Green energy a practical option for Sabah – IDS

0

KOTA KINABALU: Most of the world’s energy demands have been met through the use of fossil fuels which are cheap, cost effective and used to be abundant in supply.

However, the finite nature of fossil fuel resources that are depleting at an increasing rate coupled with the effects on the environment, global warming and climate change due to the extensive use of fossil fuels for energy have driven global economies to explore clean and sustainable energy resources or better known as renewable energy.

The main appeal of renewable energy is that it does not cause pollution. For this reason, renewable energy is also often referred to as ‘green energy’, said Institute of Development Studies (IDS) executive director Datuk Mohd Hasnol Ayub.

Hasnol said this in his welcome speech at a seminar on the ‘Greening of Sabah: Renewable energy options for the near future’ organised by Institute for Development Studies (IDS) in partnership with Konrad Adenaeur Stiftung (KAS) of Germany here yesterday.

“Nevertheless, only 16.4 per cent of the current total global energy consumption comes from renewable energy with 10 per cent of energy derived from biomass, 3.4 per cent from hydroelectricity and 3 per cent from energy produced from new renewable energies such as small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels,” he said.

Hasnol said that in terms of electricity generation, the share of renewable energy is approximately 19 per cent with 16 per cent of electricity coming from hydroelectricity and three per cent from new renewable energy sources.

He said that the Malaysian government has been fully committed in its efforts to promote and develop renewable energy technology in order to turn the country into a green economy and society.

“This is evident from the nationwide Green Technology initiatives that have been undertaken since the launching of the National Green Technology Policy in 2009 by our Prime Minister. The Government is also committed towards adopting Green Technology as the country’s economic driver in the future.

“With this in mind, the growth potential of the renewable energy sector in Sabah especially from the new renewable is boundless with the strong prospects to contribute significantly to both the state and country’s transformation into a high value-added economy,” he said.

Hasnol was of the opinion that Sabah’s equatorial location is excellent for solar and its widespread tropical forests can provide large quantities of biomass.

In addition the waters surrounding much of Sabah as well as its tidal flow there is a prospect for the development of ocean renewable energy, he said.

From a longer term perspective, renewable energy is in fact a practical option and one sector that could become a major source of regional energy supply as well as economic growth and job creation, he stressed.

He said there are large untapped opportunities in the sector and the private sector should allocate its resources into this segment to carve a niche market for themselves, he added.