I urge Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili to develop a Sabah Renewable Energy (RE) Master Plan together with the State Government.
The Master Plan should encompass the development of RE in the state, as well as setting a clear target to achieve, such as
percentage of RE generation, reduction of carbon emissions etc., in order to become the RE development leader in Malaysia.
Sabah is at the best position to fully develop RE. Sabah’s RE potential was projected to exceed 2,700 megawatt (MW) in total if fully exploited plus the fact that Sabah was already a leader in grid connected RE power plants such as from oil palm biomass, biogas, and small hydro.
After visiting Germany recently to study its RE development, I also suggest Sabah emulate Germany’s experience in developing RE.
Germany has launched Energiewende (German for Energy Transition) since 2010, and it’s legislative support was passed in 2011.
Energiewende is the transition to a sustainable economy by means of RE, energy efficiency and sustainable development. The final goal is the abolition of nuclear, coal and other non-RE sources.
Among important aspects include 80 to 95 per cent greenhouse gas
reductions by 2050, 80 per cent share of RE production by 2050, and electricity efficiency up 50 per cent by 2050.
As result of Energiewende, Germany has gone through huge expansion of RE industry, particularly in solar PV and wind power, and share of RE has increased from around five per cent in 1999 to about 25 per cent currently.
Germany experience has enlightened us that energy policy in fact is a political decision instead of scientific decision. It is not about asking technocrats and bureaucrats to list down all pros and cons for each kind of energy generation method then policy makers just pick one out of them.
It is all about political determination to set a clear consensual target (what to achieve) after series of discussions and debates, then policy makers have to create the suitable policy framework to achieve the target (how to).
In fact, Sabahan have demonstrated our own Energiewende, when we
rejected the 300MW coal fired power plant in east coast as proposed by TNB.
It was totally absurd for Sabah to have a non clean energy source as the east coast anchor power plant, when we have tremendous potentials of RE, especially palm oil industry waste in the region.
Again, it is all about political determination to overcome the issues of logistics and biomass feedstock supply, in order to fully utilise the waste generated from palm oil industry which can produce power.
Hereby I urge related authorities to consider build more transmissions unit and bring all palm oil waste linked RE connected to the grid.
On the newly formed Renewable Energy Assocation (REA) Sabah, I hope the association will play critical role in developing RE industry in the state, instead of window dressing only.
Sometimes we need to be bold in ensuring our government is on the right track of RE development. If we did not oppose against coal fired power plant previously, now we will have an old fashioned fossil fuel power plant located in Lahad Datu when everybody talks about RE and launches program to transit to RE.