INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
Transition Plan 2021-2040 , which sets a target for renewable energy ( RE ) to achieve 31 % of installed capacity in 2025 and 40 % by 2035 . Since solar has the highest potential , a total capacity of 500MW battery energy storage system is targeted to be introduced in 2030 .
Last year , the Government unveiled the National Energy Policy 2022-2040 , which focuses on energy security , energy affordability , environmental sustainability , capitalising on emerging technologies , governance structure , human capital , and financing and investment towards achieving Low Carbon Nation Aspiration ( LCNA ) 2040 . Essentially , LCNA targets 11 % energy savings from the commercial and industrial sectors and 10 % from the residential sector 4 through EE .
The other notable cross-sectoral plan is the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan ( NEEAP ), which started in 2016 and will end in 2025 , with a target to achieve a savings of 8 % of annual consumption at the 10 th year of implementation with total cumulative energy savings for 10 years amounting to 52,233 GWh and cumulative CO 2 reduction of 34,886 ktCO 2
eq . NEEAP consists of five EE initiatives that cover three main sectors of electricity consumption : the industrial , commercial and residential sectors . In a continuing effort to extend the implementation of EE initiatives from 2026-2035 , Suruhanjaya Tenaga is working on NEEAP 2.0 to further its journey of EE .
EE plays a crucial role in the decarbonisation of the built environment of the three sectors . To meet our aspiration by 2040 as a low-carbon nation , traditional facilities management ( FM ) approaches need to be transformed . FM pivots on people , processes , workplaces and technology to ensure that the built environment functions satisfactorily . While these four pillars intertwine integrally for operability , maintainability , comfort , safety and health , the need for sustainable EE savings should be structurally instituted . EE initiatives should not be piecemeal , knee-jerk projects nor be constrained by capital budget . In fact , it can be an off-balance sheet activity .
An EE-centric FM should start from the design phase and this is supported by one of the five initiatives of NEEAP , where a minimum Building Energy Intensity ( BEI ) of 136kWh / m 2 -year is encouraged . To strategise for more energyefficient buildings to be built , our Government incentivises building owners with the Green Investment Tax Allowance ( GITA ) since 2014 and it is being extended this year . Acknowledging the adverse impact of GHG on climate change , Malaysia , in 2015 , adopted the UN Sustainability Development Goals and signed the Paris Agreement . With heightened awareness , most design engineers and building professionals have since designed energy-efficient buildings based on various standards , codes of practice , regulations , and guidelines such as MS1525 , UBBL , ASHRAE Standard 90.1 , 189.1 . Some owners even moved ahead with green building rating systems which place the highest emphasis on EE . Among others , important design parameters such as a minimum reduction of energy consumption , which leads to the avoidance of CO 2 emission in the built environment , lower BEI with green technology and procurement of renewable energy such as solar PV , are being assessed . Admittedly , the level of EE and RE eventually procured and installed are very much constrained by the project budget despite
12 VOL 94 APRIL-JUNE 2023