UniMAP First Public University To Have 1.0MW Solar Panels
Arau, 10 February – Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) became the first public university (UA) in Malaysia to receive a tariff quota for the installation of solar panels with the capacity of 1.0 megawatts on one of its buildings at the Pauh Putra permanent campus.
UniMAP Vice Chancellor Brig. Jen. Datuk Prof. Emeritus Dr. Kamarudin Hussin said that the project which was carried out with the cooperation of GetSol Sdn. Bhd. (GetSol) is extremely meaningful for him personally and for UniMAP in general after undergoing several long procedures.
He said that with this installation, energy produced will be collected and sold to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) via the Feed In Tariff concept and becomes part of the UniMAP initiative to generate its own revenue in line with the wishes of the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (KPT).
Besides that, he explained that the solar panel installation will create opportunities for students to explore renewable energy technology and for practical learning methods.
“We have experienced many ups and downs in our efforts to make UniMAP be the first UA to have this quota, which was given on 12 March last year, and today the installation of the panels are 80 percent complete.
“This will also be my final project as UniMAP Vice Chancellor which ends today,” he said in his speech at the Solar Panel Pre-launch Ceremony at the Univation Building here today.
Also present was GetSol Executive Officer Todd Morath, GetSol Managing Director Dr. Gabriel Peter Salgo, UniMAP Holdings Sdn. Bhd. Chief Executive Officer Baharuddin Abdul Majid and UniMAP Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and International Datuk Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal.
This solar panel installation is a UniMAP initiative to generate income by leasing the site (building rooftop) for 21 years with a supplemental maintenance contract given to UniMAP Holdings.
According to Dr. Kamarudin, GetSol has allocated a solar technology system for academic and research purposes which will allow UniMAP to offer hands-on training courses and certificates with the cooperation of CIDB for the Certified Solar Installer and Solar Maintenance programmes.
This will indirectly create opportunities to UniMAP to be a Centre for Excellence for Renewable Energy (CERE) to showcase the project site to visitors and the industries in the initiative to introduce UniMAP's Pauh Putra Campus as an Environmental Campus.
“UniMAP and GetSol are also devising on how to acquire a higher tariff quota in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Salgo said that UniMAP was chosen because of its initiatives and the earnestness of its Vice Chancellor to practice a green campus at UniMAP and an active involvement since the beginning of the discussions.
