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cover story
@green | July-August, 2020
Mohd Fauzi says solar heat for industrial processes continues to be a growing market.
Setting
new standards
SIRIM’s successful
innovations in energy
management
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
The solar thermal for industrial process
heat and solar-powered compound
lighting system using lightweight composite
poles and MYLIPOS battery are two
successfully-commercialised technologies
by SIRIM.
Driving both the projects is Mohd Fauzi
Ismail, the Director of the Industrial Centre
of Innovation in Energy Management, SIRIM Industrial
Research.
Solar Thermal for Industrial Process
The Malaysia Energy Efficiency and Solar Thermal
Application (MAEESTA) project led by SIRIM, aims to
promote and demonstrate sector-specific energy efficiency
improvements and solar thermal technology applications in
the heating and cooling processes practised by Malaysian
industries.
On Sept 24, 2018, SIRIM and UNIDO commissioned
and handed over the first industrial-scale solar thermal
demonstration plant in Malaysia.
The solar thermal demonstration plant project at PPNJ
Poultry and Meat Sdn Bhd in Johore by SIRIM, the first of
its kind to be installed in Malaysia, represents one of the
industrial applications where solar thermal technology can
be deployed.
The solar thermal demonstration plant at PPNJ aims to
provide sustainable heating energy for critical industrial
process, scalding, which utilises a large volume of hot water
for treating slaughtered birds before the de-feathering
process.
The plant was designed to replace 80 per cent of heating
energy by electric boilers currently in operation. It is
estimated to reduce 69 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission
and result in RM50,000 annual savings to the company.
“The potential of solar thermal technology applications
in other industrial processes is enormous,” he said.
According to Mohd Fauzi, the European Heat Market
study revealed that 67 per cent of the total energy used by
the industrial sector is mainly in the form of heat, of which
nearly 30 per cent is categorised as medium heat or low heat.
Mohd Fauzi added that based on the National Energy
Balance Report 2016, electricity made up nearly 36 per cent
of the total energy used by the industrial sector.
The remaining fuels such as natural gas, petroleum
products, diesel, coal and coke, which make up the other
64 per cent, are for heating generation for various industrial
process heat.
By the same token, if 30 per cent of the process heat is of
medium and low temperature below 100 degree Celsius, the
amount of latent heat that can be replaced by solar thermal
will be approximately 35,590GWh.
He added: “The potential industrial subsectors to benefit
from solar thermal technology for industrial process heating
are food and beverages, chemicals, pulp and papers.
“Solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) continues to
be a growing market.
“Several promising projects were implemented in the last
couple of years ranging from small-scale demonstration
plants to extensive systems with 100MWth capacity.”
Solar Powered Compound Lighting
System Using Lightweight Composite Poles
and MYLIPOS Battery
SIRIM developed and innovated Solar Powered Street Light
Weight Composite Poles and the MYLIPOS Battery based
on its five years of applied research on the lithium-ion
battery and advance composite.
“The final product is an integrated system that comprises
Solar Photovoltaic Panel, lithium-Ion battery energy storage
and lightweight composite poles which have been successfully
patented by SIRIM,” shared Mohd Fauzi.
He added in 2019, SIRIM commercialised its innovation
with the installation of 99 lighting poles around Tasik
Seksyen 7, Shah Alam.
“The project promises an electricity saving of up to 13.5
MWh annually.”
As the application of the technology in Shah Alam,
which currently has over 46,000 street lighting poles, is
extended, the anticipated electricity saving is expected at
about 30.2GWh and reduction of 21,000 of carbon emission.
Thus, this supports the Local Agenda 21 towards Low
Carbon City.
“Realising there is increased interest in the potential of
commercialisation of the technology, SIRIM is now embarking
on a unique project, developing vendor programme for
SMEs to take up and commercialise the technology.
“We hope this venture will enable the industry to meet the
increasing demand for an alternative product or technology,
where grid connection and the upfront cost of laying TNB
cables proved not to be cost-effective,” said Mohd Fauzi.
SIRIM continues to innovate to support product innovation.
The latest being provision of Internet of Things (IoT)
that enables sending of signal for Power Trip Monitoring to
the control centre.
Another feature is an embedded CCTV system to the
composite poles for surveillance and security of the public.
“This added features can be monitored and controlled by
a mobile phone.” — @green
SIRIM commercialised its innovation with the installation of 99 lighting
poles around Tasik Seksyen 7, Shah Alam.
The solar thermal demonstration plant project at PPNJ Poultry and Meat Sdn
Bhd in Johore by SIRIM is the first of its kind to be installed in Malaysia.