BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: It is imperative to train local Bruneians in various areas of renewable energy resource, thus the training of several local students and staff currently completing their PhDs in renewable energy abroad is undoubtedly a move that is praiseworthy, Borneo Bulletin reported.
“With the introduction of a new, fully integrated Technology Degree in August 2013, I am confident that UBD will take up the challenge and provide training opportunities to local technologists with practical skills in design and manufacturing,” said Permanent Secretary (Upstream) at the Energy Division of the Prime Minister’s Office Awg Hj Azhar Hj Yahya yesterday.
Thus, it is of paramount importance that in the second phase of the research, development and training in UBD, the setting up of R&D infrastructures that will enable design, prototyping and manufacturing materials, components, devices and systems be set up and deployed.
This calls for the setting up of a flexible design and manufacturing capabilities with funding from the private and public sectors to advance the training of local Bruneians in research, engineering and manufacturing.
The permanent secretary who was the guest of honour spoke during a ceremony to officiate the International Energy Conference Brunei Darussalam and 10th Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE) Forum at the Centrepoint Hotel in Gadong.
The theme of the conference and forum is indeed highly commendable as it concentrates heavily on innovative research, development and manufacturing of sustainable energy technologies.
These are among the crucial components in moving forward to a new sustainable energy landscape for Brunei Darussalam’s future, namely solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, tidal energy and hydrogen power.
Energy has been identified as one of the prime drivers for economic growth, particularly in the case of Brunei.
“We are now more accountable than ever to ensure that we strike the balance between economic growth and energy sustainability,” he said, adding that the first key step to this would be by consuming energy resources, and later stressing that these resources are not at the expense of the environment but through a more sustainable approach to energy resources utilisation.
As it has already been predicted that by 2030 the demand of global energy will double, thus the reliance on fossil energy is not sustainable due to the enormous increase of the cost of recovering these finite fossil resources in remote, hostile and often politically unstable regions.
As the era of cheap fossil fuels is over, the shift towards a global sustainable future energy is now clear, currently hovering over US$100 per barrel of crude oil, and peaking at $147/barrel two or three years ago.
“On the other hand, we are now faced with the challenge of climate change looming before us with its catastrophic weight,” he added.
He further pointed out that practical policies and strategies to enhance energy technology and management, energy manpower, efficient use of energy, clean energy and development of alternative and renewable energy are all part and parcel of sustainable energy development. And this requires more research and development on the advancement and breakthroughs.
“We have already seen how the overall cost of producing solar cells, for example, has decreased dramatically over the last 10 years through technological research. It is expected that the cost will drop even further with a new generation of efficient and flexible solar cells.”
Today, he said, close to 200 countries are implementing projects on renewable energy technologies, and industries that are involved directly or indirectly with renewable energy sources continue to create jobs and prosperity.
Germany and China, for instance, are leading the green revolution and creating sustainable employment and China, on the other hand, has become the world’s largest manufacturer of photovoltaic and wind turbines.
Brunei, despite its small population, is implementing a slew of measures to minimise resource drains, investing in energy security, energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.
It is also creating greater public awareness on energy security and environment as well as investing in research and development in renewable energy and low carbon emission technologies.
The installation of ‘Tenaga Suria Brunei,’ a 1.2 MW demonstration photovoltaic plant that powers about 200 houses in Seria is one example, and the research context for this plant includes identification of the most efficient type of photovoltaic panel in Brunei’s climatic condition.
R&D work on dye sensitised solar cells using natural dyes from Brunei’s vast biodiversity resource is being benchmarked against those at universities such as Kyoto, Tokyo and Northwestern universities as well as Korean universities, and collaboration augurs well with the possibility of early breakthrough and commercialisation.
In the area of low wind turbines, it is being benchmarked against development by the European Wind Energy Association, Global Wind Energy Council and World Wind Energy Association.