The Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA) held the first Committee meeting today after its 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 31 March 2021, which elected the new Committee line-up for term 2021-2023 as follows:
President : Mr Davis Chong, Atlantic Blue Sdn Bhd
Vice President : Dato' Ir. Muhamad Guntor Mansor Tobeng, Gading Kencana Sdn Bhd
Secretary : Mr Michael Leong, Tera VA Sdn Bhd
Assistant Secretary : Mr Joe Wong, Times-Lite Electrical Engineering Sdn Bhd
Treasurer : Mr Samuel Soon, Anora Agency Sdn Bhd
Ordinary Committee Members:
Mr David Khoo Tah Wei, Selangor Human Resource Development Centre
Mr Justin Sim, North Consult Engineering Sdn Bhd
Mr Yohannes Yeremia, Longi (Kuching) Sdn Bhd
Ms Irene Tan Ai Peng, BSL Eco Energy Sdn Bhd
Mr Edmund Loo Chun Keat, Leveragedge Sdn Bhd
The AGM also appointed two internal auditors from among the members.
1. Ir. Prakash Sothivadivel, Petronas Power Sdn Bhd
2. Mr Izwan Rasul, Leader Solar Energy Sdn Bhd
The new committee will be leading MPIA and the local solar photovoltaic (PV) industry for the next two years.
Initiated by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications to have an industry voice and established in year 2006, MPIA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of solar energy and consists of members from the local solar supply chain, including manufacturers, service providers, system integrators, consultants, insurance providers, legal professionals, training providers and academicians.
MPIA bridges communication among the stakeholders and has been working with the government to ensure the efficient, ethical and professional growth of solar industry. It is currently the only trade association representing the solar PV industry in Malaysia. There are currently more than 130 members in MPIA, compared to less than 20 members when it was first established; this is a testimony to the growth of the local solar PV industry.
MPIA President Davis Chong expressed appreciation to his predecessor Chin Soo Mau and other past committee members for their contribution to the industry.
According to Chong, Malaysian solar PV industry has progressed significantly between the introduction of Feed-in Tariff (FiT) in 2011 and the third Net Energy Metering (NEM 3.0) era today.
“In 2019, total installed solar PV capacity in Malaysia surpassed the 1,000 MW mark, compared to less than 200 MW five years before that. Such a capacity can help our country to reduce 600,000 tonnes of coal burning annually, amounting to RM200 million saving, based on average Indonesian benchmark coal price of USD78 per tonne in 2019.”
Chong said despite the pandemic, movement controls and slowdown in economic activities, the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) approved more than 350 MW projects under NEM in 2020, the highest in a year since NEM was introduced in 2016, indicating a strong interest to invest in solar PV systems.
“Many businesses are now deploying solar PV systems as part of their measures to reduce the cost of doing business, as it gives them significant saving in energy bills. In addition, it is very positive to their corporate image, with some companies able to sell their products or services at a premium over their peers.”
Chong said SEDA revealed that there were close to 4,000 completed NEM installations towards the end of last year, and entire 500 MW NEM quota was fully taken in last year before it reached the December deadline; subsequently, a further 500 MW quota under NEM 3.0 was announced.
The application of NEM 3.0 for residential and governmental sectors was opened from 1 February while application for the commercial and industrial sectors from the first of this month.
“In the first week of April, we had already seen submission of more than 100 MW applications from the commercial and industrial sectors. We are not surprised if the entire 300 MW allocated for the commercial and industrial sectors are fully taken by the middle of this year. We look forward to more allocation from the government after the full uptake,” Chong told.
He said on the other hand, the LSS (Large Scale Solar) which has been implemented since 2016 had accumulated more than 850 MW operational capacity as of fourth quarter last year, based on the Energy Commission’s data.
“There are more than 2,400 MW of LSS projects awarded so far, including the 823 MW in LSS4 awarded recently. In other words, we are seeing very positive growth in both the rooftop segment and LSS segment of our solar PV industry. All this will translate into a significant milestone for Malaysia in terms of sustainability and renewable energy accomplishment,” said Chong.
