THE last leg of the Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA) nationwide solar roadshow concluded with very encouraging response, welcoming over 110 participants from various sectors of the industry in Johor.
Many also seized the opportunity to get more information and interact with exhibitors at a mini-exhibition, held in conjunction with the roadshow at a hotel in Johor Bahru.
The other four previous roadshows were held in Penang, Alor Setar, Melaka and Kuantan, which also attracted a good turnout.
The locations were among the highly active economic centres with considerable residential, commercial and industrial buildings that could benefit the most from solar photovoltaic (PV) energy.
PV is a technology that converts sunlight (solar radiation) into direct current electricity using semiconductors.
MPIA president Chin Soo Mau said the event brought together authorities and industry players to showcase the benefits of solar PV installation on commercial and industrial rooftops, including the available incentives provided by the government.
“These incentives include the Green Investment Tax Allowance which allows companies to enjoy significant income tax exemption for the expenditure spent on the solar system and the Net Energy Metering scheme that allows owners of solar systems to sell surplus of electricity generated to Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
“This event is designed in such a way that participants can get accurate and direct information, in line with the government’s target of achieving 20% power generation capacity for renewable energy by 2025.
“While it is an ambitious goal, this is a step in the right direction, which is why MPIA decided to come in to fill the gap beyond Klang Valley, ” he said in his opening speech.
Chin added that since environmental issues were now part of the international agenda, it was the right time to go green.
One of the exhibitors, Times-Lite Electrical Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director Joe Wong See Jau, described the exhibition as a “good business matching session” and that there was very keen interest from participants, who wanted to find out more on benefits of the PV system.
Wong said investing in solar PV would help businesses, especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small and medium industries (SMIs), in saving costs such as energy consumption bills, besides adding values to their products, processes and services through the green label and an environmentally-friendly image.
Johor Baru-based manufacturer G&C Sunrise Sdn Bhd managing director Ivan Ong said the company, which specialised in solar street lamps, sold over a million units in 80 countries and received many queries from industry players.
During the event, representatives from MPIA and supporting agencies such as Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Sustainable Energy Development Authority and Energy Commission spoke on the solar system applications, procedures and requirements of the related schemes and incentives, risk and return of investments and licensing process, among others.
MPIA, set up in 2007, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of solar energy. It is the only organisation representing the solar industry.
Currently, it has more than 110 members, consisting of manufacturers, consultants and service providers.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry said there were some 450,000 shophouses, 90,000 terrace factories, 21,000 stand-alone factories and 1,000 shopping complexes, which could potentially be installed with solar systems to help achieve the national target.
Source: The Star