@Green January/February 2023 | Page 5

JANUARY-FEBRUARY , 2023 | @ green

05 nism for hydropower resources and Net Energy Metering ( NEM ) for Solar PV ,” said Hamzah .

As the agency that advises the minister and relevant government entities on all matters relating to sustainable energy , including recommendations on policies , laws , and actions to be applied to promote sustainable energy and promoting and implementing national policy objectives for renewable energy , SEDA will naturally continue to advocate energy-efficient practices in Malaysia .

SEDA DEMONSTRATES HOW IT ’ S DONE

On how SEDA plans to promote renewable energy in the coming years , Hamzah highlighted several ongoing projects that were part of this continuous effort .

“ The Authority is running a few programmes such as Energy Audit Conditional Grant ( EACG ) 2.0 , Sustainable Low Carbon Building Facilitation and Assessment ( LCB GreenPASS ), and Zero Energy Building ( ZEB ) Facilitation programme , among others .

“ During its first run , the EACG programme has reached the cumulative energy saving achieved of 53.4GWh based on electricity bill for 109 buildings , which is equivalent to 33,433 ( tCO2eq ) as of 2020 ,” said Hamzah .

He said through the Low Carbon Building Performance Assessment-GreenPASS and Certification Programme , 158 buildings in Malaysia were registered , and 113 buildings have been rated under the programme . The total energy savings amounted to 89,763,232.30kWh , equivalent to 61,882.33 tonnes of carbon emission reduction .

“ The initiatives were aligned with the committed Nationally Determined Contributions ( NDC ) target to reduce Greenhouse Gas ( GHG ) emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to the emissions intensity of GDP in 2005 ,” Hamzah explained .

He highlighted that SEDA also led by example .

“ The initiative was started in 2015 by SEDA ’ s in-house expertise . Various Energy Management initiatives had helped the Authority to achieve the Building Energy Index ( BEI ) of 53.9 kWh / m2 / year ( Zero Energy Building ZEB Ready ), compared to 220 to 300 kWh / m2 / year for a typical office building in Malaysia and electricity bill ≈ RM2,000 / mth ,” he said , adding that this translated to savings of almost 74,143.45 kWh per year ( at least RM38,000 per annum ) and avoided 50 tonnes per year of carbon emissions .

He also touched on the significance of energy efficiency in the coming years , stating it had always been part of a holistic , sustainable energy approach .

“ SEDA was tasked to oversee both renewable energy and energy efficiency aspects to address the energy trilemma and to promote improved economic , environmental and social outcomes for the country .

“ With the increase in coal prices , the cost of generating also increased by 45 per cent , according to former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan .

“ Hence , managing your energy through energy-efficient appliances and changed behaviour will make a difference in the electricity bill . I believe energy efficiency will be one of the highlights as we race towards our net zero goal ,” he explained .

ISES 2022 PROMOTES RENEWABLE ENERGY

Hamzah recalled the agency ’ s achievements in 2022 , stating that it was a

significant year for SEDA with several ongoing programmes such as SAVE3.0 , NEM3.0 , and MyRER .

The CEO also discussed the International Sustainable Energy Summit ( ISES ), which was rescheduled due to the pandemic .

“ ISES was initially planned in 2020 but rescheduled due to the pandemic outbreak . The 5th ISES was eventually held on Aug 29-30 , 2022 and was officiated by the then Prime Minister ( Ismail Sabri ).

“ It held an extensive exhibition featuring the industry ’ s cream of the crop during the two-day event ,” said Hamzah .

ISES 2022 has become a flagship event organised in collaboration with the then Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources ( KeTSA ).

“ As the statutory body tasked with leading the development of sustainable energy in Malaysia , the success of the 5th ISES 2022 established the Authority ’ s role in promoting and increasing the awareness of sustainable energy .

“ The event saw close collaborations between SEDA and KeTSA , along with its various agencies such as Energy Commission and Tenaga Nasional Berhad ( TNB ) and prominent industry players in ensuring the two-day summit achieved its objectives ,” Hamzah elaborated .

He also explained that in addition to ISES 2022 , the SAVE3.0 programme , a continuation of the successful SAVE2.0 programme , saw an overwhelming response whereby the rebates were fully taken up ahead of its closing deadline in November 2022 .

Hamzah pointed out the ongoing NEM3.0 programme was also seeing a reasonable take-up rate across all three categories . He was optimistic that NEM3.0 , ending in December 2023 , would show a favourable result . – @ Green

DATO ’ Hamzah Hussin , CEO of Sustainable Energy Development Authority ( SEDA ) Malaysia , wants more youngsters involved in sustainable energy and its long-term advantages .

“ We think youth speak for now and tomorrow . They ’ ll secure future generations ’ sustainability ,” said Hamzah .

“ Realising the impact of youth in advocating for sustainable energy and climate action , SEDA has initiated several programmes to educate today ’ s youth on the importance of sustainable energy for Malaysia ’ s next generation .”

Hamzah said the programmes were aligned with one of the tasks mandated to SEDA under the five strategic thrusts of the National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan ( NREPAP ) which was to develop an action plan to create greater acceptance and participation by the general public and private sector towards the sustainable energy programmes administered by the Authority .

“ The Sustainable Energy E-Leaning Development ( SEDA SEED ) was introduced in 2020 as a dedicated online Sustainable Energy ( SE ) educational digital programme with a combination of educational video series , quizzes , mini RE seminars with students as Speakers and tutorial sessions on RE projects .

“ SEDA organised the SEDA SEED programme in association with the Malaysian Association of Creativity & Innovation ( MACRI ) and STEM 4 All Makerspace Malaysia ,” said Hamzah .

He underlined that , for the year 2020 , SEDA had combined both SEDA SEED 2020 activities and the National Science Week ( NSW ).

“ The SEDA SEED programme was continued in 2021 to reach out to more students on the importance of SE , grooming and empowering them to advocate SE within their schools , communities and public .

“ SEDA appointed 24 students from 12 secondary schools from Central Region Kuala Lumpur , Putrajaya , Cyberjaya and Selangor as SEDA SEED Student Ambassadors ,” Hamzah pointed out , adding the Student Ambassadors will represent SEDA and create greater awareness on SE in their schools and among the peers . He was confident the new year would bring many new changes and challenges .

“ But SEDA will continue to play its role in growing the sustainable energy industry in Malaysia and work closely with stakeholders just like we have been doing so far ,” he concluded .