warning notices but still do not treat 

it as an urgent matter yet which can 

cause by many factors and the lack 

of REEMs and REEMs who can 

meet their expectations and their 

understanding on benefits from 

EMEER 2008 could be the possible 

reasons. 

POSSIBLE SCOPES OF 

WORKS IN REEM SERVICES 

Based on my overall review 

of requirements to comply with 

EMEER 2008, what could be 

offered to potential clients or 

owners of affected installations are 

based on some key provisions in 

Regulation 6, Regulation 16 and 

key elements in Form A that need to 

be submitted in every six months to 

Energy Commission. For reporting 

purposes, the Energy Commission 

has also issued guidelines on additional 

information needed with the 

scheduled report which some of 

them are not clearly stipulated in 

Regulation 6. 

Provisions in both Regulation 

6 and Regulation 16 outline how 

affected installations can comply 

with EMEER 2008 and functions 

and duties of REEMs respectively 

while Form A require them to 

update their energy management 

activities , plan and energy saving 

results achieved. 

My overall conclusion about 

most provisions is, EMEER 2008 

is all about to ensure all affected 

installations to manage their 

energy efficiently through the submission 

of information, records 

and documents to the regulator as 

prescribed. To assist each installation 

to be energy-efficient, the 

appointment of a REEM is a mandatory 

requirement and the regulator 

needs to qualify REEMs to 

ensure they will have certain competency 

and experiences in energy 


COLUMN 

29 

Management training programme being conducted by a REEM 

management. 

In other words, all what it takes 

to comply is adopting energy management 

system and all mandatory 

requirements in the regulations 

are a part of elements in management 

system itself such as reporting, 

having an energy policy and 

objectives and also the appointment 

of energy manager for the 

organization. 

Regulation 6 highlights the need 

to appoint an energy manager 

and for an installation to show that 

energy management activities 

are available at the installation by 

submitting all information and documents 

needed while Regulation 

16 specify what need to delivered 

by REEMs. 

So, REEMs must have strong 

fundamentals on what is energy 

management all about all key elements 

in energy management as 

a system which the system will 

covers all key elements stated in 

Regulation 6 and Regulation 16. 

What I am trying to share here 

is by extracting key elements on 

Regulation 6, Regulation 16 and 

Form A and Form B of EMEER 

2008, we can expand each element 

into more detailed possible areas 

to be expanded that are related to 

energy management system implementation 

and later to come up with 

possible services could be offered. 

POSSIBLE TYPES OF REEM 

AND SCOPE OF SERVICES 

The ability for REEMs to deliver 

scope of services that I am highlighting 

here is very much depending 

on the competency level of 

each REEM in required field or 

subject of energy management 

and resources at the their disposal. 

Finally what REEMs have to be 

able to offer and deliver services 

that will meet the expectations of 

the affected installations in the 

market. 

Based on my experience as a 

REEM, organizations which wanted 

to maximize benefits from the 

appointment of REEMs, what they 

would be looking at the following: 

• Clear descriptions and potential 

outcomes of services offered; 

• Clear work plan and activities 

proposed to deliver services 

offered; 

• Potentials tangible values 

and benefits to be brought by 

REEMs; 

• Types of additional expertise 

and assistance that are not available 

from within their organization; 

• Proposed fees commensurate 

services to be delivered and 

expected outputs. 

The figure on (page 30) illustrates 

the possible type of REEMs 

in the market and scope of services 

can be offered and roles 

to be played as a REEM at any 

installation. 

i) Compliance Services 

To me, when monetary benefit 

is the ultimate goal by being a 

REEM, promising to ensure the 

basic compliance requirements is 

met would match the need of companies 

which have the same interest. 

For this type of REEMs, their 

scopes will only require them to 

be appointed by the company and 

sign the declaration form (Form B) 

in every six months. 

All EEEM works generally will be 

up to the company with appointed 


30 COLUMN 

REEM will provide minimal inputs 

on need basis only. 

With the minimum works 

required, fees for this type of 

scope normally will be fairly low 

or minimal too and extra scopes 

will require the affected installations 

to be charged separately 

upon request. There normally will 

be no fixed commitment such as 

of number of visits, type of reporting 

or details of service level agreement 

by the REEM. With this 

approach, one REEM would be 

able to offer their services to many 

affected installations. 

As more and more REEMs being 

available in the market where comparison 

or checking among similar 

industry can be seen, some companies 

are now started questioning 

the value REEMs appointed by 

them especially REEMs who are 

not really doing much to help them 

to save energy despite being paid 

a fixed fee every month. For some 

companies, they are all right with 

it since that is exactly their expectations 

and requirements, just to 

comply with EMEER 2008. 

For this type of scope, generally 

REEMs are not required to be 

well-versed in overall concept of 

energy management and even in 

energy conservation measures too 

because they do not expect themselves 

to deliver that although 

their client may assume they will 

indirectly due to the minimum fee 

agreed. 

ii) Efficient Electrical Energy 

Management Services 

This is the enhanced scopes of 

REEM in the previous category 

with the key additional service is 

about assisting the company to 

have a comprehensive energy 

management system (Energy management 

system) implemented at 

agreed time frame. The energy 

management system will cover 

both management and technical 

solutions that finally will lead to 

reduction of energy consumption 

and costs. This may involve adoption 

of recognized energy management 

standards such as ISO50001 

for Energy management system. 

REEMs that are able to offer this 

EEEM services have to be familiar 

on the key concepts of Energy 

management system from the 

development, implementation and 

evaluation for continual improvement. 

Bear in mind the goal is not 

about to lead or to get the company 

to be certified but to have a system 

in place within the company that 

would enable them to achieve their 

energy targets and then sustain it 

with or without the REEM in a long 

term. 

The effective implementation 

Energy management system is 

expected to enable the company 

to save energy costs at no or low 

cost measures to start with before 

they can embark into bigger financial 

investments on energy saving 

measures which will lead them to 

achieve more significant savings. 

REEMs are expected to be more 

involved with the company and for 

easier understanding of commitment 

required from both parties, 

REEMs are advisable to prepare 

and submit their energy management 

plan to develop and implement 

Energy management system 

which to be mutually agree by both 

of them too. 

Since there are more roles and 

time to be spent, we expect higher 

fees to be charged and justified by 

REEM to their potential clients and 

then to convince them to accept the 

proposed scopes. 

Normally, if both parties agreed 

with the proposed plan and fees, 

REEMs will have a big challenge 

to deliver to justify fees that being 

charged. This is because, the organization 

that appointed them will 

have more inputs at the later stage 

after the appointment made from 

their contacts from similar industry 

or friends on scopes that are being 

offered by other REEMs for compliance 

alone. 

The failure of external REEMs 

to prove their value to their clients 

with have significant impact on the 

perception of affected organizations 

towards other REEMs since 

with this type of scopes, REEMs 

are expected to be experts in 

Energy management system or 

energy-saving measures who are 

expected to advise and guide the 

organization’s personnel in efficient 

management of energy . 

iii) Efficient Electrical Energy 

Management Mentor 

Further the services offered for 

the above two types of REEMs, 

EEEM Mentor would have the 

approach and strategy to deliver 

more holistic and comprehensive 

REEM services which cover the 

following: 

• Agreed with the organization 

to provide comprehensive expert 

advisory and services to develop 

A coaching 

session by a 

REEM 

and implementation energy management 

system at the installation; 

• The REEM will advise and 

assist to identify competency 

requirements and develop in-house 

competencies through training 

programs on Energy management 

system and energy efficiency 

measures; 

• The external REEM will be 

a mentor to for in-house candidates 

who will apply to be a REEM 

with Energy Commission and will 

assume the functions and duties as 

REEM after the appointed external 

REEM services contract ended; 

• At the later stage, the external 

REEM may need to play advisory 

roles or for specialized services 

upon request by the organization 

on need basis. 

Generally, this type of REEMs 

would only be willing to be 

appointed at certain number of 

companies for specific durations 

which will make them eligible to 

offer their services at 3-4 installations 

only at one time. This is 

due to the need for them to give 

attention to each installation which 

requires constant assistance and 

guidance before REEM’s tasks 

could be finally handed over to the 

in-house REEM towards the end of 

their contract. 

At this stage, it is hard to gauge 

what type REEMs are currently the 


COLUMN 

31 

majority in the market since the 

actual scope of services is only 

known between REEMs and their 

respective clients. As someone 

who currently holds that REEM 

registration and to those who have 

intention to get one, it is entirely up 

to you to decide what type of REEM 

are you or you want to be. 

VALUE-ADDED SERVICES 

The value added services is 

something can be offered upon a 

request by the client or as it can 

be seen suitable to be proposed 

throughout the initially agree services 

contract period. 

In all scope of services described 

above, REEMs are supposed to 

have a very clear idea on what are 

deliverables to be seen by installations 

which appointed them. 

The duration of services contract 

also varies among the entire 

above where compliance service 

will remain as the basic requirements 

as long as all parties agree 

on the length of contract. 

For EEEM services, the duration 

of services contract will depend on 

the progress of the development 

and implementation of Energy 

management system in the organization 

and for EEEM Mentor, the 

contract will end at agreed time 

frame where roles of the external 

REEM will be handed over to internal 

REEM one any candidate successfully 

registered as a REEM 

with Energy Commission under 

the REEM coaching program. 

By assessing your true capabilities 

and actual expertise that 

you possess as a REEM and possible 

supports available at your 

disposals as discussed here, I 

would believe that you can start to 

really sit down and put the list on 

what you would be able to offer to 

the market. 

Bear in mind that the scopes can 

so broad since efficient management 

of energy in general is a very 

big topic by itself. 

THE FINAL NOTES 

Finally, I hope that the information 

that I share here will based my 

personal experiences and knowledge 

in Efficient Management of 

Electrical Energy Regulations 

2008 and as a REEM to encourage 

more qualified peopled out there 

to become REEMs. In the same 

time it will help to increase the 

number of total electrical energy 

managers registered with Energy 

A coaching session by a REEM 

Commission which will contribute 

to the effectiveness of the law in 

its implementation. 

Despite new REEMs would 

become my potential business 

competitors in delivering REEM 

services in the market, I strongly 

believe the cake is big enough for 

all of us to share and to secure 

our slice. After all the REEM services 

is just one of other services 

in energy management consultancy 

that I am now offering to the 

market. Finally, it will depend on the 

clients will have the final assessment 

and decision on what type of 

REEMs they would like to choose 

from the open market and just like 

other industries, healthy competition 

among industry players will 

benefits all parties. 


32 COLUMN 

Think again before making more babies 

- The 21st century taboo? 

World population began 

accelerating about 10,000 to 

12,000 years ago and has 

“exploded” in the past 1,000years. 

(Source: UNEP population data 

— US Census Bureau 2011) 

Redefining ‘growth’ before riding the ‘Green’ wave 

If that joy-killer title gives you the 

impression of a family planning 

lecture ahead, please do not be 

fooled, because there is something 

greater that we all really 

need to discuss. Overpopulation. 

Some of you may recall the 

movie “Kingsman”, where Samuel 

L Jackson (who was acting 

Valentine’s role) elaborated that 

humanity is akin to a virus, global 

warming is the Earth’s equivalent 

of a fever, and the only solution is 

to exterminate the virus before it 

kills the host. 

Well, despite all the handsomeness 

of Taron Egerton and Colin 

Firth casted from their British spy 

roles, a déjà vu sent a chill down 

my spine. What if this is really necessary? 

Call me pessimist, but 

welcome to taste the hard truth 

of human progress, after reading 

several publications such as 

Jared Diamond’s accounts of the 

past civilization “Collapse”, Danny 

Dorling’s pragmatic insights via 

“Population 10 Billion” or Stephen 

Emmott’s ever gloomy and provocative 

“Ten Billion”, which all seems 

to come to a common conclusion. 

Homo sapiens are falling off the 

cliff, within this century. 

Gene-Harn currently 

works as a Green 

Building Consultant at 

IEN Consultants based in 

Bangsar. 

The architecture masters 

student and urban cyclist 

is passionate towards 

the potential benefits of 

sustainable urban design 

and green buildings 

towards the aspect of 

social, environment and 

economy for a better 

world. 

A world map 

showing global 

variations in 

fertility rate per 

woman. Note that 

most developed 

countries are 

demarcated in 

blue (0-2 fertility 

rate per woman) 

(Source CIA 

World Factbook 

2013 data) 


COLUMN 

33 

Graph showing 

majority of developing 

countries population 

are booming 

unlike developed 

country. Countries 

such as China, India, 

Brazil and US are not 

displayed due to visualization 

boundaries. 

Note the interesting 

of negative growth 

of several countries 

displayed.(Data from 

World Bank) 

7 billion today. How did we get here exactly? 

It took 64,000 years for this 

planet to reach its first billion, in 

1820. At various points during the 

long period the population fell, 

such as during the Black Death, 

and other assorted plagues 

and pestilence, and civilization 

wars. Within the short span of 

300 years, we have exploded 

to 7 billion today, and various 

predictions extrapolate it to 9 or 

10 billion by 2050. Developing 

countries accounted for 97 

percent of this growth because 

of the dual effects of high birth 

rates and young population. 

Conversely, in the developed 

countries, the annual number 

of births barely exceeds deaths 

because of low birth rates 

and much older populations. 

Thus, it is no surprise to see 

deaths exceeding births in the 

developed countries such as 

Japan and Germany within this 

decade. 

While virtually all future 

population growth will be in 

developing countries, the poorest 

of these countries will see the 

greatest percentage increase. As 

defined by the UN, these extreme 

poverty hit countries have 

low incomes, high economic 

vulnerability, and poor human 

development indicators such 

as low life expectancy at birth, 

very low per capita income, and 

low levels of education. These 

countries are at 2.4 percent per 

year and are projected to reach 

at least 2 billion by 2050. 

Imagine Malaysia having 70 million population by 2050? 

It’s true, imagine a doubling of our current 

30 million population. Our Prime Minister 

back in 1982 then, Tun Dr Mahathir, urged 

Malaysia to have 70 million population by 

2050. At that time, the population was only 

13 million people. The rationale then was to 

have a larger domestic market first, according 

to him in an interview in 2014. But when the 

population doubled to 26 million people during 

his term, he realized that led to many social 

Why we need to stop growing? 

and economic problems, and that instead, he 

suggested Malaysia should aim for a small 

but highly educated and skilled population 

like advanced European countries such as 

Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and so forth. 

Rather we should be asking, why do we 

need to grow endlessly like a cancer cell? 

Because despite how “green” our technology 

or how low our carbon footprint per capita is, 

the total increase of carbon emission from 

an exponential increment of populationis an 

oxymoron idea. 

Population needs to be in the equation of 

“Sustainable Development”, which refers to 

the fundamental definition by Brundtland 

Commission as, the kind of development 

that meets the needs of present without 

compromising the ability of future generations 

to meet their own needs. 

The most recent report by the 


Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

included concerns about population size, 

saying “Globally, economics and population 

growth continued to be the most important 

drivers of increases in CO2 emissions from 

fossil fuels.” 

As the global economy expands, the 

biophysical realities of a finite planet 

are becoming abundantly evident in the 

form of pending resource depletions and 

in the growing numbers and severity 

of environmental crisis. The emerging 

recognition of this unfortunately is still 

principally confined to the purview of 

population biologist, ecologists and 

atmospheric scientists, not economists. 

For 2007, humanity’s total ecological 

footprint was estimated at 1.5 planet Earths, 

that is yet to include the current rapid 

population growth. Dozens of other vital 

global issues fuel up to be the domino effect 

of much greater concern than merely Green 

House Gases emission level. 

This includes overfishing, depletion 

of fresh water source, rapid biodiversity 

extinction, declining genetic diversity due 

to GMO and monocropping, imbalance in 

water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle 

and phosphorus cycle due to anthropogenic 

causes and many more.

34 COLUMN 

Are we the 

Easter Island 

of today? 

The story of Easter Island is a striking 

example of the dependence of human 

societies on their environment and 

of the consequences of irreversibly 

damaging that environment. It is a fair 

comparison of where we are today on 

this only habitable planet so far. 

Being one of the most remote inhabited 

places on earth with 150 square miles of 

area in the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island 

was a world on its own then. Historical 

studies have shown that conditions on 

the island were once very different than 

they are now. The island was covered 

with a lush subtropical forest and the 

soil was deep and fertile. 

The carved human figure by the Rapa Nui 

people, or also known as Moai. There are 

a total of 887 statues around the island. 

(source www.enjoyyourholiday.com) 

Polynesian people apparently reached the 

island about A.D 400 and population soared 

to 20,000 people. Crop production took 

little effort due to fertile volcanic soil, hence 

prompting the society to engage in elaborate 

rituals and monument construction. Over 

dozens of ceremonial activity centre platforms 

with between one to fifteen huge monuments 

were constructed on the island. 

However, the challenging problem was to 

transport the massive statues, each some 

twenty feet in length and weighting several 

tens of tons, across the island. The solution 

was to use tree trunks as rollers with reliance 

on human power to manoeuvre across the 

island. 

By A.D 1400, the forest appears to have 

disappeared completely-cut down for firewood 

and to make house, canoes, and rollers for 

transporting the enormous statues. Without 

a protective forest cover, soil washed off 

steep hillsides, springs and streams dried up, 

agriculture and stock farming were hampered. 

Lacking wood to build new canoes, the 

people could no longer go offshore to fish. 

At this point, chaos and warfare seem to 

have racked the land and cannibalism was 

necessary to address the food shortage as 

the population decreased by 90 percent. 

Though the archaeological study is still 

being argued, we certainly can’t imagine 

ourselves repeating the past mistake, can 

we? 


COLUMN 

35 

History is present. Some may 

argue that the context of Easter 

Island is different. Today, we have 

succeeded in obtaining resources 

from various part of the world to 

sustain increasing population 

and increasingly complex 

and technologically advanced 

societies. 

However, we are also blessedly 

cursed by this enormous energetic 

subsidy that the human economy 

obtained, called fossil fuels. This 

subsidy allows us to support our 

so called ‘modern agriculture’, 

which uses more energy in fossil 

fuel inputs, than it products in food 

calories. 

But have we been any more 

successful than the islanders in 

finding a way of life that does 

not fatally deplete the resources 

that are available to them and 

irreversibly damage their life 

support system. Unless humanity 

invents and enforces adequate 

measures for regulating human 

reproduction, for controlling the 

quantity of population, and at 

least preventing the deterioration 

of quality of the biosphere we are 

in, they are doomed to decay. 

History is Knocking 

Our Doors 

No Population Growth, No 

Economic Growth! Really? 

The common argument is that 

economy growth is dependable 

on your population growth, which 

has been debunked by several 

studies. Along with globalization, 

there is no direct correlation 

between a country’s population 

and economy growth anymore. 

Paul D. (2002), in his “Growth 

without growth” paper, analysed 

the long term population and per 

capita income growth trends in the 

100 largest metropolitan areas in 

the US over the period 1990-1998 

and found no relationship. 

Minh (2012) used statistical 

model and data from a sample 

of 43 developing economies to 

analyse the impact of several 

dimensions of the demographic 

transition on per capita GDP 

growth. He found that neither 

the effect of population growth, 

decline in fertility or the level of 

urbanization has correlation with 

economy growth. 

However, on the contrary, 

when a country is developed, 

naturally factors that will promote 

low birth rates, such as improved 

educational level, improved social 

welfare and health infrastructure 

will come along. 

So how do we address our 

economic growth without the 

adverse impact on our only one 

planet? 

GDP and Our Unrealistic 

Obsession for Infinite Growth 

Our economy has a GDPoriented 

focus on maximizing 

production flows that keeps us in 

the pre-transition mode, giving rise 

to low product lifetimes, planned 

obsolescence, and high resource 

throughput, with consequent 

environmental damage. 

It flaws as it does not include 

distribution of wealth and 

exhaustion of natural resources 

into the equation. Why are we 

so engrossed into the concept of 

infinite growth? Have we tricked 

ourselves by our own economic 

formula? 

Even founding economists 

Stuart-Mill and Keynes both 

agreed that the economy must 

plateau at a certain point and 

become steady-state. But 

today, everyone, including the 

economists are saying growth 

is the only normal. Take a walk 

around the downtown and you 

would be blanketed with everyone, 

the people, the brands, the media, 

telling you to spend and ‘upgrade’ 

your lifestyle and to grow with the 

trend. 

As suggested by Herman Daly, 

one of the founders for the field 

of ecological economics, steady 

state economy is defined as an 

economy with constant stocks of 

people and artefacts, maintained 

at some desired, sufficient 

levels by low rates maintenance 

‘throughput’, that is, by the lowest. 

This is one where resources from 

the environment are taken only at 

the rate that the environment can 

support. Renewable are used only 

at the rate at which they can be 

renewed. We are not chewing up 

mountains to make copper, we are 

only recycling that copper we have 

already got. Is economic growth 

possible here? Yes, provided that 

we celebrate the challenge of 

finding new ways to add value to 

the limited resources. 

I = PAT 

The stabilisation or de-growth of 

the economy inevitably requires 

stabilisation or de-growth of the 

human population. The planet’s 

carrying capacity of our species 

is defined by the maximum 

sustainable impact (I) of our 

society, impact (I) in turn is given 

by the well known equation I=PAT; 


36 COLUMN 

population size (P), times its 

affluence (or consumption) (A), 

times the environmental damage 

(T) caused. 

The reduction of (A) by 

sufficiency and frugality as well 

as that of (T) by acting more 

environmentally conscious and 

by technological progress cannot 

proceed indefinitely, so (I) will 

inevitably continue to grow, as the 

world we see now as it is. This is 

why getting the scale of economy 

right, technically the point at which 

the marginal costs of growth equal 

the marginal benefits, is the 

highest priority of a steady state 

economy. 

Fair Distribution and Efficient 

Allocation 

Since continuous growth 

and sustainable scale are 

incompatible, growth cannot be 

relied upon to alleviate poverty. 

The richest 20 percent of the 

world’s population controls more 

than 80 per cent of the world gross 

product and uses nearly 60 per 

cent of world commercial energy 

If the pie isn’t getting any bigger, 

we need to cut and distribute the 

pieces in a fair way. 

The quicker the majority of 

population gets basic education 

and healthcare infrastructure, 

the more priority they will put 

on the agenda of sustainability. 

On the other hand, excessively 

rich people tend to consume 

unsustainable quantities of 

resources. The idea of efficient 

allocation of scarce resources 

has only been in the equation of 

conventional economic thoughts, 

however means very little in an 

unsustainable or unjust economic 

system. 

Climate change is not just an 

environmental issue. It is fast 

becoming one of the defining 

facts of economic development 

in the 21st century. It will 

shape investment, technology 

deployment, and human 

development around the world. 

However, to think through the 

bigger picture, global human 

carrying capacity and cumulative 

economic welfare potential must 

be recognized as equivalent or 

identical concepts even though 

they have evolved from different 

disciplines. 

If we are aspired to be ethical on 

the term “sustainability”, then we 

must limit the load we place on the 

earth at any one time, subjected 

to a per capita consumption level 

sufficient for a good life, not more 

than that. 

There is indeed a lot of deep 

rethinking of our current economic 

model in defining the qualification 

“sufficient for a good life”. We 

should be talking about sufficiency 

(for all species), not growth. It’s 

hard to imagine a bottom up 

approach in limiting offspring as 

a solution unless people do it for 

“moral obligations”. 

However, several studies 

have proven that individual 

offspring options are moulded 

unintentionally by the socio 

economic and policy factors 

affecting them, such as Japan’s 

media influence and China’s one 

child policy. So the question to 

ask, as a developing nation is, 

have our policy makers tabled 

this discussion on population 

planning? Amid of socio politic 

and religion taboos, there is 

nothing more timely than now. 


38 COLUMN 

Master Kenny Hoo 

is the Founder & 

Chief Researcher of 

GOOD FENG SHUI® 

Geomantic Research, 

a research-based 

company that actively 

involves in providing 

professional Feng 

Shui (Geomantic 

science) research, 

authoring seminars 

and consultation 

services for domestic 

home, business, 

factory, hotels & 

resorts, township, 

property development 

& ancestral 

graveyard. To find out 

more about Kenny 

and his Feng Shui 

please 

visit www. 

goodfengshui.com 

Google map of Jakarta South City 

Property boosts 

to continue in Jakarta till 2043 

Most auspicious sectors and directions in the forthcoming good 

Feng Shui Period will be the South and North 

THE Good Feng Shui principle predicts 

that the auspicious 20-year 

cycle of the 8th Feng Shui Period 

started from year 2004 and will be 

ending in 2023, meaning there are 

10 more good years to go. During 

the current cycle, the most auspicious 

sectors and directions are the 

Southwest and Northeast. 

Most people are not aware that 

although theoretically, the 9th Period 

Good Feng Shui 20-year cycle takes 

effects from year 2024 to 2043, is in 

fact gradually emits its influence from 

the end of 2013 onwards. Especialy 

from year 2015, the positive & auspicious 

9-Purple Star starts to provide 

more solid Qi especially begin fro the 

Southern areas. 

The most auspicious sectors and 

directions in the forthcoming good 

Feng Shui Period will be the South 

and North sectors. Thus, during the 

current transition period as of now 

(e.g. from 2014 onwards), the southern 

parts of Asia such as Thailand, 

Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, 

Indonesia, and even Australia are 

beginning to experience its positive 

influence. 

We, therefore, are not surprised 

that in recent years, many property 

investment experts and advisers 

started to talk about “Looking 

South Policy” in their mid-to-long 

term investment portfolios. 

Jakarta is a mega city, with estimated 

over 10 million population. It 

is predicted to be the top real estate 

market in in the next couple of years. 

The city will undergo more concrete 

transformation processes as the 

positive Qi gradually will move on 

to the South and North especially 

from the beginning of 2014. 

Even though the world economy 

now is a little unfavorable with lots of 

uncertainties, however, Good Feng 

Shui foresees that the road ahead 

will be very bright and positive, with 

lots of great developments thus to 

generate lots of great investment 

opportunities. 

During the forthcoming 9th Period, 

beginning from year 2024 to 2043, 

it will trigger greater prosperity and 

wealth luck in the Southern and 

Northern areas. 

Since Jakarta is located in the 

Southern area of Southeast Asia, 

it will undergo various positive 

changes and transformations in 

its policies, business and government 

systems, some of which have 

already started since year 2012. 

In particular, its friendlier foreign 

direct investment policies have successfully 

attracted a lot of foreign 

funds flow into the Jakarta market. 

Jakarta is located in the Northwest 

coast of Java island, facing Java 

Sea and South China Sea in the 

North. 

It has a very good Feng Shui configuration 

as it is located within the 

U-shaped Jakarta Bay, well protected 

by the strong and long Green 

Dragon inner arm in the West side, 

White Tiger arm in the East side and 

far in front is also well covered by the 

Bangka-Belitung islands. 

This kind of natural good Feng 

Shui configuration that looks like 

a mother’s cradle, provides stability 

and attributes very auspicious 

developments to Jakarta thus continuously 

attracting and retaining a 

lot of good quality people to live and 


COLUMN 

39 

prosper there. 

In the recent years, with more 

foreign direct investment into the 

Jakarta marketplace, the real estate 

sector has experienced surging 

demand. During the 8th Period (from 

years 2004 to 2023), it further gives 

a boost to the young (average age 

below 28 years old) and energetic 

people to experience greater productivity, 

hence allowing them to 

enjoy better living standards. 

It gives rise to a strong middle-class 

people, thus providing 

a strong foundation for domestic 

spending, from normal household 

products to luxury goods. Moreover, 

its dynamic social and business 

environment contributes stronger 

market dynamism to leverage 

on the various emerging business 

opportunities. 

This creates solid domestic consumption 

and rapid corporate expansion, 

which continue to support the 

positive development of the property 

market in Jakarta. The GDP 

growth is growing at about 6.5 per 

cent annually in the recent years, 

while interest rates and inflation are 

under control. 

The increased demand from 

both foreigners and locals has led 

to the rapid increase of office rental 

space since the recent few years. 

Businesses particularly relating 

to the Fire, Earth 

and Metal elements 

such as banking and 

finance, insurance, 

oil and gas, mining 

and trading sectors, 

enjoy stronger 

growth over the past 

few years especially 

backed by the solid 

domestic demand. 

This positive 

development 

reflects onto the 

real estate market 

in Jakarta thus it is enjoying stronger 

growth which is supported and 

driven by its solid domestic consumption 

and rapid corporate 

expansion. Especially in recent 

years, there is greater demand in 

both the central business district 

(CBD) and non-CBD areas. 

The growing number of tenants 

looking for bigger office space to 

accommodate their expansion or 

business consolidation contributes 

much to the real estate development 

in Jakarta. In recent years, 

the Southwest area such as South 

CAR-FREE DAY: Jakarta 

pedestrians, joggers and 

bicyclists take over the main 

avenue during Car-Free Day 

Tangerang area reaps great benefit 

from the progress in development. 

However, Good Feng Shui foresees 

that while gradually entering 

the 9th Feng Shui Period, 

the Southern and Northern parts 

of Jakarta will soon become the 

centres of growth and development 

for the next 30 years, until the year 

2043. 

For instance, Simatupang area 

in Southern Jarkata shall continue 

to attract a lot more residents and 

investors to relocate there. For those 

who are keen on investing in the 

office towers or shopping centres, 

there are quite a number of new 

gigantic and glitzy ones coming into 

the market. 

North Jakarta is bounded by the 

Java Sea. The real estate growth 

Located in the BSD 

Green Office Park in 

Jakarta, this iconic, 

green building was 

recognised for its 

sustainable design. 

is concentrated in areas such as 

the Tanjung Priok Port, especially in 

the large-and-medium scale industrial 

lots. The area around Ancol 

Dreamland is expected to undergo 

various positive developments soon. 

Currently, it is the largest integrated 

tourism area in Southeast 

Asia. There will be more seafront, 

highergraded properties to be 

launched in the market soon. 

The new focus point of property 

development in Jakarta shall 

be in areas such as Depok, Bogor, 

Tangerang and Bekasi as these are 

the centres with greater growing 

population and lower unemployment 

rate. In view of the above, Good 

Feng Shui foresees that Jakarta will 

soon become a property investment 

haven in Asia soon. 

The view of Merdeka 

Square and Jakarta skyline 

from Istiqlal Mosque, 


40 COLUMN 

Can On-Bill Financing be the next 

SAVE Programme? 

On-bill financing is a scheme where a utility company provides loan to owner to enable 

the purchase of energy-efficient appliances 

• By Kevin Hor 

THE following are the realities 

of most of our lives: cost of 

living is increasing; subsidies 

are reducing; housing is becoming 

expensive; weaker ringgit. 

With these harsh realities, often 

or not, most have looked at ways 

to stretch their ringgits. While the 

common prescriptions are to reduce 

one’s expenses on luxuries, the 

author wishes to explore a different 

approach to increasing one’s disposable 

income. 

Many of us may remember the 

SAVE programme implemented by 

the Sustainable Energy Development 

Authority (SEDA) years ago. The 

program which aimed at encouraging 

home owners to make more 

efficient home appliance purchases 

was quite a hit where if not mistake 

all the monies allocated as grants for 

purchasing more efficient equipment 

was taken up. 

The program was successful in 

helping home owners reduce their 

energy consumption from their appliances 

which ultimately increase the 

owner’s disposable income. At that 

point in time, the program required 

the owner to invest partially into the 

equipment in order to be able to gain 

from the potential savings. 

Wouldn’t it have been more attractive 

if the program could help an 

owner achieve energy savings (save 

money) without the owner having 

to invest into the equipment at the 

start? 

The on-bill financing mechanism 

is one such financing scheme 

which could make that possible. 

On-bill financing is a scheme where 

a utility company provides a loan to 

the owner to enable the purchase 

of energy efficient appliances or 

equipment. 

The utility company then recoups 

its loan to the owner by enforcing a 

contract to allow the utility company 

to put in a surcharge into the monthly 

utility bill of the owner for a fixed 

period of time. This surcharge is 

small and is designed in such ways 

such that it does not put additional 

burden on the owner to pay more 

towards the monthly utility bills. 

To illustrate the scheme, let us 

assume that a building owner currently 

pays on average RM1,800 

per month for the electricity bill. 

The building owner could apply or 

the utility company could offer the 

building owner the possibility of 

changing his commercial refrigerator 

to a 5-star energy efficient rated 

refrigerator. 

If this is agreed by both parties, a 

contract would be entered between 

the two parties where the utility 

company would provide the 5-star 

energy efficient rated refrigerator 

to the building owner for free in 

exchange of the old refrigerator. 

The building owner upon receipt of 

the new 5-star energy efficient rated 

refrigerator is then obliged to pay to 

the utility the corresponding theoretical 

amount of energy saved in ringgit 

to the utility for the new 5 -tar energy 

efficient rated refrigerator. 

The agreed amount will be structure 

in such a way that the average 

monthly utility bill for the building 

owner would not exceed RM1,800. 

This duration is typically for short 

durations lasting no longer than 5 

years. 

The building owner subsequently 

enjoys the energy savings from the 

new 5-star energy efficient rated 

refrigerator upon repayment to the 

utility company all done without 

incurring a single cent. For industrial 

users, in addition to the avoidance 

of the need for capital expenditure, 

on bill financing also appears as an 

off balance sheet financing scheme. 

The utility is in a very good position 

to embrace this profitable and 

unique business model as they are 

able to raise debt at very competitive 

rates and they are able to cut off 

electricity supply to a building should 

there be a default in payment. 

Such security has made the 

energy efficiency scheme common 

in the United States of America 

where numerous programs have 

been implemented for many years 

with great success. Analysis of 

the EE financing best practices 

and current EE financing models 

in Malaysia showed that residential 

sector, responsible for 20% of 

the total electricity consumption in 

Malaysia, is currently untapped by 

EEfinancing or incentive schemes. 

Successful implementation of the 

SAVE rebate programme in 2011and 

2012, for 5-star rated AC and refrigerators, 

has set strong foundation 

for transition to a sustainable on-bill 

financing model for domestic appliances 

in the residential sector. 

The use of on-bill financing 

removes the burden from the government 

the use of grants from 

the previous SAVE scheme. The 

impacts to long term energy reduction 

targets for Malaysia could be 

enormous. 

On-bill financing is applicable to a 

range of household appliances and 

large energy consuming equipment. 

It is however only attractive and only 

sustainable if offered to building 

owners with larger energy bills due 

to the need to repay the loan over a 

reasonable period of time. 


42 COLUMN 

The Forest, 

an energy portal 

Bringing the forest into our living space 

FOREST Yoga, as we have mentioned 

earlier, is about the union of 

man and the forest. It is about the 

science that this bonding brings to 

the well being of the entire world. 

We are not talking about going 

back to the forest. However, when 

we understand the creative impulse 

that is stored in the forest, we can 

use it effectively to complement our 

life. 

If we look at the world in general, 

there is a collective state that rules 

the chain of evolution. This collectivity 

came about because we are in a 

constant state of interaction. 

In this inter-connectivity, the forest 

plays the role of a giant portal that 

houses every bit of creation together 

from the tall trees to the shrubs to 

the shortest of them all, the grass, 

is found here. 

It is a great orchestra house, 

playing a symphony of sound vibrations, 

from the insects to the animals 

to the birds. Even the slightest movement 

of the breeze among the leaves 

plays a role in this collective state. 

Step into the forest and you will 

be serenaded by the forest perfume. 

This is the collective aroma released 

into the air from each tree bark, leaf, 

shoot, flower, grass and earth. 

The forest is also a visual feast 

where colours serenade you from all 

corners of its space. These colours 

will work to enhance the various 

points in your body. However, you 

• By R. Jeganathan & Seema Nanoo 

will see that ‘green’ and all its variations 

is the predominant colour of 

the jungle. This colour is the colour 

of balance and hence works amazingly 

to create a biorhythmic stability 

within you. 

The shafts of light shooting 

through the branches play an important 

role too in energising the space 

we walk through. 

The forest ground, which is a 

landscape of different gravitational 

impulses, is the perfect platform for 

feet reflexology. The muddy patches, 

the pebbles in a shallow stream, 

the sharp stones that sometimes 

prick your sole to the soft soil that 

massage your feet, work together to 

create the perfect spa. 

Above all, it is an oxygen powerhouse 

and it is the largest water 

spray fan in the world. Fine water 

particles containing the sum of the 

energy of the forest spread through 

as forest clouds and invigorate your 

pores, allowing you to breathe freely. 

Just imagine all of this coming 

together as the perfect home for a 

complete cycle of life. But, of course, 

we have come so far through evolution 

to return back to live in the 

forest! 

BRINGING THE FOREST 

ENERGY INTO OUR HOME 

There is one solution though. We 

could live around the forest or near 

to it to be part of the positive energy 

wave. In fact, new eco homes are in 

a small way trying to give room for 

nature to be part of our living space. 

Some of us might be lucky enough 

to afford it but the majority is in the 

city! To be precise in apartments like 

organised bird cages in mid air. 

The only other way we can find 

that balance is to bring the forest 

energy into our homes! 

Though it might sound like an 

impossible feat, when we understand 

the eco balance and how it 

works, we surely can take steps to 

recreate that environment as much 

as possible. 

In the beginning, when man first 

built homes in barren lands outside 

the forest, he grew a garden around 

his home. He planted the larger 

trees and shrubs as well as various 

plants and flowers that released aromatic 

perfumes into his home. The 

thicker and large trees gave him 

fresh oxygen and there were small 

plants arranged in the centre in the 

inner courtyard. 

This is something you can immediately 

apply if you have the garden 

space. 

If you enter into old houses in Asia, 

you will find bells and chimes hung 

at the entrance. This was placed to 

produce fine resonance of sound 

that filled the house to create positive 

energies. It is also to ward off 

negative energies that are a product 

of stress and heat congestion. The 

sound of the bell is similar to the 

high pitched sounds produced by 

the cicadas found in the forest. 

Chimes are easily found and it 

is something you can hang at the 


COLUMN 

43 

entrance or the patios of your home. 

Look particularly for bells or chimes 

that have high resonance. 

Incense was burnt to further 

charge the house. Today people are 

recognising the power of aromatherapy 

and thus are using it to enhance 

their homes and bodies. 

Adjustments indoors will help your 

home. However, to further enhance 

your energy, you should visit the 

forest. 

Go for jungle walks and if not possible 

go for walks in nature parks 

regularly. 

Remember, walking in a forest is 

not like walking on your treadmill. It 

is not merely to sweat and burn calories! 

It is to invigorate your body, 

flush your negative energies and 

refresh the spirit within by inhaling 

the energy of the forest. 

Teach your children and yourself 

to walk barefooted on grass regularly 

and especially when you are in the 

forest. Let your feet feel the grass 

and be energised by the earth below. 

FOREST ENERGY AND 

APARTMENT LIVING 

Let us look at the apartments that 

have become an inevitable living 

home for a major part of our society. 

There are high-rise buildings 

which have become homes for 

many city dwellers. Due to space 

constraints, gardens have become 

just an eye piece for the apartment 

dwellers. 

We are left to live amongst concrete! 

This is one major threat to 

society. Without the natural energy 

we will gradually move into a self-induced 

depression. 

The books of our forefathers have 

answers for even this. 

Although the potent energy 

resides in the forest, we still can 

have access to this energy albeit 

in lesser concentration from our 

environment. We can recreate this 

energy in our home. 

Having little plants in your balcony 

can make the initial change. 

All they need is a little manure, 

water and a little bit of attention! 

You could pick plants that represent 

the tree, the flowers, the shrub and 

the grass. 

In fact, if you have children, it will 

be educational! You can teach them 

to take care of the plants. Probably 

give it a name and make them water 

the plants everyday and teach them 

to treat the plants as part of their 

family circle. 

This is an important part of the 

interactive state which we have to 

reinstate. We need to bring the eco 

balance into our homes and into 

our family, whether we are up in an 

apartment or in a terraced home. 

BRINGING THE FOREST 

ENERGY TO UPPER FLOORS 

If you look at ancient sites, tall 

structures were built with only seven 

levels and the highest would be 

nine. Bali, amongst a few, still practice 

this principle. Gravitational pull 

has its own capacity. That above 

the seventh level, gravity starts to 

weaken and Ether starts to play a 

greater role. 

Since we are concerned about 

the physical body, the gravitational 

balance is more relevant. 

To better understand this, take a 

look at the colour spectrum. White, 

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, 

Indigo, Violet and the combination 

of all colours known as black. 

You will notice until the colour 

blue, which is the sixth portion in 

the color pallette, a brilliance will be 

very apparent. Once it goes to the 

seventh level, a dark hue is seen in 

indigo. This darkness is a visual representation 

to show that the gravitational 

strength on the seventh and 

floors above will not be very strong. 

You can be at the top most floor 

and if you make adjustment you too 

can enjoy the benefit of the energy of 

the forest. Therefore, over and above 

what we have mentioned earlier, you 

can take these extra steps to bring 

the gravitational energy to your floor. 

Granite is a powerful conductor 

of electromagnetic waves. Though 

it is discouraged in many faiths about 

placing granite in homes, a structure 

no taller than six inches placed in the 

balcony would attract a considerable 

amount of gravity into your home. 

Wood is another material you 

should try to use as little as possible 

as it’s an insulator by nature and will 

obstruct the gravitational pull further. 

The bells and chimes will play a 

more effective role here as the high 

pitch sound would attract positive 

energies as mentioned earlier. 

Sleeping on lower beds and the 

use of thinner pillow and paddings 

on the sofa would help further in 

maximising the gravitational pull into 

your body. 

Music will play a very significant 

role here. Playing sounds of nature, 

with birds and sounds of insects will 

strengthen the mind to remind itself 

of the forest. This is what we term 

as ‘mirroring’. 

As much as the outer adjustments 

would strengthen the body, the inner 

self needs to be reminded of nature. 

This will surely bring about a balance 

into our lives. 


44 COLUMN 

Natural gas subsidies in Malaysia: 

CURRENT SITUATION 

AND OUTLOOK 

Pressure on 

policy-makers 

to remove 

the inefficient 

subsidies 

The Malaysian government 

seems to have stepped up 

efforts to rationalise energy 

subsidies. 

After the poor performance of 

Subsidy Rationalisation Program 

(SRP) rolled out in 2010, fuel price 

increases in 2014 represented a 

renewed effort from the government 

to reduce the subsidy burden 

on the Malaysian economy. 

Revision of gas prices for the 

power sector in January 2014 followed 

by gas price revision for 

industry in May 2014 and again in 

November 2014 showed the pressure 

on policy-makers to remove 

the inefficient subsidies. 

In this executive brief, Enerdata 

analyses the natural gas supply 

and demand in Malaysia and gives 

its opinion on the subsidy situation 

in the Malaysian gas market. 

Declining domestic gas supply, 

expensive LNG imports and high 

gas demand is pushing the government 

to move away from subsidies. 

We also provide a brief introduction 

to our methodology for forecasting 

the end user gas prices. 

Enerdata forecasting methodology 

is used by the industry to determine 

the effects of the subsidy rationalisation 

policies on their business 

model. 

Natural gas has a major role in 

the Malaysian energy sector. After 

the oil crisis in 1973 and 1979, 

Malaysian government adopted 

the Four Fuel Policy in 1981 that 

aimed to increase the fuel diversity 

by moving away from oil and 

including other sources like natural 

gas, coal and hydro. 

As shown in Figure 1, the share 

of gas in primary energy consumption 

of Malaysia increased from 

1% in 1971 to around 40% in 2008. 

However, since 2009, Malaysia 

started facing gas shortages due 

to declining domestic gas supply 

(Figure 1) and high demand due to 

fast economic growth. This has 

resulted in an increase in share 

of coal and oil, from 18% and 28% 

in 2008 to 23% and 31% in 2013, 

respectively. The share of gas 

declined from 40% in 2008 to 31% 

in 2013. 

In order to meet the growing gas 

demand, Malaysia, a traditional LNG 

exporter, turned to LNG imports. 

The Melaka FSRU came in operation 

in 2013 and two more regasification 

terminals are expected in the 

near future: Lumut FSRU expected 

to be commissioned in 2015 and an 

onshore regasification terminal at 

Pengerang expected in 2017. 

This will take the total regasification 

capacity from zero to 

around 8.5 MTPA in just a period 

of 5 years as shown in Figure 2. In 

2013, Malaysia imported LNG from 

a number of sources with Brunei, 

Nigeria and Algeria as the major 

suppliers. The imported LNG price 

was oil indexed and followed the 

movement of Asia-Pacific regional 

LNG prices. 

Lack of domestic gas supply, high 

gas demand and expensive LNG 

imports has brought the government’s 

attention to gas price subsidies. 

Gas price liberalization is a 

way to make LNG imports economically 

feasible, control the ‘inflated’ 

gas demand due to low prices and 

gain from the ‘premium’ consumers 

who are ready to pay higher 

gas prices. In 2010, Malaysian 

government rolled out a Subsidy 

Rationalization Program (SRP). 

The proposed price hikes in SRP 

for the natural gas subsidies are 

shown in Table 1 1 . In addition to 

price hikes in the second semester 

2010, SRP proposed an increase 

in gas price for power and industry 

by MYR 3/MMBtu every six months 

from 2010 to 2014. 

However, the actual implementation 

was far from the proposed 

hikes. As of November 2014, the 

gas price for electricity generation 


COLUMN 

45 

is MYR 15.2/MMBtu 2 and for industry 

it is MYR 19.8/MMBtu. 3 The 

prevailing domestic gas price for 

power and industry are very low 

as compared to the market price: 

the average Malaysian LNG export 

price in 2013 was around MYR 44/ 

MMBtu and the price of imported 

LNG in Malaysia was around MYR 

35-44/MMBtu. 

The huge difference between the 

market price of gas and domestic 

gas prices indicates the non-sustainability 

of the gas price subsidy 

regime. Without progressive gas 

price liberalization, it will be difficult 

for Malaysia to reduce the fiscal 

deficit. 

Total fuel subsidies in Malaysia 

in 2013 were around MYR 28bn 

which is around 2.8% of GDP in 

2013. Malaysia fiscal deficit was 

around 4% of the GDP in 2013 and 

government aims to reduce this 

to 3% by 2015 in the Economic 

Transformation Program (ETP). The 

way forward is to reduce the operating 

expenditures by reducing subsidies 

in a phased manner. 

Enerdata forecasting methodology 

for natural gas prices (power 

and final sector) After the start of 

the Melaka FSRU terminal in 2013 

to supply the increasing demand 

of natural gas, the price levels 

of the domestic gas and the 

imported LNG are expected 

to converge in the scenario 

of progressive subsidy 

rationalization. 

Enerdata has developed its 

in-house POLES model to simulate 

the global as well as country 

level energy markets covering different 

fuel types like oil, gas, coal, 

renewables and nuclear. For a regulated 

market like Malaysia, we 

employ equation 1 to forecast the 

fuel prices till the market is fully liberalized 

4 . 

We assume that, for a regulated 

market which is in the process of 

moving away from subsidies, the 

motivation (or pressure) to change 

the price level of the natural gas 

follows the changes in import price, 

energy taxes and carbon taxes. 

Import price forecasts are produced 

using the dynamics of the 

global gas/LNG markets and then 

used to produce economy wide 

scenarios to study the effect of 

subsidy removal on different business 

models. 

ABOUT THE WRITERS 

Antonio Della Pelle 

Antonio is a chartered 

chemical engineer with 

more than 18 years of 

experience working in 

the Energy Industry. He 

has experience as a Partner of 

a leading consulting company advising 

major Oil & Gas companies in 

Asia such as PetroChina, Sinopec, 

Petronas, Pertamina, Petron, Cosmo 

Oil, Samsung Total Chemicals, PTT, 

Siam Cement Group and Malaysia 

LNG. Antonio is managing several 

Energy retainers with Southeast 

Asian governments and it is the sole 

“private” advisor on energy policy to 

the UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC 

AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR 

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. Antonio is 

also an expert in LNG & Gas Industry 

and presented several papers in international 

forums and released interview 

to the major industry magazines. 

Antonio is currently also a 

member of the board of the Institution 

of Chemical Engineers in Singapore. 

He is an expert in management of 

change and a qualified coach. He 

has been living in Singapore since 

2005. He is graduated from L’Aquila 

University in Italy CMEng (1st class) 

Chemical Engineering and INSEAD 

BUSINESS SCHOOL Singapore, 

Supply Chain Management 

programme.” 

Abhishek Rohatgi 


Abhishek is an energy 

sector professional with 

a strong understanding 

of the energy markets. He 

has expert in economic analysis 

of the gas/LNG and electricity 

markets with focus on supply/demand 

fundamentals, infrastructure developments, 

trade flows and prices. He has 

also developed economy wide energy 

models for quantitative and policy 

analysis. He has been involved in 

various projects related to gas/LNG 

trade modelling of the Asia-Pacific 

Region, power markets modelling for 

Germany and Singapore and Energy 

economy modelling of Singapore. He 

has also presented papers in international 

conferences/workshops 

organized by IEEJ – Japan, IAEE 

Europe, World Petroleum Congress 

and also quoted regularly in international 

press like Wall Street Journal 

and World Gas Intelligence. Abhishek 

holds a Masters in Energy Science 

and Technology from ETH Zurich, 

Switzerland and a B.Tech in Electrical 

Engineering from IIT Delhi, India.

46 PRODUCT 

Glassdac Malaysia Sdn Bhd, 

technical director, 

Wong Chee Wei. 

Discipline, attitude and 

commitment brings 

‘green’ glass 

Glassdac’s objective is 

to provide the comfort 

solutions to create a 

green environment in 

order to reduce CO 2 

emission 

IN 2009, a number of architects and 

developers started to discuss GBI 

(Green Building Index) and OTTV 

(Overall Thermal Transfer Value). 

However, at that time, the market 

was only carrying limited types of 

glass and only promoting whatever 

they can produce for the architects 

and developers. 

At that time, the trend in China 

was green building and reduction 

of CO 2 

and which was then led to 

Glassdac (M) Sdn Bhd to be incorporated 

as a private limited company 

in March 2011 with the support of 

Xinyi Glass (China). 

Glassdac (M) Sdn Bhd technical 

director, Wong Chee Wei, said 

Glassdac ensured quality was a 

necessity as the products’ certificates 

and ISO certification are the 

two items, customers look at in purchasing 

glass. 

He said: “At Glassdac, we strongly 

believe that our workers’ Discipline, 

Attitude and Commitment will determine 

our quality of our product. 

Hence, that is the reason our name 

“This is because to 

get natural light into 

building and to prevent 

the heat going in is one 

of the key elements of 

green building design. 

But this is conflict in the 

principium. The theory 

is more natural light 

you receive, more heat 

you gain.” — Wong Chee 

Wei, Glassdac (M) Sdn Bhd 

technical director 

Until today, solar control glass is still one of the cheapest energy saving 

coated glass and is also suitable for our climate because of its low natural 

daylight transmittance. 

is Glassdac. The DAC derives from 

the words, Discipline, Attitude and 

Commitment. 

“We are providing customers the 

architectural glass with comfort solution. 

Comfort does not only mean 

in terms of environment, but also in 

terms of pricing. Normally, we would 

try our best to make it ‘affordable’.” 

He said Glassdac’s objective 

is to provide the comfort solution 

to the developers, architects, and 

green consultants to create a green 

environment in order to reduce 

CO 2 

emission, so that everyone 

would be able to enjoy a better living 

environment. 

Manufacturing glass requires 

high energy consumption and also 

creates air pollution. And even 

though we have SIRIM ECO – a 

Labelling Scheme for flat glass 

product, it is not a mandatory to 

adhere to. 

“At Glassdac, however, we are 

compliant to the scheme and I 

strongly believe the specific authority 

should review the existing scheme 

and make it mandatory for all glass 

manufacturers. By doing so, glass 

can go green from the initial stage in 

manufacturing,” Wong said. 

“It is necessary for the scheme to 

be mandatory because production 

lines being set up in our country are 

increasing, making it more receptive 

to high energy consumption and air 

pollutants. 

“In terms in glass application, 

glass plays a major role in OTTV calculation 

to reduce building CO 2 

emission. 

To reduce the OTTV values, 

we need to use better performance 

glass. Glass is different from other 

products. Glass is depended on the 

building design and orientation.” 

In comparison to other building 

materials used in a green building, 

glass is one of the most challenging 

items. 

Wong added: “This is because 

to get natural light into building and 

to prevent the heat going in is one 

of the key elements of green building 

design. But this is conflict in 

the principium. The theory is more 

natural light you receive, more heat 

you gain. 

“In the history of glass, we first 

used heat absorbing glass then solar 

control glass, and now we are using 

the triple silver Low-E insulated 

glass to block the heat going into the 

building to reduce the usage of the 

air conditioning and CO 2 

emission.” 

Glassdac provides and manufactures 

glass which is energy-saving 

and coated with Solar Control 

features. 

Wong said: “The energy saving 

coated glass is categorised into: 

Solar Control, Low-E and Solar 

Control Low-E glass 3 types. And 

we have on line (hard coated) and 

off line (soft coated) 2 type of processing 

methods. For soft coater 

Low-E and Solar Control Low-E we 

have single silver, double silver and 

triple silver. 

“All soft coated Low-E and Solar 

Control Low-E must be in insulated 

glass. This is to protect the silver 

from being oxidised and to maximize 

the glass energy saving performance. 

It is also one of the cheapest 

energy saving coated glass and 

most suitable for our climate.” 

Wong said he faces challenges 

with the developers’ mindset on 

using Low-E insulated glass. This is 

because the developers had always 

thought the Low-E insulated glass 

is expensive compared to normal 

glass. 

At the same time, Wong and 

Glassdac are looking forward into 

the future to enhance and improve 

the quality and the affordability of 

their glass. 

Wong said: “We are working 

with Xinyi Glass to provide higher 

quality and lower cost energy saving 

glass and also make it affordable for 

everyone to use energy saving glass 

for their homes, to establish a more 

green and comfortable living environment 

by reducing CO 2 

emission.” 


ENERGY 

47 

Deputy Minister 

of Energy, Green 

Technology and 

Water (KeTTHA) Dato’ 

Seri Diraja Mahdzir 

Khalid picking the 

balloting ball for a 

recipient during the 

Balloting Process for 

Solar Photovoltaic 

Applications for 

Non-individuals at 

The Everly Hotel, 

Putrajaya. 

Second 


SEDA carries out process 

for solar photovoltaic 

applications for 

non-individuals 

IN March, the Sustainable Energy 

Development (SEDA) Malaysia 

organised the second balloting 

process for solar photovoltaic 

(PV) applications for non-individuals 

for projects achieving commercial 

operation in 2015. 

The capacity was applied up to 

a maximum of 425 kW. 

The balloting process was officiated 

by the Deputy Minister of 

Energy, Green Technology and 

Water (KeTTHA) Datuk Seri Diraja 

Mahdzir Khalid. He was alongside 

Secretary General of KeTTHA 

Datuk Loo Took Gee and SEDA 

chairman, Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai. 

This year, SEDA received a total 

of 548 qualified solar PV applications 

for non-individuals (up to 

425kW) for the balloting exercise. 

And out of this total, 182 

applications were installed up to 

72kW making up a total of 6.9281 

MW, another applications for 

installed capacity up to 180 kW 

with a total capacity of 21.9759MW 

and the balance of 230 applications 

were for installed capacity 

up to 425kW with a total capacity 

of 92.3959 MW. 

SEDA also added a new category 

for Sabah, under the directive 

of KeTTHA and 69 applications 

were for projects in Sabah with a 

total capacity of 19.3 MW. 

At the same time, auditors from 

Deloitte Risk Services Sdn Bhd 

were appointed for the balloting 

process and observers from 

Jabatan Audit Negara and Institut 

Intergriti Malaysia were present. 

This was to increase transparency 

in the balloting procces. 


48 ENERGY 

Solar panels being brought in via small boats to the 

remote villages 

Let there be light 

Sarawak Energy illuminates two longhouses in 

Batang Ai’s interior through solar 

SOME 200 villagers from two longhouses 

in Batang Ai’s interior are 

now enjoying continuous 24-hour 

power supply, benefitting from 

Sarawak Energy’s continuous quest 

for sustainable power generation. 

Each household at Rumah 

Kino and Rumah Manggat are 

now equipped with a Solar Home 

System (SHS) set comprising eight 

ceiling lights and four switch socket 

outlets to power basic electrical 

appliances like fans, stereos, televisions 

and more. 

This is made possible under 

Sarawak Energy’s corporate social 

responsibility initiative to connect 

both longhouses which are located 

away from the main power grid to 

renewable energy alternatives. 

Dr Chen Shiun, Sarawak Energy’s 

General Manager for Research and 

Development, said: “This initiative 

is to complement the government’s 

rural electrification programme, 

aimed at providing basic electricity 

requirements to all rural households 

by 2020. The SHS provides a viable 

interim measure until a more permanent 

solution such as grid connection 

can be implemented. 

“Although this is an interim solution 

for these longhouses, it shows 

how committed we are in making 

sure every household has a continuous 

supply of electricity.” 

Rumah Kino and Rumah 

Manggat are not connected to the 

main power grid due to their remoteness. 

Travelling to both longhouses 

is only possible via longboat over 

the Batang Ai reservoir - 45 minutes 

to Rumah Manggat and 1 hour 30 

minutes to Rumah Kino respectively. 

The journey can become 

challenging during adverse weather 

conditions. 

In addition, connecting both longhouses 

to the main power grid will 

take years and may not be viable 

given their small population. As 

such, solar serves as the best 

alternative source of power for the 

folks at Rumah Kino and Rumah 

Manggat for now. 

Sarawak Energy worked closely 

with the villagers in developing the 

initiative, starting with a series of 

stakeholder dialogues to determine 

the project’s feasibility for both 

longhouses before implementation 

began in November last year. 

Once the project go-ahead was 

given, the villagers assisted the 

Sarawak Energy’s Research and 

Development team to make sure 

the implementation ran smoothly. 

Since both longhouses are only 

accessible by boat, the villagers 

joined hands in gotong royong 

to transport the equipment from 

Batang Ai jetty to the longhouses. 

After rigorous testing of the solar 

sets, the villagers were briefed on 

how to operate and maintain the 

equipment. Sarawak Energy continues 

to provide technical support 

to the longhouses. 

While going solar doesn’t cater for 

appliances requiring higher power 

like a refrigerator and washing 

machine, having a constant supply 

is already making a real difference. 

Commenting on the development, 

Rumah Manggat headman, 

Manggat Meringai, said villagers 

can now turn on their lights and 

use electrical appliances anytime 

of the day. 

“Prior to this, each family had to 

own a generator set and spend on 

average RM80 per month on diesel 

fuel. If they use a petrol generator 

set, then they will need to spend 

more than RM100 per month. On 

generator, lights are turned on only 

between 6.30pm to 10pm. 

“On a festive occasion like Gawai 

Dayak and during a wedding, the 

generator set will run till midnight 

or wee hours of the morning. We 

also provide homestay to tourists 

so having a continuous supply helps 

a lot,” said the 58-year-old farmer. 

At Rumah Kino, farmer William 

Indap, 46, said the longhouse had 

a 15 kilowatt diesel generator which 

runs from 7pm to 10pm four times a 

week- Monday, Wednesday, Friday 

and Saturday. 

“The installation of the system 

and internal wiring was done properly 

by contractors. I am happy with 

the savings I get by not running the 

generator,” he said. 

“Now with the solar system, the 

children can watch television during 

the day and there is no need to use 

torch light during the early morning 

or late at night. It has made life more 

convenient for us all!” said the father 

of two who is also a member of the 

village security and development 

committee. 


ENERGY 

49 

Aisah 

delivers her 

address 

during the 

closing 

of the 

workshop 

Stepping up 

sustainability efforts 

Initiative an essential step towards ensuring hydropower projects are implemented and 

run according to guidelines 

SARAWAK Energy is further 

intensifying efforts to incorporate 

sustainability into its project 

and operations life-cycle. As part 

of this, the State utility trained its 

first team of in-house sustainability 

protocol assessors at a workshop 

recently, using a globally recognised 

standard. 

The initiative is an essential 

step towards ensuring its hydropower 

projects are implemented 

and run in accordance with guidelines 

set out by the Hydropower 

Sustainability Assessment 

Protocol. 

The protocol is a framework to 

assess sustainability at all stages 

of project implementation and is 

a consistent, globally-applicable 

methodology. 

The adoption of the protocol is on 

a purely voluntary basis and goes 

beyond legislative requirements. 

Speaking at the workshop 

closing, Sarawak Energy’s Chief 

of Corporate Services Aisah 

Eden said the company signed 

a ‘Sustainability Partnership’ with 


The ultimate goal is 

to form a competent 

pool of sustainability 

protocol assessors 

capable of conducting 

an internal assessment 

in accordance with IHA 

protocol.” — Aisah Eden, 

Sarawak Energy’s Chief of 

Corporate Services 

IHA in 2011. This was an integral 

part of the company’s commitment 

towards sustainability in 

hydropower project development 

and operations. 

She said this was aligned with 

Sarawak Energy’s vision for sustainable 

growth and prosperity 

for Sarawak, by meeting the 

region’s need for reliable, renewable 

energy. 

“This training is also part of our 

own internal capacity development 

process. The ultimate goal is to 

form a competent pool of sustainability 

protocol assessors capable 

of conducting an internal assessment 

in accordance with IHA protocol,” 

said Aisah. 

“Six Sarawak Energy staff will 

undergo additional training to 

prepare them for an accredited 

assessor role, to ensure they fully 

understand the protocol so as to 

be the reference point for other 

assessors.” 

Aisah added one of the objectives 

of the protocol assessment 

was to identify the gaps and weaknesses 

as well as to develop an 

action plan to resolve them. 

The workshop and training 

session was conducted by sustainability 

specialists Simon 

Howard and Douglas Smith from 

the International Hydropower 

Association (IHA). The 18 participants 

were exposed to the protocol’s 

background, structure, 

content and methodology. 

“I was impressed with the participants’ 

enthusiasm and their capability 

to apply the protocol, and with 

Sarawak Energy’s plans to embed 

the protocol into their business,” 

said Smith. 

The team was made to understand 

the benefits the protocol 

brought to their business and how 

it could be incorporated into management 

and reporting systems, 

to enable them to mobilise and 

manage future official protocol 

assessments. 

Sarawak Energy has been a 

member of IHA since 2010. As a 

sustainability partner, Sarawak 

Energy is committed to implementing 

its projects in accordance to the 

guidelines set out by the protocol. 

Sarawak Energy aims to 

harness the state’s competitive 

edge in hydropower as a clean and 

renewable energy source to meet 

future demand and drive energy 

intensive industries. In line with 

this, the State Utility intends to do 

so by incorporating sustainability 

measures in its process.

50 TRANSPORTATION 

Datuk 

Torstein 

and some 

of his SEB 

staff with 

the Nissan 

Leaf EV 

Sarawak 

Energy 

adds 

eco-friendly 

electric 

vehicles to fleet 

Nissan Leaf EVs will play 

integral part in company’s 

learning curve 

IN gearing up its sustainability initiatives, 

Sarawak Energy launched 

its first batch of electric vehicles 

(EV) for the company’s corporate 

use. 

The company’s first two EVs, 

was showcased recently during 

the launch of Sarawak Energy’s 

EV Demonstration Project by 

Sarawak Energy Chief Executive 

Officer Datuk Torstein Dale 

Sjotveit. 

The launch was held in conjunction 

with Sarawak Energy’s 

Leadership Conference at the 

Borneo Convention Centre 

Kuching. 

The Nissan Leaf EVs will play 

an integral part in the company’s 

learning curve to showcase the 

advancement of EV technology 

as well as to study its suitability 

for daily usage in Sarawak. 

The remaining two EVs are 

expected to be delivered by the 

middle of this year, making it a 

total of four. 

In his speech, Datuk Torstein 

said many governments around 

the world have looked towards 

energy efficient vehicles as a proactive 

measure to reducing carbon 

emissions. This has seen new policies 

being enacted, incentives to 

reduce the cost of purchasing 

an EV as well as promoting and 

setting up of EV charging facilities 

among others. 

“The number of cars on the road 

globally is increasing. There needs 

to be a concerted effort to move 

towards energy efficient vehicles if 

we are to play our part in promoting 

sustainability,” he said. 

He said this was also in line 

with Malaysia’s vision to becoming 

an energy efficient vehicle hub, 

where according to the National 

Automotive Policy (NAP) 2014 it is 

targeted that around 85% of vehicles 

produced in Malaysia in 2020 

will be energy efficient. 

Other than increased awareness 

on environmental issues, he 

said depleting fossil fuels is also a 

determining factor for countries to 

consider energy efficient vehicles. 

“Sarawak Energy will continue 

to explore ways on how best to 

promote and incorporate sustainability 

in the company’s processes 

and operations. This is aligned 

with our own vision for sustainable 

growth and prosperity for Sarawak 

by meeting the region’s need for 

reliable, renewable energy,” he 

said. 

Datuk Torstein said the 

company has gained ground in 

working towards this vision having 

The number of cars 

on the road globally 

is increasing. There 

needs to be a concerted 

effort to move towards 

energy efficient vehicles 

if we are to play our 

part in promoting 

sustainability.” — Datuk 

Torstein Dale Sjotveit, 

Sarawak Energy Chief 

Executive Officer 

received a number of top accolades 

at the 6th Sarawak Chief 

Minister’s Environmental Award 

(CMEA) 2014 for its facilities as 

well as training its first team of 

in-house sustainability protocol 

assessors. 

He said the EVs would complement 

its headquarters, Menara 

Sarawak Energy, which is also 

the first green building in East 

Malaysia. 

The EVs, to be driven by staff, 

would also be used in Sarawak 

Energy’s campaign to support its 

go green initiatives as well as road 

safety campaigns. 

There will be three charging 

facilities available for the EVs: at 

Sarawak Energy Headquarters, 

the company’s transport division at 

Bintawa and at Edaran Tan Chong 

Motor Kuching 3S Centre. 

The project is also meant to 

enable Sarawak Energy to compile 

necessary data on charging 

requirements of an EV in the event 

there is a rise in market demand 

for these cars in future. 

With considerably higher efficiency, 

EV costs less to run when 

compared to conventional vehicles 

based on cost per kilometre 

basis. These green vehicles travelling 

range exceeds 100km per 

single charge which is adequate 

for daily use. Today, commercially 

available EVs can also travel more 

than 400km per full charge. 

The cars do not have an exhaust 

system and do not create any 

direct pollution or emissions that 

could contribute to global warming, 

as long as the electricity used to 

power it comes from clean and 

renewable resources. 

Sarawak derives more than 70% 

of its electricity from renewable 

hydropower and therefore presents 

an ideal condition for EVs. 


52 ENERGY 

Meeting challenges, 

focused forward 

– the Gading Kencana story 

Company established itself in the field of off-grid solar power 

The innovative A-frame in use 

at Bosch factory in Penang 

ONE could have scarcely 

imagined a tougher way 

to start. Small, rented 

premises outfitted with second-hand 

furniture and equipment. 

Very limited and often insufficient 

bank facilities. 

A market where awareness for 

energy conservation and renewable 

energy and government 

support/legislation for the industry 

was, at best, minimal. 

Undaunted, driven by an 

unswerving conviction that environment-friendly 

technology was 

the way forward, a group of pioneers 

embarked on a journey that 

would take them from selling tiny 

solar-powered garden lights to 

the establishment of the world’s 

most resource-efficient solar farm. 

The continuing story of Gading 

Kencana has since been a tale 

of progress through meeting and 

overcoming challenges. 

The company’s initial activities 

involved several energy audit 

exercises, under the supervision 

of the Malaysian Energy Centre, 

but these soon fizzled out and 

Gading Kencana quickly went 

into the distribution of solar-powered 

garden lights manufactured 

in Malaysia. 

Working through channels as 

diverse as D.I.Y. shops and consumer 

exhibitions, the company 

grew demand for its high quality 

garden lights, both with locals who 

had been educated overseas as 

well as international markets. 

With growing demand came 

cheap solar garden lights, from 

China, which flooded the market 


ENERGY 

53 

in 2003. The company had to be 

nimble and quickly learnt the technology 

required to design and construct 

solar-powered street lights. 

These were supplied to 

the Malaysian Public Works 

Department and many local 

authorities for use at “high accident 

roads/junctions” that were too 

far from the electricity grid. These 

lights indeed helped reduce night 

accidents at unlit junctions and 

road curves. 

Building upon this, the company 

was to establish itself in the field 

of off-grid solar power, designing 

and constructing a number of 

solar photovoltaic (PV) systems 

to remote roads and hill country 

in Malaysia. 

The vital breakthrough came 

with the successful bid for the 

Malaysian Ministry of Education’s 

project in 2009 to supply solar 

power for the generation of “24 

hours” electricity, a measure 

designed to encourage teachers 

to take up postings in the country’s 

more remote areas. 

It was to be the beginning of 

Gading Kencana’s involvement in 

large-scale solar PV projects and 

there was no turning back. 

Today, Gading Kencana is 

among the foremost names in 

the Malaysian renewable energy 

business, leading the way with its 

reputation for quality and innovation 

and a long track record of 

successful projects. The company 

is involved in many areas in 

Renewable Energy and Energy 

Efficiency, including: 

World’s most resource-efficient solar farm in Melaka 

SOLAR FARM DEVELOPMENT 

• Engineering, 

Procurement, Construction, 

Testing and Commissioning 

of Solar Photovoltaic 

Systems 

• Energy Conservation 

Consultancy 

• Electrical Works 

• Audio-visual and CCTV 

system works. 


54 ENERGY 

Gading Kencana’s solid position 

in its industry is rooted in firm 

fundamentals that permeate every 

aspect of what the company does. 

It practiced prudent financial 

management, born from a time 

when the company’s initial projects 

were funded primarily from 

shareholders’ own contributions 

and mother-in-law’s “soft loans”. 

A keen awareness of the 

“global” environment it is in and of 

latest industry developments, put 

to good use in regular, management-led 

SWOT analysis exercises 

that allow it to decide on 

the pro-active moves that keep it 

competitive. 

A commitment to quality — 

Gading Kencana is Malaysia’s 

only solar PV service provider to 

have ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 

18001:2007 certifications — 

whether it be in the high quality 

components used in its systems 

or the top-notch service from its 

dedicated staff. 

And an enduring sense of customer 

value-added, whether 

in the addition of elements of 

energy efficiency in rooftop structural 

designs or the fulfilment 

of its completely “hassle-free” 

promise to both domestic and 

commercial customers of its 

popular Sun2Cash rooftop solar 

programme. 

It is, however, in the area of 

innovation that Gading Kencana 

truly distinguishes itself. It was 

first to innovate in its rooftop solar 

PV systems, using the “A-shape” 

of the traditional Malay house 

roof to enhance cooling effects 

for buildings in tropical climates. 

Previously, all rooftop solar PV 

systems were based upon designs 

from Europe and the U.S., which 

were suited for temperate climes. 

The A-shape design has since 

been much copied by local players 

but the company prides itself with 

having enabled the local industry, 

as a whole, to provide greater value-added 

to Malaysian end-users. 

No wonder then that this heritage 

of innovation has garnered 

the company numerous awards 

over the years, both locally and 

internationally. These include 

the prestigious Frost & Sullivan, 

Enterprise 50, SME Corp’s Best 

Innovation Award, Malaysia 

Power Brand, the Malaysian 

Construction Industry Excellence 

Award and more. And most 

recently, The European magazine’s 

Global Energy Award 2014. 

For Gading Kencana, it has 

all dovetailed together in what is 

the company’s most outstanding 

achievement — the development 

of the Kompleks Hijau Solar, a 

word-for-word translation reading 

as the Complex Green Solar, a 

17.17 acre solar farm in Melaka. 

Every ounce of the company’s 

inventiveness and persistence 

through adversity was required 

to bring to fruition the world’s 

most resource-efficient solar farm 

and it is, unsurprisingly, Gading 

Kencana’s “jewel in the crown. 

Turning out 1 megawatt per 1.3 

acres – versus an average worldwide 

best of 1 megawatt per five 

acres – the Kompleks Hijau Solar 

is, inch-for-inch, the world’s most 

resource-efficient solar farm. 

Yet, it may not have been were 

it not for unforeseen limitations in 

the site’s land title that reduced its 

total acreage. With less space to 

use, yield had to increase significantly 

to compensate. 

And Gading Kencana rose to 

the occasion with cutting-edge 

innovation in systems and technologies 

that resulted in a solution 

that is the world’s most efficient. 

Adhering to the most stringent 

safety and power quality 

requirements, the complex, with 

its 29,092 units of solar panels 

fulfilling a system capacity of 8 

MegaWatts, is projected to output 

11,000 MegaWatt hours of clean 

energy annually. 

True to form, getting its solar 

farm finally transmitting green 

power into Malaysia’s national 

grid was an ebb and flow of 

problem-solving and innovation. 

Among the more critical was the 

issue of financing. 

Given that Malaysia had only 

relatively recently legislated a 

Feed-in Tariff, whereby solar 

power producers like Gading 

Kencana could be paid for the 

energy they generated, there 

was no precedent for conservative 

Malaysian financial institutions to 

follow and it took lengthy negotiations 

and much financial inventiveness 

to accomplish. 

But then, one could claim that it 

was simply “par for course” for a 

company that made the remarkable 

achievement of growing 

from humble beginnings selling 

tiny solar garden lights to now 

providing a national grid the benefits 

of green energy from the 

world’s most resource-efficient 

solar farm. 


Who is DHES? 

DRB-Hicom Environmental Services Sdn 

Bhd (938781-W) or “DHES” is a fully owned 

subsidiary of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and is 

under the DRB-HICOM BERHAD Group. 

We offer diverse quality services related 

to the environment including consultancy, 

systems analyses and technical inspection. 

We have more than 100* staff in the 

management and technical areas and 

over 400* support staff stationed all over 

Malaysia. Established in the 1990s**, and 

we have more than 18 years experience in 

this industry and we assure our customers 

quality service. 

Why us? 

Quality Service 

Reliability 

Technical Capabilities 

Group Synergy 

Strategy Driven 

Value For Money 

* Data until September 2014 ** Alam Flora Sdn Bhd 

LEADING 

AGGRESIVE 

3R & 

Industrial Scrap 

Our main Recycling Centre is located in Precint 9, Putrajaya. 

By our “Buy Back Programme”, you can earn some income 

while helping the domestic economy and conserving the 

environment. 

Besides 3R activities, DHES is also involved in providing a 

comprehensive service for the large scale industry. On an 

average we manage 110 tonnes of scrap per day, equivalent 

to 40,000 tonnes yearly. Our industrial scrap waste consists 

of various types of iron and metal, wood, aluminium and 

other hard materials. Hence DHES has become the largest 

Bumiputera company in Malaysia in managing industrial scrap. 

Waste Management Facility 

& Services 

DHES has started its business in waste management in 

Malaysia since 1990s. Our vast experience in this industry has 

widen our range of services into; 

• Management of Transfer Station 

• Management of Sanitary Landfill 

• Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (ICI) Waste 

• Renovation & Construction Waste (RCW) 

Integrated Facilities 

Management (IFM) 

Our focus is to ensure quality that our customers demand and 

maximise the building’s life cycle. Our services are: 

• Mechanical and Electrical Systems 

• Civil and Structural Systems 

• Environment Management 

• Parking Management 

• Security Management 

• Computerised Maintenance Management System 

• Utilities Management 

• Landscaping and Grounds Services 

• Cleaning and Housekeeping Services 

• Fire Fighthing Systems 

• Vertical Transportation 

• Pest Control 

Level 2, EON Head Office Complex, No.2, Persiaran Kerjaya, Taman Perindustrian Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. 

Tel: +603-78030518 / 0844 / 1428 / 1472 | Fax: +603-78030137 | www.dhes.com.my

56 IGEM 2015 

Dato’ Seri DiRaja Mahdzir bin Khalid, Deputy Minister of Energy, Green Technology 

and Water (left) charging up an electric vehicle (EV) to officiate the launch 

of IGEM 2015. Giving the thumbs-up are Datuk Loo Took Gee, Secretary General of the 

Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (centre), and Dato’ Paduka Prof (Dr) Ir 

Hj Keizrul Abdullah, Chairman of Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (right). 

Powering the Green Economy 

This year IGEM 2015 will also feature two unique sub-events 

THE International Greentech 

& Eco Products Exhibition and 

Conference Malaysia 2015 

(IGEM 2015) will be held at 

the Kuala Lumpur Convention 

Centre on Mar 9-12 with the 

theme “Powering The Green 

Economy”. 

The exhibition and conference 

are organised by the Ministry of 

Energy, Green Technology and 

Water (KeTTHA), in collaboration 

with Malaysia Green Technology 

Corporation (GreenTech 

Malaysia). 

Held for the sixth consecutive 

year, it is the region’s most 

acclaimed green technology 

exhibition. It’s set to attract at 

least 400 exhibitors to showcase 

the latest innovations in 

green technology products, services 

and solution in energy, 

This year’s theme 

reflects the constant 

need to aggressively 

promote and empower 

the green economy in 

Malaysia and across 

ASEAN.” — Datuk Seri 

Diraja Mahdzir Khalid, 

KeTTHA Deputy Minister 

transportation, property development, 

water management and 

waste management. 

The Deputy Minister of 

KeTTHA, Datuk Seri Diraja 

Mahdzir Khalid, who officiated 

the launch of IGEM 2015, said 

Malaysia’s ultimate goal was to 

position itself as a green technology 

hub for the ASEAN region. 

He added: “This year’s theme 

reflects the constant need 

to aggressively promote and 

empower the green economy in 

Malaysia and across ASEAN.” 

IGEM 2015 will be featuring 

two unique sub-events. 

The Green Financing 

Conference is in collaboration 

with Islamic Banking and Finance 

Institute of Malaysia (IBFIM) 

on Sept 9, while the E-Mobilia 

World (Eco Efficient Electric) is 

with Koelnmesse Pte. Ltd for two 

days starting on Sept 10. 

The Green Financing 

Conference will feature prominent 

speakers from green 

banks in the USA and Europe. It 

is specifically designed to share 

insights and encourage dialogue 

on success stories, challenges 

and opportunities in financing 

low carbon and climate resilient 

projects. 

At the same time, the E-Mobilia 

World, a premier hybrid, electric 

and energy efficient vehicle conference 

in the ASEAN region, will 

be held for the first time in conjunction 

with IGEM 2015. 

The event will be highlighting 

key issues in the areas of sustainable 

mobility development, 

business strategy, implementation 

and adoption throughout the 

ecosystem. 

Some of the other subevents 

will include MATRADE 

International Business Matching 

Session, Green Career 

Matchmaking, Exhibitor’s 

Reception and Green Insights. 


ENVIRONMENT 

57 

GreenTech and MIP ink 

partnership to boost sustainable cities 

All 149 municipalities to 

implement Low Carbon Cities 

Framework & Assessment By 2020 

MALAYSIAN Green Technology 

Corporation (GreenTech 

Malaysia) and the Malaysian 

Institute of Planners (MIP) signed 

a Memorandum of Understanding 

(MoU) on March 20 to expedite 

the implementation of the Ministry 

of Energy, Green Technology and 

Water’s (KeTTHA) Low Carbon 

Cities Framework & Assessment 

(LCCF) at all 149 municipalities 

nationwide by 2020. 

The LCCF aims to assist local 

municipalities and developers to 

achieve low carbon city status, 

providing a framework and tools 

to implement strategies that will 

reduce their carbon emissions 

in line with the government’s 

efforts to effectively reduce up to 

40% emission intensity of GDP 

by 2020, from the base year of 

2005. Given the importance of 

this, GreenTech has incorporated 

the LCCF as an integral part of 

its sustainable living efforts over 

the last three years. 

Speaking on the partnership, 

GreenTech’s Chief Executive 

Officer, Ir. Ahmad Hadri Haris, 

said: “The MoU marks a significant 

milestone in continuing sustainability 

efforts in Malaysia. This 

partnership will see the development 

of low carbon roadmaps, 

action plans and a series of training 

sessions to expand the development 

of low carbon communities 

in Malaysia. 

“We have successfully partnered 

with MIP in the past and 

given their vast experience 

working with federal, state and 

local authorities, we are confident 

this collaboration will 

fast-track the implementation of 

LCCF across the country.” 

The LCCF is a continuous 

monitoring and improvement 

programme comprising the Low 

Carbon Cities Framework and the 

Low Carbon Cities Assessment 

System. The framework identifies 

pertinent areas and recommends 

various strategies to 

effectively reduce overall carbon 

emissions. 

Meanwhile, the assessment 

system offers tools such as the 

carbon calculator that enable 

cities to monitor and track carbon 

emission levels. 

Four key elements examined 

under the LCCF include 

Urban Environment, Urban 

Transportation, Urban 

Infrastructure and Building. In 

total, these four elements have 

13 performance criteria with 35 

sub-criteria enabling the reduction 

of carbon emissions through 

strategic policy control, technological 

development, improved 

process and product management, 

change in procurement 

system, carbon capture and 

consumption strategies, among 

others. 

The MoU was part of MIP’s Pre 

Annual General Meeting Seminar 

titled Introduction to LCCF & 

Planning Permission Issue & 

Challenges, which included the 

launch of the Low Carbon City & 

Sustainability Centre (LCCSC), 

a workshop on LCCF and a 

cheque presentation ceremony. 

Addressing the audience, 

MIP President Md Nazri Mohd 

Nordin said: “As the country 

DONE DEAL: Ir Hadri (centre) and MIP President Md Nazri signing the MoU. 

At right is KeTTHA Deputy Sec-Gen Datuk Harjeet Singh 

moves towards developed 

status, our cities and towns need 

to embrace sustainable development 

and as our resources 

deplete, our communities need 

to embrace sustainability and low 

carbon communities. This MoU 

represents the commitment of 

MIP as an institution representing 

town planners, in assisting 

the nation’s agenda for sustainable 

development.” 

Throughout the partnership, 

GreenTech will provide advisory 

and assistance to its strategic 

partners while ensuring the programme 

is continuously monitored, 

reviewed and upgraded. 

GreenTech will also be charged 

with maintaining and monitoring 

all national data pertinent to the 

carbon calculator as well as providing 

technical assistance in the 

management of the calculator. 

On MIP’s part, the organisation 

will serve to fast-track the implementation 

of the LCCF through 

the development of individual 

roadmaps and action plans as 

well as monitoring of carbon 

reduction achieved by the partners. 

MIP will leverage on its 

prime position within the industry 

to forge new strategic partners 

from the Government and private 

sector whilst providing continuous 

expertise and knowledge 

through technical trainings. 

One of MIP’s key objectives 

will also entail expanding local 

and international recognition of 

the LCCF, showcasing the positive 

impact of these initiatives. 

Launched officially in 

2012, the LCCF is currently 

being implemented by Majlis 

Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, Majlis 

Perbandaran Subang Jaya, 

Majlis Perbandaran Hang Tuah 

Jaya and the Iskandar Regional 

Development Authority. Baseline 

studies at all four sites are complete 

and efforts are underway to 

chart appropriate action plans to 

effectively reduce carbon emissions 

within the municipalities. 

Currently, an additional 

seven municipalities, namely, 

Majlis Perbandaran Seberang 

Perai, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala 

Lumpur, Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh, 

Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan, 

Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bahru, 

Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu 

and Dewan Bandaraya Kuching 

Utara will commence the implementation 

of the LCCF, paving 

the way for the rest to follow. 


58 ARCHITECTURE 

Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia’s first green built-campus. 

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY officially 

launched its Malaysian campus 

at Putrajaya in February. The university 

campus was built and designed 

as the first green purposed-built 

campus in the country. 

The most recognisable green sustainable 

feature of the Heriot-Watt is 

their grass roof, the first of its kind in 

Malaysia. It serves to keep the building 

naturally ventilated and to reduce 

thermal transmission. 

The other environment-friendly 

design features include campus lighting 

‘powered’ by the maximum use of 

natural daylight, a rainwater-harvesting 

system and optimised air-conditioning 

and thermal control systems. 

Kevin Wong of Green+ had the 

opportunity to speak with Dr Mohd 

Faris Khamidi, an associate professor 

of Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia, about why they went 

green. 

Green+: Why go green? 

A: This is one of the trends now. 

At the same time, there are some 

misconceptions that green buildings 

require more expenditure. 

Actually, with the right design, both 

creative and innovative, it is not that 

Heriot-Watt intends 

to push green 

agenda among 

staff and students 

Heriot-Watt University Malaysia’s 

student service centre. 

expensive to build a green building. 

So for Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia, we wanted a green 

campus. Even in our syllabus we 

teach and promote sustainability, 

green buildings, good environment-friendly 

concepts, principles, 

knowledge and technical knowhow. 

And if we do not showcase this 

in our university, it will defeat the 

whole purpose our advocating green 

sustainability. 

Green+: What are the challenges 

to maintain a green 

Feather 

in their cap 

campus? 

A: That’s a very good question. 

However, it’s still very early to determine 

the challenges in maintaining 

the university. It has only been about 

6-7 months since we began operations 

at the new campus. 

However, there are some of the 

issues that we must look at in terms 

of building maintenance. One is to 

actually take a look at the building 

defects although they may not 

be related to green elements of the 

building. 

Chief Executive Officer 

of Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia, Professor Robert 

Craik explains the green roof 

of the university. 


ARCHITECTURE 

59 

But then again, if you look at 

the green building criteria, some 

of the issues that we face here 

are leakages in the plumbing 

system and so we are looking 

into the matter to fix it as quickly 

It’s really important to 

create the awareness 

and to re-educate the 

students and staff 

of the importance of 

green sustainability.” 

— Dr Mohd Faris Khamidi, 

Associate Professor of 

Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia 


as possible. 

Also, another challenge would 

be the attitude of staff and students. 

That would be a bigger 

challenge because there’s been 

little awareness of going green 

and green sustainability. Hence, 

many do not really care about 

getting things done right, in terms 

of green buildings. 

It’s really important to create the 

awareness and to re-educate the 

students and staff of the importance 

of green sustainability. 

Green+: Are there any plans 

in the future to further enhance 

the green features of the university? 

If yes, what would they 

be? 

Definitely there are plans to 

enhance or improve the green features 

of the university. I would like 

the staff, academics, researchers 

and students at the university to 

Professor Robert Craik (front) and Principal 

and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, 

Professor Steve Chapman with Green+ Magazine. 

continuously upgrade the building 

so that we are graded higher. 

At the same time, I do hope 

that we would be able to put up 

photovoltaic panels and from 

there, we reduce the electricity 

consumption. 

We would also do some of our 

own research into renewable 

energy. 

Additionally, the second phase 

which will be developed is a midrise 

tower that may go up to 15-16 

storeys. 

The extension of the second 

phase development would also 

be green purpose-built. It is still 

too early to determine the green 

features of Phase 2. However, 

if we can get the students, academics 

and researchers involved 

in the development of second 

phase, that would be a great 

achievement. 

Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia first green built-campus. 

Heriot-Watt 

University 

opens 

its doors 

in Malaysia 

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, a leading 

British university, officially unveiled their 

new purpose-built green campus in 

Putrajaya in February. 

Prof Robert Craik, Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) of Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia, said Heriot-Watt University 

Malaysia was the first green campus 

built in the country. 

He added: “The most recognisable 

green sustainable feature of the campus 

is the grass roof, the first of its kind in 

Malaysia. Its functions are to keep the 

building naturally ventilated, reduce 

thermal transmittance and acts as an 

observation deck, accessible via a glass 

lift. 

“Other environment-friendly, design 

features include campus lighting 

‘powered’ by the maximum use of natural 

daylight, a rainwater harvesting system 

and optimised air-conditioning and 

thermal control systems.” 

The university opened its doors in 

Putrajaya in January 2013 with its global 

MBA programme after being chosen by 

the government and Putrajaya Holdings 

Sdn Bhd to set up a branch in the country. 

“Then, the campus was temporarily 

housed at Menara PJH in Putrajaya. Its 

profile grew and in September 2014, 

the university welcomed students to 

the country’s first purpose-built green 

campus based in the stunning lakeside 

city of Putrajaya, offering excellent educational 

facilities for both students and 

staff,” Craik said. 

The opening ceremony was performed 

by Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, Minister of 

Education II, and HE Vicki Treadell, 

British High Commissioner to Malaysia, 

accompanied by Prof Steve Chapman, 

Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot- 

Watt University, and Craik. 

Other eminent guests were Tan 

Sri Abdul Rahman Arshad, Chair of 

the Heriot-Watt University Malaysia 

Board, Datuk Azlan Abdul Karim, CEO, 

Putrajaya Holdings, Tan Sri Dr Yeoh Tiong 

Lay, Chairman, YTL Corp, members of 

Heriot-Watt’s Board of Governors, and 

faculty members, students and alumni.

60 PRODUCT 

Carrier Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Chong Wai Yen 

The Carrier Man can 

The AquaEdge 23XRV reduces energy consumption by up 

to 44 per cent compared to industry standard 

CARRIER was established in 

Malaysia in 1959. Today, they have 

a collective presence of over 400 

employees – a mix of qualified technicians 

and staff in sales and distribution. 

They serve their customers 

from a sales and operations office in 

Kuala Lumpur and a factory in Bangi. 

In an exclusive interview with 

Green+’s Kevin Wong, Managing 

Director of Carrier (Malaysia) Sdn 

Bhd, Chong Wai Yen, speaks 

about Carrier’s current and upcoming 

development, and how they contribute 

towards a “greener” Malaysia. 

In brief, give us an overview of 

Carrier Malaysia? 

Carrier has been cooling Malaysia 

for more than 50 years now and are 

proud that some of the most iconic 

buildings in KL including KL Tower 

are using our HVAC systems. 

At the same time, Carrier is a 

part of UTC Building & Industrial 

Systems, the world’s largest provider 

of building technologies. Together 

with Carrier’s HVAC systems, UTC 

Building & Industrial Systems also 

offers a comprehensive range of elevator, 

escalator, fire-safety, security 

and building automation services 

which promote integrated, high-performance 

buildings that are safer, 

smarter and sustainable. 

UTC Building & Industrial Systems 

is a unit of United Technologies 

Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace 

and building systems industries 

worldwide. 

What are the technological 

advancement and innovative 

products offered by Carrier 

Malaysia? 

Within buildings, heating, ventilating 

and air conditioning make up 40 

per cent of total energy consumption, 

Carrier has the world’s first variable 

frequency three-screw chiller, 

the AquaEdge 23XRV, which can 

reduce energy consumption by up 

to 44 percent compared to the industry 

standard. It incorporates a significant 

break-through in water-cooled 

chiller technology by combining the 

innovative tri-rotor efficient compressor 

design with energy saving variable 

speed drive, to provide excellent 

reliability and achieve superior 

efficiencies at actual operating conditions 

without compromising the 

environment. 

It delivers industry leading part 

load performance while maintaining 

peak efficiency in an extremely 

broad range of applications and climates 

for lower cost of ownership. 

What is Carrier’s strategy to 

realize growth potential in 

Malaysia? 

We see many opportunities for us 

to grow. 

Urbanization – as more people 

move from rural area to cities, more 

townships are developed, where the 

need for air-conditioning systems will 

grow. 

We have systems for various 

applications, from the smallest residential 

units to the largest industrial 

machines. Our approach is to 

promote energy efficient systems 

and sustainable solutions. 

Another area is service excellence. 

To provide comprehensive 

maintenance and service program 

to suit the customers’ needs. 

As part of the world’s largest 

high-technology building systems 

provider, we are now able to focus 

on: 

Coordinated approach to achieve 

greater efficiency in understanding 

customer needs. UTC Building & 

Industrial Systems is the only building 

technologies provider with elevator, 

heating, ventilating, and air conditioning 

(HVAC), fire and security 

and building automation offerings, 


PRODUCT 

61 

Carrier has been cooling 

Malaysia for more than 

50 years now and are 

proud that some of the 

most iconic buildings in 

KL including KL Tower 

are using our HVAC 

systems.” — Chong Wai 

Yen, Managing Director of 

Carrier (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd 

providing installation, service and 

monitoring. 

What were Carrier’s 2014 key 

projects? 

We had quite a number of key 

projects in 2014, from a wide range 

of application and segment, such as 

commercial, hospitality, healthcare 

and industrial. 

We were delighted when we completed 

the refurbishment of the AC 

systems in the iconic KL Tower and 

Holiday Inn, Glenmarie. 

We are confident that our air-conditioning 

chillers will deliver improvements 

in energy efficiency. 

What are some of the upcoming 

developments for Carrier 

Malaysia? 

We will continue to develop more 

efficient and environmentally responsible 

systems. 

For example, Malaysia is reducing 

the HCFC consumption and will 

be stopping all importation of units 

below 2.5HP using R22 refrigerant. 

We have already developed alternative 

solutions some time back, using 

R410a refrigerant. 

Similarly, there is greater interest 

in green buildings and sustainable 

building technologies. The formation 

of UTC Building & Industrial 

Systems places us in a strong position 

to respond to future demand for 

integrated building technologies. 

We are working toward safer, more 

environmentally sustainable and 

more intelligent buildings through our 

solutions with our brands like Carrier, 

Otis and Sigma. 

What are some of the global 

trends in the building systems 

industry which businesses 

in Malaysia should take 

note of? 

One of the global trends 

which we have witnessed 

gather pace in the past 

decade is the increasing 

demand for greener buildings, 

which tend to be fitted 

with smarter, more sustainable 

building products. 

The green building 

segment is shifting from 

‘push’ to ‘pull’. It used to be 

that governments and other 

organizations promoted 

smarter and greener buildings 

through subsidies and 

other means – essentially the ‘push 

factor’. However, this is slowly being 

replaced by what we call the ‘pull 

factor’, where building owners, occupants 

and communities in general 

are increasingly demanding smarter 

and greener buildings. 


is helping to accelerate the trend 

toward ‘smart’ buildings by developing 

world-class innovations for the 

building and construction industry, 

from air-conditioning chillers that can 

deliver up to double-digit improvements 

in energy efficiency, premier 

building automation systems that 

can control a building’s major 

systems from a smart phone to elevators 

that capture waste energy. 

With the ever increasing demand 

and activity for smarter and greener 

buildings, we are confident that we 

will see a significant shift in the adoption 

of ‘smart’ buildings within the 

next decade. 

How does UTC determine whether 

an “old building” can be modernised 

with your products/ 

technology? 

The decision to modernize an “old 

building” rests largely with the building 

owner, who may consider several 

factors including the cost of retrofit, 

existing or new building regulations, 

length of payback (i.e. how long it 

takes a building owner to recoup 

Cooling systems generally consume approximately 40 per cent 

of a building’s energy use – possibly even more in tropical cli - 

mates like Malaysia’s – so ensuring that these systems are 

making use of the most advanced technologies to run at optimal 

efficiency is likely to deliver a cost savings in the long run. 

the cost of a green retrofit taking 

into account the energy savings of 

the newly installed systems), performance 

of current building systems, 

and so on. 

Most building owners in Malaysia 

begin to consider a retrofit after their 

building systems have been in place 

for 15 – 20 years. 

As mentioned, cooling systems 

generally consume approximately 

40 per cent of a building’s energy 

use – possibly even more in tropical 

climates like Malaysia’s – so ensuring 

that these systems are making 

use of the most advanced technologies 

to run at optimal efficiency is 

likely to deliver a cost savings in the 

long run. 

As an example, we will be retrofitting 

Holiday Inn Glenmarie. 

What are some of the challenges 

involved in modernising an old 

building? 

The greatest challenge in any 

modernization of a building is the 

replacement/ modernization of the 

mechanical and electrical portions 

of the building. Civil and structural 

as well as architectural changes 

are easier to justify as they are 

visible and the effects/ impact is/ 

are immediate. 

We think that a lot of effort should 

be placed in evaluating the condition 

of the mechanical and electric 

systems within a building and a lot 

of thought should be given to potentially 

replacing the items. 

In addition, during modernization, 

thought should be given to making 

sure that the building is easy to maintain 

over time. Simple things like 

service hatches often get neglected. 

In addition, owners should look at the 

long term cost of running a building 

against the initial cost of ownership. 

For example it may be less expensive 

in the near term to fix an old 

chiller plant but the plant won’t be as 

efficient in the long run, may require 

more maintenance and might result 

in more down time. 

More and more companies offer 

integrated solutions. What is UTC 

Building & Industrial Systems’ 

advantage over the competition? 

In addition to being the world’s 

largest high-technology building 

systems provider, we are also the 

only provider with elevator, HVAC, 

fire and security and building automation 

offerings, providing installation, 

service and monitoring. 

By bringing together our experts, 


leverages our talent, resources, and 

processes across different brands to 

provide customer with a comprehensive 

suite of high-technology products, 

engineering capabilities and 

technical support. 


62 WORLD WATER DAY 

Is desalination the solution 

to water security? 

Once rejected by many as expensive and energy-intensive, desalination is winning new 

support worldwide 

GE Singapore Water Technology Centre on the campus of the National University of Singapore (NUS), the facility is playing a vital role in the development 

of new solutions for low-energy seawater desalination, water reclamation and efficient water reuse. 

FOR dry regions like the Middle 

East and North Africa, desalination 

has long been part of national 

water strategies. As a whole, the 

region accounts for half of the 

world’s desalination capacity and is 

home to some of the largest desalination 

plants. 

Interest in and investment in 

desalination are expanding beyond 

this part of the world, however, 

driven in part by water-scarcity concerns 

- 14% of the world population 

is expected to live in water-scarce 

areas by 2025. 

The overall result has been a 

57% increase in installed capacity 

in just five years, reaching 

20bn gal/day globally, according 

to Global Water Intelligence. In the 

face of droughts, for example, the 

US is building its largest-ever seawater 

desalination plant. Located 

in Carlsbad, California, the plant 

should provide 50m gal/day and 

start operations by the end of this 

year. 

Growing demand is not the 

only driver of increased investment 

in desalination—the technology 

has become more economically 

viable as well. New materials 

like graphene can cut operational 

costs, for example. 

Meanwhile, improved membrane 

performance for reverse-osmosis 

desalination—today’s dominant 

technology—has increased 

operational efficiency, as have 

mechanical energy-recovery 

devices like pressure exchangers 

and advances in ancillary hardware 

such as pumps. 

Reverse-osmosis desalination 

remains an energy-intensive 

process, however. 

“Most of the electricity comes 

from coal and natural gas, which is 

very water-intensive—you’re basically 

using water to make water,” 

says Kate Zerrenner‬, Texasbased 

climate and energy project 

manager at the Environmental 

Defense Fund. 

“So renewable has huge potential 

here.” 

While the falling cost of solar PV 

(photovoltaic) systems is helping, 

there is still some way to go before 

renewable-powered desalination 

becomes competitive with fossil-fuel 

alternatives. 

“Today, $3 or $4 a cubic 

metre will buy you solar-desalinated 

water, while the best available 

non-solar desalination will 

produce it for 50 cents,” says John 

Lienhard, director of the Center 

for Clean Water and Clean Energy 

at the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology. 

“But we believe that’s a gap that 

can be bridged.” 

So does the Aramco 

Entrepreneurship Center, which, 

in collaboration with GE, set 

up an open innovation challenge 

last year to identify promising 

renewable desalination technologies 

that could reach the 50-cent 

mark while meeting the World 

Health Organisation’s potability 

standards. 

Among the winning technology 

groups announced in January 

2015 was TNO, a Dutch nonprofit 

working on the simultaneous production 

of potable water and power 

using high-pressure membrane 

distillation driven by solar heat. 

In addition, the Masdar Institute 

in Abu Dhabi has begun a renewable 

energy desalination test programme 

with the aim of reaching 

commercial scale by 2020. 

For now, desalination remains a 

higher-cost option than many other 

water-recycling technologies. And 

until renewable sources of power 

are widely used, it comes with its 

own environmental footprint. But 

as water scarcity spreads, those 

searching for water will increasingly 

turn to desalination. 


WORLD WATER DAY 

63 

Since its opening in June 2009, the centre has become an important part of GE’s 

global technology organization by supporting the development of advanced technologies 

to help solve some of the world’s most pressing water challenges. 

Wastewater you can drink 

Recycling key to averting a global water crisis 

AS the world celebrated Water 

Day (March 22), projected water 

trends make for grim reading. With 

almost 60% of the world’s population 

moving into the middle class by 

2030, water demand is expected to 

outstrip supply by 40%. 

One response will be to lower 

consumption. Desalination also 

holds promise. Last, but not least, 

scaling up water recycling will be 

critical to ensure access to supplies 

of clean water. 

By far, the highest purification 

standards are required for domestic 

water recycling. Today advanced 

treatment plants use a combination 

of ultrafiltration or microfiltration 

membranes and reverse osmosis 

membranes coupled with ultraviolet 

lamps and hydrogen peroxide to 

filter out and oxidize wastewater 

contaminants. 

According to Giulio Boccaletti, 

the Nature Conservancy’s global 

managing director for water, 

with recycling technologies well 

established, most innovation now 


focuses on lowering energy costs 

and extending the life of filters by 

using nanotechnology, among other 

methods. 

MIT and Lockheed Martin, 

for example, have separately 

been working on the use of ultrathin 

graphene-based molecular 

filters for the removal of selected 

water impurities and the reduction 

of energy consumption in water 

desalination. While patents have 

been filed, there is still some way to 

go before commercial deployment. 

Attention is also turning to direct 

potable reuse, which returns recycled 

water directly to the drinking-water 

supply instead of putting it through 

an aquifer or storing it in a reservoir. 

“People are getting more serious 

about direct potable-water recycling,” 

says David Sedlak, co-director of 

the Berkeley Water Center at the 

University of California, Berkeley. 

This, he says, has less to do with 

technology than changing public 

perceptions and research validating 

its safety. 

Water for domestic consumption 

is essential, as is the water needed 

for industrial use. This is particularly 

true of the energy sector, where 

increasing competition for water 

and climate change are leading large 

utilities to assess their exposure 

to water risk and look for ways to 

optimize water use. 

US utility Exelon, for example, 

has been mapping the exposure of 

its power fleet water risks to since 

2012. The main driver of water 

demand growth, however, will be the 

manufacturing sector. According to 

the UN, its need for water will rise 

by 400% by 2050, versus 140% for 

thermal electricity generation and 

130% for domestic use. 

This is putting waste-water 

treatment at the centre stage of 

water-recycling and water-reuse 

efforts. Saudi Arabia, for example, 

is expected to triple its investments in 

waste-water treatment over the next 

five years, reaching $35bn by 2020, 

according to a GE report published 

last month. The goal, says the report, 

is to reach 90% of industrial water 

reuse by 2020—from just 10% in 

2010. 

Overall, the market for industrial 

water-treatment technologies is 

predicted to grow by more than 50% 

to reach $11bn by 2020, according 

to new research by Global Water 

Intelligence (GWI). 

GWI predicts that micro-filtration 

and ultra-filtration will be the 

segments growing fastest, at 7% a 

year. Companies will have more than 

one technology to choose from. 

Massachusetts-based 

ThermoEnergy’s flash-vacuum 

distillation process, for example, 

uses temperature and reduced 

pressure to separate chemicals, 

metals and nutrients from waste 

water. 

As the industrialised world 

expands to include ever-greater 

numbers of wealthy consumers, the 

ability of companies to use water 

more than once will become critical, 

not only to business success but also 

to global water security.

64 ENERGY 

Reducing fuel and energy costs 

Innovative High Perfomance Syn-Energy Technology was developed by Amiran 

Technology 

MALAYSIAN consumers and the 

industrial sector could counter the 

ever-increasing energy cost of 

using fossil fuel by the end of this 

year. The solution to helping reduce 

energy cost is now available through 

a sustainable green, renewable 

energy invention developed locally 

for a wide range of consumer and 

industrial applications. 

The innovative High Perfomance 

Syn-Energy Technology was developed 

by Amiran Technology Sdn 

Bhd (AMIRAN) through extensive 

research and development (R&D) 

since 2011 until 2013 under SIRIM 

Incubation Program headed by 

SIRIM Renewable Energy Research 

Centre (RERC). After more than two 

years of testing and fine tuning, the 

product is now poised for commercialization 

by the second half of this 

year. 

AMIRAN is an incubatee at the 

Innovation & Incubation Centre of 

Technology Park Malaysia. 

AMIRAN founder and chief executive 

officer, Amir Ahmad, who has 

been instrumental in developing 

the innovation, says there are two 

products: the hydro fuel cell and the 

Hydrodynamic-Fuel by Cavitational 

Reactor. 

Elaborating on the design and 

technology of the AMIRAN high performance 

Syn-Energy technology, 

Amir says his company has to-date 

invested more than RM1.5 million 

in R&D and it has met the needs of 

practical industrial and commercial 

applications. 

The Synthetic Fuel Hybrid 

Generator (formerly known as Hydro 

Fuel Cell) has been fitted onto over 

20 vehicles of several makes for on 

the road testing over the past two 

years. 

The on-road testing of the boosters 

onto the 1.6 to 3.0 cc vehicles 

covering more than 150,000 kilometres 

of travelling have shown 

highly successful results of the 

• By Intan Suriani Rosdi 

product’s robustness, quality, fuel 

cost savings (contributing up to 35% 

for long distance) and environmental-friendly 

attributes. 

The applications of the AMIRAN 

Synthetic Fuel Hybrid Generator 

range from consumer usage, commercial 

vehicles, heavy machineries, 

agro-machineries, marine 

vessels and boats, and generation 

sets to industrial sectors. 

Through AMIRAN’s extensive 

R&D initiatives, the AMIRAN 

Synthetic Fuel Hybrid Generator 

has evolved tremendously from 

the initial stage of a stainless steel 

casing weighing (about six kilogrammes) 

to the robust PE (Polyethylene) 

material which now 

weighs about three kilogrammes. 

The PE material is lightweight, 

non-corrosive and non-conductive. 

The AMIRAN Synthetic Fuel 

Hybrid Generator comes in two variants: 

AT-100 and AT-200, where the 

latter is for heavy duty applications. 

The internal components are made 

of super alloy, hence providing 

higher performance and efficiency, 

plus fuel and energy cost saving 

benefits to its consumers. 

AMIRAN is targeting to initially 

produce 1,000 units of the AMIRAN 

booster each month and aiming to 

hit a monthly production of 10,000 

units after the first year. 

Speaking to the editorial team 

of Symbiosis, Amir says another 

AMIRAN’s product is already in the 

pipeline i.e. the Hydrodynamic-Fuel 

which is a non-toxic, residue-free, 

smoke-free (i.e. without any toxic 

fumes), safe, economical and environmental-friendly 

fuel. 

“Its usage can complement 

those of petroleum diesel, biodiesel, 

natural gas, liquefied gas, 

etc., which are all produced at very 

high cost and therefore retailed to 

the consumers especially factory-owners 

at a high price. Against 

such backdrop, we believe there 

Amir (left) explaining the finer details of the AMIRAN fuel booster to his 

Executive Director, Hasniyusfee Abu Hassan 

is a strong potential to commercially 

produce Hydrodynamic-Fuel 

for the benefit of heavy industries 

such power plant generation, factory 

standby generator set and remote 

telecommunication tower standby 

power, among many others. 

“In addition, this economical 

Hydrodynamic-Fuel offers higher 

performance, optimal efficiency and 

greater fuel cost savings of between 

15% and 40% through the usage of 

Synthetic Fuel Hybrid Generator,” 

he added. 

Amir, who is passionate on technological 

designs and development 

has long been associated 

with the aerospace industry, says 

the main objectives of developing 

the AMIRAN high performance Syn- 

Energy Technology are to assist 

the national agenda of increasing 

environmental protection and 

achieving the nation’s carbon footprint 

programmes. In addition, it 

is also aimed at minimizing the 

public burden on fuel and energy 

price fluctuation as well as minimizing 

the Government’s subsidy 

programmes. 

“Consumers and commercial 

users will enjoy tremendous 

cost savings in fuel by using such 

alternative energy. Our product is 

capable of reducing up to 30%-50% 

on subsidy, while consumers will 

enjoy up to 30% fuel and energy 

cost,” he adds. 

In addition, Hasniyusfee Abu 

Hassan, AMIRAN’s managing 

director says, for the first phase 

of AMIRAN’s programme, the 

company plans to kickoff the 

Synthetic Fuel Hybrid Generator by 

the second half of this year, while its 

Hydrodynamic-Fuel project would 

be implemented in 2016. 

The company is confident of 

expanding its market outreach into 

the global market due to its lower 

production costs of processing components 

and critical parts locally, as 

well as its competitiveness in pricing 

and product quality. 

In terms of commercial value to 

AMIRAN, it is the only company to be 

awarded the Green Technology certification 

by the Ministry of Energy, 

Green Technology and Water 

(KeTTHA) via Malaysian Green 

Technology Corporation for the production 

of High Performance Syn- 

Energy Product i.e Hydrodynamic- 

Fuel by Cavitational Reactor and 

Hydro-Fuel Cell for the transportation 

sector. 

The company has also been 

granted pioneer status with a fiveyear 

tax exempt by the Malaysian 

Investment Development Authority 

(MIDA). With the incentives and 

support from the government, it 

enables AMIRAN’s production to 

become more competitive. 


66 CLIMATE 

Mature forest needed to protect 

species from climate change 

When drought conditions of ENS change rainfall patterns for years, plants, water 

availability and fire regimes alter dramatically 

ENSO, otherwise known as the 

El Niño Southern Oscillation, is 

one of the most startling examples 

of climate change. As we 

have to adjust everywhere to such 

changes in our everyday concerns, 

it is useful that research has discovered 

connections between an animal’s 

habitat and climate change. 

Jared D. Wolfe, C. John Ralph 

of the Klamath Bird Observatory 

and the US Forest Service, with 

Pablo Elizondo of the Costa Rican 

InstitutoNacional de Biodiversidad 

(INBio) studied the Changes in the 

apparent survival of a tropical bird 

in response to the El Niño Southern 

Oscillation in mature and young 

forest in Costa Rica. 

Mature forest encouraged the 

birds with enough water supply or 

--- other factors while young forest 

negatively influenced manikin survival. 

The full paper is available 

in the journal, Population Ecology. 

Most have heard of the various 

ecological costs of replacing tropical 

rainforest with regenerating young 

trees. When the drought conditions 

of ENS change rainfall patterns for 

years, plants, water availability and 

fire regimes alter dramatically. 

Seabirds and migratory birds 

have been found to drop in population 

and move nesting times in 

efforts to counter the lack of water. 

The need to find how tropical ecosystems 

function under a dual 

threat from El Niño and habitat loss 

is urgent. 

Fruit and insect resources could 

be affected substantially enough 

to alter bird survival or simply 

behaviour, depending on species. 

The advantage of mature trees 

and their canopy is in providing a 

homogenous environment, always 

sheltering from sun and wind. 

Understory moisture refugia have 

UNSURE: We’re not sure what this guy’s courtship is like, but he certainly likes 

mature forest and is likely to copy his golden-collared relative at the lek. 

Credit: © Shutterstock 

been proposed in these forests, 

providing facilities that organisms 

can’t find in the disconnected, lower 

canopy of young forests. 

Young trees may provide 

more fruit, but only in wet conditions. 

The red-capped 

manakin, Pipramentalis switches 

from young growth forest in the 

wet season to mature forest in the 

dry season, as if to prove the point. 

In this research, the white-crowned 

manakin, Manacuscaudei, was 

studied. 

In this lengthy research, mist nets 

were set up to trap Manacus, from 

1995 till 2007 in NE Costa Rica, 

in lowland wet broadleaf forest 

with plentiful watercourses. The 

Tortuguero National Park protects 

one of the wettest habitats in the 

country. 46 net sites. 

Measurements such as foliage 

density, soil moisture and canopy 

height were taken at the end of the 

period, but no forest was cut in that 

time. Measurement of the strength 

of La Niña and El Niño were made 

via SOI, using NOAA data on 

se-level pressure differences. 

Results indicated young forest 

survival of Manacus during La Niña 

(wet conditions) and stable survival 

of the manakin in both sets 

of extreme conditions when living 

in mature forest. The mature forest 

did have slightly lower survival rates 

in wet conditions, but that can be 

ascribed to other factors. 

Using computer models, only one 

out of three, associated the manakin 

survival with mature forest habitat, 

but different statistical techniques 

could well improve the modelling. 

The first documentation of ENSO 

influencing tropical bird survival 

therefore stands. 

Whether local bird movements 

influenced the result is another argument. 

Mortality versus climate-induced 

dispersal is a difficult event 

to observe exactly, but the obvious 

conclusion is that ENSO caused it. 

Several other fruit-eating birds have 

been observed to switch to mature 

forest in dry conditions. 

The fate of the habitat is even 

more important. Complicated 

climate buffers operate in the fully 

mature forest, even for the whitecrowned 

manakin that often prefers 

young forest for the food available 

there. 

Mammals, insects, epiphytic 

plants and of course fish and 

amphibia can be expected to 

provide similar data in their ability 

to survive extreme conditions better 

in mature forest. It is at the species 

level that habitat alteration is clearly 

harmful. 

Food resources for some creatures 

could be unaffected by 

drought, for example, but even 

humans find it better to disperse 

than die. It is these vital resources 

of food and water that can begin to 

explain how best to fight the tragic 

losses we already have in the 

coming droughts and floods. 

Climate refugia have saved many 

species, probably even ourselves, in 

the past. It is too late for many habitats 

to be saved, but the outstandingly 

obvious rainforest example 

is one we simply must not ignore. 

— www.earthtimes.org 


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68 HEALTH 

How AIDS 

moved from 

chimps and, 

now, gorillas 

Chimps, pan 

troglodytes, proven 

source of M and N, within 

populations living in the 

south of Cameroon 

NOT HIS FAULT: The magnificent western lowland gorilla silverback is familiar to us despite his precarious hold on life in the wild. The payback for using meat 

from our close relatives is almost as if we took up cannibalism as a good idea! 


THE diseases that emerge from 

Africa are many and successful. 

Now we know from published 

research that some of them are 

cross-infections (zoonoses) from 

our closest relatives living there. 

The four phylogenetic forms of the 

immunodeficiency virus AIDS are 

M, the pandemic one, and N and 

the O and P groups. 

Chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, 

are the proven source of M 

and N, within populations living in 

the south of Cameroon. 

In the same area, because of 

what we know about the place of 

bushmeat in the human diet there, 

we now know that the smallest 

gorilla, the western lowland Gorilla 

gorillagorilla in southern Cameroon 

is the only source. 

Other gorilla subspecies and 

some chimpanzees are free of the 

virus, which indicates either their 

isolation or the difficulty it normally 

has in transmission. 

The research was carried out 

by Martine Peeters of Montpelier 

University and many others 

including colleagues from the 

Universities of Pennsylvania 

and Edinburgh. It is published 

this week in PNAS as Origin of 

the HIV-1 group O epidemic in 

Western Lowland Gorillas. 

Faecal samples were examined 

in as many possible source 

sites as possible, in Congo, 

DRC., Gabon, and Uganda. The 

cross-species transmissions have 

each been independently developed, 

possibly over a long period. 

The virus was found in between 

0.8 and 22% of western lowland 

gorillas in southern Cameroon. 

The high level of genetic diversity 

was relevant, but all strains of 

these gorilla SIVs seem related to 

the single line leading back to the 

basal chimpanzee radiation of the 

virus. 

In the gorillas infected, HIV-1 

group O pointed to this species as 

the original source. A barrier exits 

for transmission between the apes 

in the form of cytidinedeaminase, 

but this does not prevent gorilla to 

human transmission! 

There is now an epidemic of 

group O HIV in Central Africa, with 

100,000 people infected. This level 

of infection is unmatched by group 

P. The transmission is thought to 

be directly from chimpanzee or 

gorilla blood on hunted bushmeat. 

If we can eradicate the apes 

from bushmeat, or perhaps 

provide food aid to countries that 

are becoming adjusted to killing 

even rare animals, no further 

types of AIDS will threaten us with 

pandemics. 

Other disease is obviously 

sourced in bushmeat too. It 

is taking up precious medical 

research time to investigate how 

easily the animal/human barrier 

can be breached. 

These scientists could be 

involved in very practical relief 

for those people already suffering 

known diseases if we removed 

multiple stresses on the health 

services in Africa and elsewhere. 


HEALTH 

69 

Spider bites and necrosis! 

Both spiders come out at night and live in warm places, leading to frequent encounters 

FAMILY LINKS: The close US relative of the Chilean venomous spider, Loxosceles, is figured here. The danger of severe medical problems is possibly worse 

where high temperatures and rapid breeding of the spiders produce large numbers in houses and similar buildings. 

Credit: © Shutterstockimage 

TWO spiders are featured in 

this paper. One is a spitting 

spider, Scytodesglobula and the 

other a house spider, bites humans 

when it encounters them in warm 

places at night. Beware the bath 

towel ! 

We have encountered spitting 

spiders in the story on ants 

and a jumping spider here, but 

we digress. The danger of the 

biting recluse, spider would be 

unfamiliar north of Tennessee in 

the US or in Europe. 

But the Loxosceles species 

of South America and the one 

species in southern North America 

has a special effect known as 

loxoscelism. The result is a large 

area of browning skin, leading to 

skin dying and a deep open sore. 

The medical description is 

necrotic arachnidism, and it is 

fortunately unique to this genus of 

spider. 


The research, here in Valparaiso 

and Santiago, in Chile, is important 

because of the lack of any 

treatment for this spider bite. The 

spitting spider is imagined to kill the 

recluse spider, which would help 

a lot in controlling the population. 

Both spiders come out at night 

and live in warm places, leading to 

frequent encounters. The Chilean 

situation is reported here with the 

spitting spider often said to predate 

on Loxosceleslaeta. Other spiders 

throughout South America prey on 

the recluse spider, as seen by their 

bodies left in webs. 

The advantage seen in employing 

the spitting spider is that it is an 

araneophagic. It is known to prey 

on Loxosceles species, jumping 

spiders and Drassodes spp. 

With these two nocturnal 

species living together (80% of 

their thermal niche is shared.) The 

spitting Scytodes mostly wins the 

contests between the two, but this 

very much depends on its size. 

Many end with the recluse species 

winning though. 

In the extensive laboratory 

experiments, spiderlings of the 

recluse had a high mortality 

rate because of this predation. 

As Loxosceles is both larger and 

quicker, the aggression of, for 

example, a large female defending 

her young was liable to result in the 

death of the spitting spider. 

Encounters were organised in an 

experimental situation lasting 60 

minutes, and then continued for a 

further hour before a draw between 

the two contestants was decided. 

Instead of simply death of a spider, 

many behavioural events and/or 

loss of legs were also studied. 

Out of 32 encounters, only 19 

were counted as being aggressive, 

with 13 won by Scytodes. The bare 

figures point to the evidence that 

these spiders often co-exist, even 

within an experimental chamber. 

The possibility of biological control 

is low, given that the spitting 

spiders do control the recluse 

spiders to some extent. 

The ecology of the various 

spiders in huses involves many 

species in warm countries. 

Food supply shortages may 

ensure that Scytodes eats 

more Loxosceles (or perhaps the 

reverse!) But animals adapt to their 

particular niches, dependant on all 

other species and physical factors 

around them. 

The severe effect on humans 

needs to be addressed, while 

it is obvious from experiments 

that killing all spiders, as in 

hotels and guest houses may 

make us more susceptible 

to population explosions of 

the reclusive Loxosceles. 

— www.earthtimes.org

70 ENERGY 

Oil boom in Texas is over? 

For a year or two, shale oil seemed to encourage the American dream of growth and 

cheap energy, but it was a literal (Keystone) pipe-dream 

Texas is not only oil. The blue beauties are actually bluebonnets, growing there with cacti, next to extensive fields of hay! Bluebonnet image; 


THE old Texan dream was always 

of oil. But the crash in prices has 

brought production to a halt in many 

refineries worldwide. In the lonestar 

state, fracking is the current 

hobby of the oil executives, playing 

with minor earthquakes and water 

contamination in large projects 

such as the Eagle Ford Field. 

To complete the rout, there only 

remains the biggest nail in the 

coffin- the veto by President Obama 

on the prestigious but heavily-criticised 

Keystone XL pipeline from 

Canada’s shale oil fields in Alberta. 

The mothballing of the US$8 

billion scheme, that seemed to be 

vetoed last week, has created even 

more disruption in the Texan industry 

where few engineers remain, 

working a much-reduced 50-hour 

week, while the refineries close. 

The active rigs themselves have 

been reduced to 168 from a high 

of 228, but this industry has only 

been here for a few years, invading 

a sleepy, almost uninhabited area 

near the Mexican border. 

For a year or two, shale oil 

seemed to encourage the American 

dream of growth and cheap energy, 

but it was a literal (Keystone) pipedream. 

With reduced oil prices and 

environmental damage claims, the 

profitability is below zero, certainly 

in southern Texas. 

Thousands of jobs have disappeared 

and wells have shut down, 

possibly permanently. CBS estimated 

a possible 14,000 direct and 

indirect job-losses. This impacts 

the US economy which has been 

short of jobs over recent years. The 

trouble is that economists see this 

as a boom and bust situation. 

The boom for oils is surely over, 

even if we can find employment for 

some people in minor oil production. 

Many workers are migrants in any 

case, many from thousands of 

miles away, so it should be possible 

to recover jobs nationwide. Car 

plants and many other industries 

have shown signs of recovery from 

much greater crashes, so it seems 

a matter of adjustment. 

The future for renewable energy 

in light of fossil fuel problems? The 

world is waiting, but many nations 

have advanced both solar and 

wind technologies to a level where 

others have used their expertise. 

China, Germany and parts of the 

US have a profitable industry, while 

newer technology has devised tidal 

power lagoons at Swansea Bay in 

the UK and wave power is making 

big claims recently in Sweden 

despite its slow developmental 

phase. 

An array of articles on oil 

booms, renewable energy, and 

gas can be found in our oil and 

gas section. Smaller hydroelectric 

power schemes are becoming 

more popular with good returns 

on investment for less developed 

countries. 

It looks as though diversification 

is the answer. The oil age 

here began in 1901 and collapsed 

several times, often because of 

overproduction, even as recently 

as the 1980s, when house prices 

were caused to fall. The small 

new towns will suffer as their populations 

halve, back to pre-boom 

levels. 

And the oil? It will flow to some 

extent, despite environmental 

damage, climate change and 

obvious temperature rises. Let’s 

hope the diversification will help 

these people to accept the oil age 

is really, really finished, as in dead! 

– www.earthtimes.org 


72 NATURE 

How mantis 

control 

their leaps 

They rotate limbs and abdomen 

independently in order to sail through 

the air keeping their bodies level and 

directly parallel to the target 

READY, STEADY, GO!: The mantis nymph curls up its abdomen and then jumps so precisely that a target is never missed. At least during an experiment, the 

praying mantis shone as a prime vaulter, enabling it to catch prey when its main armament, those powerful front legs, are shorter than in the ferocious adult. 

There are also predator-escape possibilities when your leaps are so accurate. 


THEY push into the air with their 

legs and launch their bodies with 

a controlled spin, into the air. 

They rotate limbs and abdomen 

independently in order to sail 

through the air keeping their 

bodies level and directly parallel 

to the target. No, this is not a 

study of pole vaulters. 

This is one of the more primitive 

jumping creatures, the 

praying mantis. The insect has 

entranced humans from time 

immemorial and it has a primitive 

insect life history. But there 

is nothing simple about the vision, 

the behaviour and the cunning 

adaptations many species have 

made to the predation and trapping 

of their prey in every possible 

habitat. 

The thing is, insects don’t have 

accurate jumping abilities normally 

whether they are the familiar 

flea or the least known microfauna 

of some forest. The only 

one to jump like this is the mantis. 

Malcolm Burrows and Gregory 

P Sutton of the Universities of 

Cambridge and Bristol in the UK 

have investigated jumping insects 

such as how mole crickets jump 

out of water. 

Here they wrote their paper with 

DarronA.Cullen of KU Leuven in 

Belgium and Marina Dorosenko 

in the journal, Current Biology, 

as Mantises Exchange Angular 

Momentum between Three 

Rotating Body Parts to Jump 

Precisely to Targets. 

The juggling of their angular 

momentum is the scientific clue 

to the exclusivity of this discovery. 

What this means to robot manufacturers 

could be revolutionary. 

Whatever the intelligence 

involved, the mantis has a remarkably 

small space for its memory 

and coordination neurons. 

The robot that could use similar 

technologies would be one of the 

greatest advances we yet have. 

The centre of mass (COM) can 

be adjusted to control that primary 

spin, while three body parts are 

rotated to adjust it. The poor 

animal can be made to crash land 

by restricting any of these rotational 

movements. 

Clever animals use many 

methods to control the great 

amounts of torque generated 

during takeoff. Geckos 

are excellent at jumping, using 

their tails to control the pitch, 

while Anolis lizards can alter 

direction with their tail. Cats are 

famous for rotating their body so 

as to land on their feet. 

The mantis, however, is jumping 

horizontally over a short distance, 

almost in a gliding behaviour 

pattern. The mantis of course 

also flies, as an adult, so we can 

assume the same abilities are 

used in landing and takeoff then. 

Comparing them with flying 

insects and many others can discover 

nothing like the accuracy of 

this precise jump. Almost all other 

insects completely lose control 

once they have left the ground 

and can often be observed in their 

frequent crashes to the ground, 

from the ants to true bugs and 

aphids. The zebra spiders are the 

only invertebrate that would seem 

able to repeat the feat! 

The way in which mantis 

species target their jumps using 

many trajectories, as desired, 

is intriguing. It was 58 juvenile 

mantis that were used in these 

experiments, using rapid jumps 

lasting only 100 milliseconds. 

They swayed their large heads 

from side to side, scanning and 

getting a perspective, then curled 

their abdomen and leapt towards a 

thin black rod. This was their only 

target, as 400 leaps were made. 

In nature, they would have to consider 

wind direction and moving 

prey or even predators, but these 

small animals have technique 

and expertise in their repertoire. 



NATURE 

73 

Navigating the Atlantic 

as a giant turtle 

Turtle hatchlings rely on wave direction to orientate themselves 

MASSIVE: The size of an adult male(800lb or 363kg) leatherback is shown well here, tagged for this research. They are by far the largest and the most distinctive 

turtles alive, reminding us of the huge animals that have existed in the past. 

Credit: © Kara L. Dodge 

DERMOCHELYSCORAICEA is 

the giant turtle that roams 

worldwide, even in the colder 

seas with its famed leathery back 

instead of the more-normal shell. 

Because of their advanced 

physiology and abilities, their 

migrations are extensive, crossing 

all oceans such as the North 

Atlantic subtropical gyre many 

times in their careers. 

The use of an obvious 

orientation and navigation sense 

was tracked in 15 adults and 

subadults over two years to 

investigate how turtles in general 

and leatherbacks in particular can 

achieve precision in their longdistance 

navigation. 

The perpetrators of the study, 

from the University of New 

Hampshire, the Large Pelagics 

Research centre in Massachusetts 


and Integrated Statistics from 

Woods Hole, all in the US, were 

Kara L. Dodge, Benjamin Galuardi 

and Molly E. Lutcavage. 

They published in the 

Proceedings of the Royal Society 

B under the title, Orientation 

behaviour of leatherback sea 

turtles within the North Atlantic 

subtropical gyre. 

Turtle hatchlings rely on wave 

direction to orientate themselves, 

but soon have to adopt the adult 

senses that utilise many different 

cues in the environment. 

Geomagnetic cues are well 

researched in many juvenile 

turtles, as well as insects, birds, 

and fish. This research is the 

first to use adult (and sub adult) 

turtles. 

Their movements from 

temperate to tropical latitude, 

beginning off the coast of 

Massachusetts, were tracked 

using GPS-linked STDRs and 

computers. 

Southward headings were 

maintained by the animals 

studied, without any topographic 

features or similar cues. Bermuda 

is the only area where shallower 

water intrudes on the Atlantic 

deeps with few currents within the 

sub-tropical gyre. 

Visual cues, given the turtles 

limited eyesight, would be an 

unlikely stimulus, leaving the 

earth’s geomagnetic field and the 

sun’s position as two of the very 

few possible stimuli. 

Leatherback hatchlings have 

been shown to use the earth’s 

magnetic field as a compass while 

these 15 individuals were using 

consistent headings for both day 

and night. 

Calibration of the geomagnetic 

clues in birds has been shown to 

be achieved using sunrise and 

sunset as visual references. 

The argument in favour of this 

combined navigation system is 

the aptitude of adult leatherbacks 

to remain at the surface during 

the day when traversing the 

subtropical gyre. 

Speculation will continue 

however, with little opportunity 

to track more turtles, given the 

difficulty of catching and equipping 

them. 

The consistent directional 

moves, especially by both male 

and female adults, give clues 

about how they all manage to 

achieve landfall when they migrate 

to the nesting beaches where they 

hatched. — www.earthtimes.org

74 POLITICS 

Reports on a 

better 

Aral Sea 

Millions of people there need support 

because of the loss of industry and 

the health problems associated with 

the dust from the dying sea 

DECISIVE: The key to the water problems in the south of the Aral Sea is this river. The ancient Amu Darya was full-flowing and provided vast cotton fields 

recently with their profligate needs. Now the dams and irrigation have taken their toll and no water reaches the south of the Aral Sea itself. With the very best 

water management, incorporated in aid programs as we note below, perhaps some return to flowing water throughout this sand-dune-ridden area can produce 

ecological and sociological regeneration at last. 


CENTRAL Asian interests 

are international as the 3rd 

Aral Sea Basin Program, utilising 

resources from the 

International Fund for saving the 

Aral Sea (IFAS) founder countries, 

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, 

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and 

the Kyrgyz Republic is now 

invigorated. 

Particular thanks are due to 

support from the World Bank. 

Saroj Kumar the Bank’s Regional 

Director stated that, together we 

have committed, by definition, 

a number of important activities 

that will support the well-being of 

millions of people who depend on 

the flow of the rivers of Amudarya 

and Syrdarya. 

The meaning of even more aid 

to the Aralkum desert area will be 

that new issues for management 

of water supplies and use can be 

addressed. 

Millions of people there need 

support because of the loss of 

industry and the health problems 

associated with the dust from the 

dying Sea. 

Saroj stressed the importance 

of stable economic growth and 

health, but climate change can be 

seen as yet another hazard for 

the extremes of the hot summers 

and the freezing winters. 

Regional and national investment 

projects are already being 

identified, as the sharing of each 

country’s capabilities becomes 

more widespread. 

Management information 

systems could well prove to be 

one of the key products of the 

agreement, as the complexity of 

the technical issues is matched 

by the number of different regions 

involved, from several nations. 

Many examples of international 

aid were offered in a significant 

conference last October in 

Urgench (Uzbekistan.) a Hubert 

Gijzen represented UNESCO 

there, indicating that the Aral Sea 

Basin requires such strong global 

and regional cooperation. 

31 projects were identified in 

Urgench, with signatories from 

many governments financial 

institutions and donor nations 

themselves. A sum of $3 billion 

was to finance these projects, 

supplemented by US$1.9 billion 

loans and grants of US$200 

million. 

The draft program for 2015- 

2018 is eagerly awaited from 

specialist developers at Uzbek 

Ministries including Economy, 

Finance, Foreign Economic 

Relations, Investments and Trade 

and the Executive Committee of 

the International Fund for saving 

the Aral Sea (IFAS). 

In this draft program, we 

expect social and economic 

progress in the form of job creation 

for former fishing communities, 

improved hospital facilities, 

ecological recovery programs to 

create lakes around the former 

Aral Sea and restoration of the 

Muynak wetlands when irrigation 

and rivers can flow effectively. 

Water saving projects will also 

be essential, as we heard in the 

conference last October. This 

resolution of one of the planet’s 

worst environmental disasters 

may not be complete. 

But the local people can be 

encouraged by these socio-economic 

moves and several countries 

will be aided. Uzbekistan is 

presently in need of help because 

of the state of the desiccated 

southern half of the Aral Sea, 

particularly in the autonomous 

republic of Karakalpakstan. 

In this regard, the stability and 

continuity of the current state environmental 

policy of Uzbekistan, 

where the next Presidential elections 

will take place on 29 March, 

is important for the successful 

implementation of the outcomes 

of the above Aral Sea conference. 



POLITICS 

75 

Human epoch 

or just invasive hominid species? 

They burnt 

forest on a 

great scale, 

meaning the 

decrease in 

agricultural 

activity 

over two 

continents 

would have 

caused 

new natural 

afforestations 

to absorb 

much more 

carbon 

dioxide! 

HIGH SEAS: Before the Mayflower, there were even smaller ships. Maybe we should call our epoch the New Carboniferous, or get rid of the Holocene. When 

did the Anthropocene start? Well, nobody really knows or wants to change, but definitions are in vogue. 


WE have viewed, The 

Anthropocene, as a human era in 

time, perhaps beginning to emerge 

with the Industrial Revolution or 

the advent of nuclear weapons. 

With geologists as the normal 

propagators of these terms, there 

is little in the way of rocks that 

apply only to human cultures. 

We can detect agricultural 

change 10,000 years ago, but the 

decision has been rather exactly 

determined as 1610AD, just 400 

years ago. 

And the intriguing part is that it 

was a drop in CO2 concentrations 

that distinguishes the date. This 

was likely to be created by the 

loss of American populations. 

They burnt forest on a great 

scale, meaning that the decrease 

in agricultural activity over 2 

continents would have cause new 

natural afforestations to absorb 

much more carbon dioxide! 

The reasoning of the scientific 

pair responsible is that there 

was a spike in the planet’s 

biochemical footprint that is easily 

detectable. Simon Lewis and Mark 

Maslin work at University College 

London and Leeds University, 

both in the UK, make their 

claim in Nature as Defining the 

Anthropocene. 

There was a sudden increase in 

trade, and shipping in particular, 

that transported people and other 

species across the globe. The 

New and the Old Worlds met, with 

catastrophic consequences for the 

one and much-hoped-for riches for 

the other. 

One of the lesser problems in 

deciding on whether to retain this 

concept of the Anthropocene is 

the fact that the Holocene hasn’t 

finished yet. The Holocene would 

be by far the shortest geological 

period or epoch. In fact it could 

be considered as simply an interglacial 

period! 

One answer would be to take the 

Pleistocene humans (originating 

hen alongside many other 

mammalian species) and regard 

them as signalling the start of a 

new Anthropocene. The poor little 

Holocene would be discarded. 

An international group of 

scientists from many disciplines 

is considering this labelling 

procedure, possibly distracting 

us from more inventive pursuits, 

Lewis and Maslin, however, try 

here to clear up the situation, just 

in case it becomes disorganised 

as a mass of opposing claims. 

Years 1610 and 1964 seem the 

obvious beginnings of something. 

Is this type of change significant 

enough to classify as a geological 

epoch? 

We don’t know, but colonialism, 

the deaths of 50 million native 

Americans through disease and 

domination, and the first worldwide 

trade certainly seem equivalent 

to a rock-based timing. The coal 

industry took off then, new hunting 

and agricultural techniques 

evolved and social reorganisation 

was apocalyptic for many. 

The revolutionary proposal 

of Nicholas Copernicus in 1543 

could be said to have helped drive 

the ideologies that produced the 

Anthropocene. It is the human 

actions that need to be taken as 

driving the Anthropocene though. 

We have created this messy 

future that our descendants will 

be dealing with for centuries. 

The ideology that pushes 

philosophical, social, economic 

and political moves in the next 

decade or two will determine 

how we will appear to them, as 

Anthropocene delinquents or 

drivers. — www.earthtimes.org 


76 SCITECH 

Bees 

— Humans, 

in false 

memory at 

least 

Animals have never 

been investigated 

for these traits of 

behaviour and bees 

will be the last to 

suspect of unreliability 

BUSY BEE: We have related many stories and blogposts on the ecology and the plight of many species of bee. Now we have news from a specialist laboratory 

with incredibly complex research on how, for the first time in a non-human animal, bumblebee’s confusion resembles our own false memories. 


FALSE memory is more than a 

concept. 

We often make up memories 

that bear false witness in court or 

colour aspects of our lives without 

realising they are untrue. 

Animals have never been investigated 

for these traits of behaviour 

and bees would be the last to 

suspect of unreliability. We look 

on social insects as model citizens 

of their vast empires, not as liars! 

Here are a plethora of stories 

on how both bumble- and honey-bees 

police and puzzle and 

cope with pesticide! 

The famed bee biologist Lars 

Chittka resides during his buzzing 

hours at Queen Mary University 

(one of the many parts of London 

University in the UK). 

He has related much of interest 

as we combed through his 

publications on bee conditioning, 

for example, and how they utilise 

their social interaction. 

Here, however, he collaborates 

with his student Kathryn L. 

Hunt on how the first non-human 

can merge two traces of memory 

from a training session. Von Frisch 

began the scientific study of honeybee, 

Apis mellifica, waggle 

dances more than 80 years ago. 

Now, few researchers can 

match his earnest enthusiasm, but 

there are some. Bumblebees such 

as Bombus terrestris have a different 

bee style in learning colour, 

pattern and scent IDs for flowers 

they use. 

Errors in their performance are 

not, however, always simple learning 

failures or memory limitations 

being stretched. 

The Bombus in these 

experiments were trained to associate 

yellow flowers and blackand-white 

ringed flowers with a 

sweet reward. Then a third type 

of flower, constructed from yellow 

and black rings, was used for 

some bees in similar tests and 

the insects remembered their most 

recent rewarder. 

After a gap of 1-3 days, the 

memory was intact at first, but later 

results on that day proved interesting. 

The bees then began selecting 

the third type of flower, even 

when they’d never seen it before. 

Confusion seemed to have set in. 

Kathryn and Lars agree that 

this memory merge resembles 

human error in memory conjunction. 

Lars himself has performed 

recent human experiments where 

those who learn sets of classification 

rules well are very prone to 

these false memories. 

The ability to recognise a commonality 

in different events helps 

an animal in a novel situation. This 

ability may well compromise the 

other abilities we have to remember 

close detail, though! 

Insects obviously have smaller 

memory storage than primates, 

so the ability to lump classes of 

objects together may save capacity 

for them could prove more 

important than in the human 

memory. 

Lifetime experience in bumblebees, 

as they are tracked by 

radar will next tell us how they 

accumulate their aide-memoire. 

For the location of the full 

paper, see it published in Current 

Biology this week as Merging of 

Long-Term Memories in an Insect. 

– www.earthtimes.org 


By the organiZers of Pollutec 

Take 

A big step 

forward for the planet? 

CLEANTECH LOW CARBON RESOURCES 

from 13th to 15th OCTOBer 2015 

AT PARIS PORTE DE VERSAILLES 

Resources and climate solutions 

Organised by: 

In association with: 

www.world-efficiency.com 

Pictures credits: ©Thinkstock / Getty images / Shutterstock - aressy.com - 11/14 - 9409

78 POLLUTION 

China comes clean 

(legally at least) 

Much of the Chinese 

groundwater is 

suffering from 

contamination 

NO POLLUTION: This is the beautiful Zhangjiajie National Park in China’s Hunan Province. New laws and mechanisms will help to protect what remains of 

China’s natural heritage. 


IN new legislation, the first 

since 1990, there seems to be 

a window of opportunity to force 

prosecutors to act against companies, 

local authorities or any 

other polluters. If the necessary 

action is taken, currently by 

Greenpeace, several individuals 

and many groups of people 

who have environmental interests, 

the legal system could be 

overburdened by a great series 

of assessments, detentions and 

fines. 

Since January 1, when rules 

laid down last April took effect, 

there have been no limits to fines 

on polluting companies or to loss 

of face by officials who may be 

demoted or sacked if they fail to 

report pollution events. 

The single environmental 

lawsuit instigated last year has 

been increased six-fold since 

January. It is not only the air. 

Much of the Chinese groundwater 

is suffering from contamination, 

from benzene traces 

in Lanzhou to leaking factories 

nationwide. 

Illegal dumping of chemicals 

from arsenic to mercury is rife 

while deforestation, throughout 

the country, from tropical rainforest 

to northern coniferous woodlands 

has devastated natural 

habitat. 

It is now more efficient to deal 

with many such problems, rather 

than ignore pollution problems by 

paying the small fines. The costs 

have now risen, perhaps encouraging 

companies to employ more 

consultants to avoid them. 

After the agreement with 

President Obama, where China 

was to equal the US in curbing 

carbon emissions, leaders such 

as Chen Lijing (environment minister) 

has been heard to say, fittingly, 

that , this new law cannot 

become a paper tiger. 

The hope is that it will not 

suffer the same fate as the 

tiger in China. In recent years, 

some groups there have actually 

been saving tiger lives. 

About 700 independent groups 

can been registered with the government 

to file lawsuits on environmental 

problems according to 

the government’s own All-China 

Environment Federation. 

This is a huge encouragement 

to other grassroots organisations 

or volunteer groups, as long as 

they too can become registered 

after several years of public interest 

activities. 

The Supreme Court of China 

can now hear high-profile cases, 

also overseeing other tribunals 

as part of its remit. In a Statecontrolled 

economy, this means 

that China can be basically prosecuting 

itself. 

However, both Greenpeace in 

China and The Friends of Nature 

organisation agree that officials 

are now listening to many 

reports, from wastewater pollution 

to the awful smogs that 

western countries have been 

known to suffer too. 

Instead of losing face, 

now they can gain by joining 

the environmental side! 



POLLUTION 

79 

Japan’s struggle 

after Fukushima 

What is obvious is that nuclear radiation can spread from almost any installation and 

human error can often be to blame, whether in design or simply poor management 

RADIATION: The yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, or ahi in Hawaii and the other big tunas could be accumulating more radioactive material from its diet. 

However, the concern about Fukushima should maybe concentrate on Japan and its problems rather than imagine how quickly radiation can cross the Pacific. 

There are more dangers in food chains than simply the Cesium-134 from Fukushima. 


WITH the fresh leak reported from 

TEPCO at 10.00, Japanese time, 

on Feb 22, the radiation danger 

from Fukushima is obviously being 

tracked carefully since the March 

2011 tragedy. 

The efficiency of the process 

does not provide the confidence 

we need that this kind of pollution 

can be prevented. From every 

nuclear power station and many 

other military and commercial 

uses, each country seems to 

have problems in restraining many 

types of radiation. 

Excuses vary from blaming 

natural radiation, of which there 

is plenty, to employees who 

strangely were untrained in 

handling dangerous materials. 

There is no need to dwell on 

Japan’s accidents. 

They happen in western 

countries and developing 

countries. This well-followed 

tsunami incident and the resulting 

nuclear accident are possibly the 

most open-minded we have ever 

been about nuclear leaks. 

Whether that is because no 

human is to blame is debateable. 

What is obvious is that nuclear 

radiation can spread from almost 

any installation and human 

error can often be to blame, 

whether in design or simply poor 

management. 

As far as we are concerned, 

children who climb into tanks 

destroyed in war zones or 

swimmers at Western European or 

North American coasts are at risk. 

Documentation tells us how 

some radioactive elements and 

their compounds reach across 

oceans from Russian, American 

or European power stations. 

Now the enormous stretch of 

the Pacific has been crossed 

in about 2 years, according to 

accurate measurements of the 

radionuclides, such as cesium- 

134. Only two becquerels of 

radiation emerged from these 

chemical traces however. 

Panic is unnecessary as the 

US has already contaminated the 

Pacific at Bikini atoll and many 

others with countless nuclear 

tests, bringing us higher levels of 

strontium-90 and another cesium 

isotope, cesium-139, unrelated 

to the short-lived Fukushima, 

cesium-134 release. 

Danger is absent from these 

relatively low levels of almost 

“background” radiation. 

The danger only arises if the 

build-up of these substances takes 

place in food webs. There is no 

other method by which high levels 

of exposure could be reached. 

The animals that eat smaller, 

exposed creatures and plants 

include the tuna species that roam 

the Pacific. The higher up the 

chain, the more risk in the future, 

and tuna are great hunters in large 

schools. 

California-caught tuna tripled 

their radiation levels after 

Fukushima, according to Oregon 

State University figures, though 

we don’t yet how long that took. 

The levels are still rated safe, 

but could climb as fish higher on 

the food chain eat and absorb 

radiation. 

Ken Buesseler of Woods Hole 

Oceanographic Institute, Mass. 

US, is perhaps one scientist 

who has put the situation in 

perspective. 

In Science Magazine, he claims 

correctly that dental x-rays and 

plane travel present much greater 

risk than current food radiation 

levels. 

However, Asian people and 

Oceania residents, followed by 

those sushi-eating Californians 

should beware. 

The becquerels are rising in 

all seafood, and we dump such 

a great amount of heavy metal 

and plastic rubbish into all of the 

oceans, don’t be surprised at the 

next pollution risk. 

Back in Japan, TEPCO have 

been commended by the IAEA 

on their significant progress on 

probably the most difficult accident 

since Chernobyl. 

Dealing with ground water, 

further earthquake risks and 

treating all of that waste water will 

be a big risk for decades and all 

the help and sympathy we have 

should be afforded to all of the 

Japanese people as they cope 

with the financial, chemical and 

of course the personal side of 

Fukushima Daiichi and the nearby 

area. 

These increased leaks simply 

add to a never-ending nightmare 

of almost insoluble problems. — 

www.earthtimes.org 


80 EVENTS 

International Conference on 

Environmental Forensics 2015 19-20 

August 2015 @ University Putra Malaysia, 

Serdang. 

The International Conference on 

Environmental Forensics 2015 

(iENFORCE2015) would like to invite you 

to our International Conference in August 

2015 to be held in Putrajaya, Malaysia. 

This conference provides an internationally 

leading forum for interaction between 

scientists, consultants and public servants 

engaged in the multi-disciplinary areas of 

environmental forensics. 

Ecobuild Southeast Asia and International 

Construction Week 9-11 September 2015 

@ Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), KL. 

Ecobuild is a global sustainable construction 

event that connects industry professionals 

in order to help them network, learn and 

discover new products and innovative 

solutions. 

IGEM 2015 9-12 September 2015 @ Kuala 

Lumpur Convention Centre. 

IGEM 2015 (International Greentech & 

Eco Products Exhibition & Conference 

Malaysia) will look to provide a platform 

for the key drivers within the Malaysian 

Government’s Green Technology mandate. 

Conceived in the year 2010, the IGEM 

series was positioned to take the lead and 

gather industry players and professionals 

from the public and private sectors (local 

& international) to explore and grasp the 

lucrative opportunities in the green market. 

IGEM 2015 is the 6th in its series and 

shall continue to drive the green industry in 

Malaysia, as well as keeping it in sync with 

the most current innovations and initiatives 

in the market. IGEM’s ultimate goal is 

towards positioning Malaysia as a Green 

Technology Hub for the ASEAN Region. 

Green Events Listing in Asia for 2015 

Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia 2015 2-4 

September 2015 @ Marina Bay Sands 

Convention, Singapore, Singapore. 

Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia 2015 is 

the global business sourcing, networking 

and knowledge-sharing platform for the 

sustainable built environment in Southeast 

Asia. The event draws together international 

brands of green building technologies 

and advancements, to the heart of the 

region’s community of architects, building 

owners, contractors, consultants, 

developers, facility managers and energy 

managers, for business opportunities and 

experiential engagement. 

Aquatech India 11-13 August 2015 @ 

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. 

Aquatech India displayes the latest products 

and innovations in process, drinking and 

waste water and is a one-of its-kind, 

international, high quality water technology 

event serving the complete Indian water 

sector. The exhibition features the best 

possible range of new and proven products 

on process, drinking and waste water. 

Renewable Energy Asia 2015 June 10-13 

2015 @ Bangkok International Trade & 

Exhibition Centre, Bangkok, Thailand. 

The show highlights Renewable Energy 

sources and the latest technology in this 

area. Wind & Solar Power are among the 

many systems & programs featured along 

with Thermal and Waste-to-energy, Hydopowered 

programs, Bio-mass and other 

green technology also covered. Renewable 

Energy & Energy Efficiency Clinics staffed 

by experts are conducted at the show. 

Green Building & Retrofits Expo Asia 

2015 16-18 Sept 2015 @ IMPACT Exhibtion 

Centre, Hall 6, Bangkok, Thailand. 

Green Building & Retrofits Expo Asia 

2015 is the 5th international Exhibition & 

Conference on Green Building & Retrofits 

held in Thailand for the Asia Market. There 

will be showing case of new technology of 

products, services and solution for green 

building and retrofits. 

Green Events Listing Internationally for 

2015 

3rd International Symposium on Green 

Chemistry 3-7 May 2015 @ La Rochelle, 

France. 

ISGC-2015 will cover nine general topics 

related to 1. biomass conversion, 2. clean 

hydrogen production, 3. alternative solvents, 

4. waste, 5. polymers and materials, 6. atomeconomy 

synthesis, 7. eco-technology, 8. 

predictive methods and 9. environmental 

and ethical assessments. Each topic will be 

introduced by a plenary lecture delivered by 

an eminent scientist of the field. 


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