solar power Archives

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia helps improve quality of life for Orang Asli

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) has a long history of being a good corporate citizen, having contributed in various ways to different communities. The latest initiative is the donation of high-power solar systems to the Orang Asli community. This will provide electricity to them which can improve the quality of their lives.

The solar systems, which will be used at the Orang Asli’s Rumah Adat (shared community space), were donated through Global Peace Foundation, a non-profit non-government organization with a mission to build resilient and cohesive Orang Asli communities.

Lack of access to grid electricity in Orang Asli’s houses and community spaces brings health risks, expensive energy expenses, and environmental impact. To have light after dark, bonfires are frequently created by burning dried palm fruits but these generate a lot of smoke that causes cough and watery eyes among the villagers, and is unhealthy for children especially.

In addition, houses and community spaces are built from resources in the forest such as bamboo wood and additional items such as zinc and PVC. Some of these materials are flammable, making it dangerous to use fire as the source of light.

Some Orang Asli families also rely on disposable energy such as petrol to run generators and batteries to power more than just lights. The petrol, apart from being added cost, can also be hazardous to store.

Children would also have difficulty studying at night with no light or poor light, and activities are limited. By having more and better lighting, there can be more productive hours in the evening for house chores. The electricity from the solar systems can also be used for freezers and for charging mobilephones and other electrical equipment.

“As part of Malaysian society, we want to see Malaysians even the indigenous community live a better life. With high-power solar systems, we will be providing the Orang Asli community access to affordable and renewable energy that enhances productivity- allowing community projects to continue even after dark, minimizing health and environmental impact from non-renewable energy, lessen environmental pollution, and lastly reducing energy expenditure from buying expensive energy sources that are not sustainable,” said Arba Rahman, Senior Vice-President of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia.

“This effort is together with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation global CSR program ‘STEP to the future’ which focuses on four main themes, standing for the first letters of Society, Traffic safety, Environment, and People. At MMM, we are focused to benefit the society through emphasis on the Environment and People, to create a better society where people can hope for a better future,” he added.

To know more about Mitsubishi Motors products and services in Malaysia, visit www.mitsubishi-motors.com.my.

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia donates Mitsubishi Triton to the Dignity Farm School in Bentong, Pahang

Sono Motors to start selling Sion solar energy vehicle from 2023, priced from 28,500 euros (about RM132,000)

Most of today’s motor vehicles are powered by engines which run on fossil fuels – petrol, diesel, natural gas – and apart from causing pollution from the exhaust gases that are by-products of combustion, there is also the problem of diminishing fuel supplies. The fuels come from deep underground and were formed millions of years ago from dead plants, dinosaurs and other living creatures. So there is a specific quantity of these fuels underground and while there are varying predictions on how long they will last, the fact is they will eventually be finished.

The auto industry has understood this for a long time and has searched for alternative fuels to use, preferably those which can be renewable. At this time, some approaches using electricity and hydrogen are already in use in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles and while they are not necessarily the answers, they are helping to slow down the rate of consumption of fossil fuels so that new technologies can be developed that do not need such fuels.

Sunshine has energy too and technologies have already been developed to collect sunshine and convert to electricity which can be used for various purposes, like water heaters in the home or powering machinery at factories. It used to also be a dream to be able to use solar energy to power cars but the technology has been slow to advance, and it takes a huge amount of conversion to generate enough electricity for such a purpose as propulsion.

Nevertheless, the technology has reached a stage today where it is possible to at least use sunshine for cars though not necessarily directly powering the electric motors. The electricity that is converted from sunshine can go into a storage battery which then provides electricity for the motors to run. There are a number of manufacturers which have already developed prototypes and some are on the verge of commercializing them for sale to the public.

Sono Motors, based in Germany, is one of the companies with a solar energy vehicle (SEV) almost ready to be delivered to customers. In fact, its SEV known as Sion has entered the validation stage this month with over 30 units to undergo real-world testing in Europe and the USA. The company plans to start producing 43,000 cars a year and the total production volume is expected to be 257,000 units over a 7-year period. The former SAAB factory in Sweden will be used as the production facility.

The Sion has been a dream of the Sono Motors founders for at least 10 years, but they only started crowdfunding to implement a project in 2016 and 2017 where they collected over 2 million euros (about RM9.25 million). By January 2021, they presented their first prototype of the Sion with the design that will be used for the production model.

While the design is fairly conventional, key to the technical aspect (as with any electric vehicle) is the battery pack to power the 120 kW electric motor. Sono Motors has opted for a more powerful 54 kWh battery for the Sion which is a lithium iron phosphate type (pictured above) considered to be one of the safest on the market, and also does not use cobalt, nickel and manganese. It is expected to have a lifespan of up to 3,000 cycles, or up to 900,000 kms. The battery can be recharged quickly at outlets of up to 75 kW.

A total range of up to 305 kms is claimed, with additional range provided by the solar panels which is a weekly average of 112 kms (245 kms per week at peak). There are 248 solar cells on the roof which can generate peak power of up to 1.2 kW.

“The growing EV market is generating enormous demand for longer-lasting, more sustainable batteries. This enhanced battery enables Sion drivers to extend the time between charges, whilst reducing the charging time itself. This effectively optimizes the Sion to deliver easy and affordable sustainable mobility for everyone,” said Markus Volmer, Chief Technology Officer at Sono Motors.

The company has also developed its own wall charging station or Wallbox which will be affordably priced. Being bi-directional, it can be used for home charging of the Sion as well as for supplying electricity from the car for use in the home or even to transfer to the local power grid. The Sion is thus a mobile powerplant that can not only reduce costs for home-owners but can also provide power during emergencies when supply is cut.

Older motorists will recall the days when they used to carry out simple maintenance tasks themselves. Today, however, there is less to do and most of the time, maintenance is done at service centres. Sono Motors intends to bring back the ‘DIY culture’ with the Sion to keep running and repair costs as low as possible. Standard replacement parts can be changed by the owner but for work involving high-voltage parts (which can have some risk), owners will be advised to send their car to authorized service centres.

The interior has a simple functional layout like any of today’s hatchbacks. Two tablet-style displays provide information on the car’s operation as well as the infotainment system. A unique design feature on the dashboard is the insertion of Icelandic moss, said to offer certain health benefits. The owner can connect to the car via Apple Carplay or Android Auto, and the Sono app allows remote control of the air-conditioning system or to check the battery status.

If everything goes according to plan, the first customers will get their cars sometime in 2023. To date, the company says over 15,000 orders have been received (along with downpayments) for the car which is to be priced from 28,500 euros (about RM132,000).

Free sunshine helps Proton save up to RM5.85 million on electricity costs

Free sunshine helps Proton save up to RM5.85 million on electricity costs

Proton doesn’t have solar-powered cars (yet) but it is making use of sunshine in another way – to power its factory in Tg. Malim, Perak. The initiative is one of the ways the Malaysian carmaker is helping meet the government’s target of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by 2050. The green initiative will reduce CO₂ (carbon dioxide) emissions by 11,536 tonnes a year, helping to address climate-change by lowering the generation of the global-warming gas.

Additionally, generating electricity from solar power also helps Proton save money on its electricity costs. The total amount generated is 12 MWp (MegaWatt peak) which is able to cover up to 25% of the electricity needs of the factory. Which began operations in 2003.

The solar panels are installed over two areas – one area is on the roofs of the manufacturing buildings and the other is a newly constructed covered carpark. The latter has the largest installation of solar panels over a parking lot in Malaysia and covers a land area of 23.4 acres (slightly more than 13 football fields).

There are covered spaces for up to 2,880 vehicles which are stored prior to being sent to Proton outlets for delivery to customers. At this time, the new vehicles spend a very short time there as there is a backlog of orders so completed vehicles are sent off quickly.

While solar panels are generally the same in function and design, those installed over the carpark are ‘bi-facial’ as the underside of the 20,544 panels can also capture sunshine reflected off the roofs of the shiny vehicles. Obviously, it’s not as much as the direct sunshine from above but it is still enough to make it worthwhile to collect and turn into electricity. The total amount of electricity generated from the carpark is 75% of the total generation.

*Besides providing shelter for the new vehicles, the undersides of the solar panels can also capture sunshine reflected from the roofs of the vehicles to convert to electricity.*

For now, there is no storage of electricity generated so if there is an unused amount over a certain period, it is sent to the national power grid, for which Proton will be paid. The total savings in electricity costs are calculated to be up to RM5.85 million and in as far as the cost of investment in this solar power project is concerned, Proton did not actually have to invest directly for the installation. The installation was undertaken by Pekat Group and its associate MFP Solar, and Proton is leasing the installation.

Using solar energy as part of a holistic energy-saving plan formulated by Proton in 2015 with the launch of the Proton Green Wheel and Green Policy. This has 5 phases which started with implementing an Energy Management System in its production plants and head office to collect and measure usage data. Following 2 years of energy data gathering and analysis, the company established energy baselines across its plants and offices which provided an insight into areas to reduce energy consumption.

Phase 2 consisted of Energy Efficiency measures where a number of energy-saving projects were implemented. These ranged from switching to LED lighting and chiller replacement with magnetic chillers, to using a master compressor unit to synchronize the compressed air supply to match real-time demand at each production shop.

This was followed by Phase 3, which focussed on Waste and Water Management. To achieve its aims, Proton implemented a system where recycled water was reused for the compressor cooling tower and to top up water for hydrant water tanks at the Tanjong Malim plant.

Phase 4 is the adoption of renewable energy via the solar energy plant while Phase 5 aims to digitize all the energy data on a cloud server to introduce AI and Big Data Analytics technology to provide the company’s energy managers with energy consumption predictions and prescriptive measures to reduce energy consumption across all plants and office facilities.

Over a 5-year period (2015 – 2020), these initiatives have achieved an energy bill savings of RM20 million or equivalent to 55,000 MWh savings, with over 40,000 tonnes of CO₂ emission reduction.

Sunshine powers Shell stations in Malaysia

Sunshine powers Shell stations in Malaysia

Sunshine contains energy and it’s free and abundantly available, so it makes sense that it can be used to power facilities. Modern technology had made it possible to collect sunshine and convert it into energy and Shell Malaysia is making use of this technology in efforts to lower carbon emissions.

The company has installed solar panels at 216 of its retail stations around the country as is part of the drive to adopt a combination of measures to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. Installation of solar panels at retail stations help supplement and reduce dependability on local utilities, resulting in increased electrical savings for the stations in the long run.

216 stations to date
Shell is working with Cleantech Solar to install the solar panels at its retail stations in Malaysia. So far, a total of 22,505 solar Photo Voltaic panels with a total capacity of 10.12 megawatt (MWp) have been installed on the roofs of 216 stations as part of the company’s commitment to run a safe, efficient, responsible, and profitable business. Exemplifying this, the current number of solar panels in the stations can generate 12,939 MWh of electrical energy, enough to power roughly 3,740 households in a year.

“At Shell, we aim to make the transition towards a low-carbon future possible for our operations and will always look out for initiatives that will enable us to provide cleaner and sustainable energy solutions for our customers. We have fitted 216 of our stations with solar panels and we will be progressing towards about 350 stations by the end of 2022,” said Seow Lee Ming, General Manager of Mobility Shell.

Green Building Index Certification
In 2019, Shell Damansara Jaya and Shell Taman Connaught were the first two retail stations in Malaysia to receive the Green Building Index (GBI) Certification. The GBI is the country’s industry-recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment by saving energy and resources. These two Shell stations mark the first entries in the new retail fuel category introduced for the certification standard. The company is also the first in the Asia Pacific region to receive this GBI certification.

Shell also opened what is an example of ‘the station of the future’ – Shell Mint Hotel – which is Malaysia’s First Gold GBI Certified Petrol Station. Apart from being powered by solar, this station has sustainable features such as a food waste composting machine that converts food waste into fertilisers, energy-efficient air-conditioners and chillers, recycling facilities and a smart LED lighting system at the forecourt. To lessen the station’s usage of water from municipal systems, a rainwater harvesting system is utilised to collect and store rainwater to be reused in its facilities such as the toilets.

Shell has now received GBI certification for 5 of its stations in Malaysia. They are Shell Taman Connaught, Shell Damansara Jaya, Shell Mint Hotel, Shell Tangkak Lay-by and Shell Alor Pongsu.

The Shell Group has set a target to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society. This is also in line with the government’s ambition towards Malaysia achieving Carbon Neutral in the same year. By powering Malaysia with cleaner energy and innovation mobility solutions, Shell hopes to mobilise the energy sector and increase its efficiency by offering products and services with lower carbon emissions.

Shell station preserves Penang’s living heritage whilst maintaining connection to the past

Limited edition Citizen Eco-Drive watches inspired by new Nissan Z

Nissan Motor and Citizen, the watch company, both have long heritage starting from the 1930s. In the nine decades they have been in existence, they have introduced many iconic products in their respective markets.

Citizen’s line of sports watches are well known with a reputation for high quality and technology. Likewise, Nissan has produced many sportscars and one of the most famous is the Z which made its debut in 1969. The original Datsun 240Z was one of the first Japanese models to show that Japan could also make sportscars and not just econocars. It certainly added another side to the Datsun brand (Nissan was not used as a brand name then) and drew enthusiasts to it.

Limited edition, 1,700 pieces
50 years later, the seventh generation of the Z has been launched and its iconic design has been modernised. To celebrate this much-anticipated return of the sportscar, Citizen has collaborated with Nissan to create a pair of limited edition watches in its Eco-Drive range. Only 1,700 watches will be available with a recommended price of US$2,495 (around RM10,400) in the US market.

The watches feature accents in the striking new Seiran Blue or Ikazuchi Yellow, both colours available with the new Z. The colours stand in bold contrast to the matte black on the centre of the dial that evokes the sense of smooth new asphalt on a highway.

The black of the dial is accented by silver hands and indexes to create a cool, understated look, while a red second hand is inspired by the redline on a tachometer. The watches each have a ‘Z’ mark on the crown and NISSAN logo on the case back.

Super Titanium casing and bracelet
The case is made of Super Titanium as is the bracelet. The proprietary space-age material is 5 times more scratch-resistant and 40% lighter than stainless steel. Anti-Reflective Sapphire Crystal is used to offer impact and shatter resistance, with anti-reflective coating to make it easy to view in all lighting conditions.

1 second loss in 1,000 years
Like other Citizen Eco-Drive watches, there is solar-powered quartz chronograph movement. Powered by any light source, there is no need to replace watch batteries. Atomic Timekeeping Technology with Synchronized Time Adjustment is available in 26 Time Zones, and the 1/20 second Chronograph measures up to 60 minutes. It is claimed that if you use the watch for 1,000 years, you would lose 1 second at most…

All-new 7th generation Nissan Z revealed! (w/VIDEO)

Toyota, Sharp and NEDO to conduct road trials of high-efficiency solar cell panels

Sunshine does good and bad things for mankind. It provides light to see better for about half the day and it helps to dry clothes. However, it can cause skin cancer and in certain conditions, even start fires. Sunshine also contains energy which can be converted into electricity and at least one study suggests that solar power can be the world’s largest source of electricity by 2050.

Unfortunately, capturing sunshine to convert it in amounts large enough for practical usage has required technologies that have taken a while to develop. In fact, research began as far back as the 1930s but it is only in the past decade that R&D has accelerated and advanced technologies have been developed which are also commercially viable.

Technological advances needed
While sunshine alone can’t power a car (the technology would need to be very, very advanced), it can be used for the battery packs in electrified vehicles. Currently, the battery packs are recharged by drawing electricity from public or household electrical supply stations or by regeneration in the car’s powertrain. Solar power can supplement this and has the potential of improving cruising range and fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles.

In fact, Toyota has already been using the approach since 2010 in the Prius to provide power for the climate control system. In 2017, it went further by enlarging the solar panel on the roof to provide electricity for the battery pack. Later this month, NEDO (a national R&D organization in Japan), Sharp Corporation, and Toyota Motor Corporation will carry out public road trials to assess the effectiveness this approach with Sharp’s modularized high-efficiency solar battery cells.

Thin-film solar battery cells
These solar battery cells are in a thin film about 0.03 mm in thickness. This makes it possible to efficiently install the film to fit the curves of parts with limited space. The battery cells will be installed on the roof, bonnet, rear hatch door and other areas of a Toyota Prius.

The idea is, of course, to maximise the area of coverage to capture as much sunshine as possible. By enhancing the solar battery panel’s efficiency and expanding its onboard area, Toyota was able to achieve a rated power generation output of around 860 W, which is approximately 4.8-times higher in comparison with the Prius Prime’s solar charging system.

In addition to substantially boosting its power generation output, the testcar will employ a system that charges the driving battery while the vehicle is parked and also while it’s being driven, a development that is expected to lead to considerable improvements in electric-powered cruising range and fuel efficiency.

Piston.my

solar power

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia helps improve quality of life for Orang Asli

Sono Motors to start selling Sion solar energy vehicle from 2023, priced from 28,500 euros (about RM132,000)

Free sunshine helps Proton save up to RM5.85 million on electricity costs

Sunshine powers Shell stations in Malaysia

Limited edition Citizen Eco-Drive watches inspired by new Nissan Z

Toyota, Sharp and NEDO to conduct road trials of high-efficiency solar cell panels

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia helps improve quality of life for Orang Asli

Sono Motors to start selling Sion solar energy vehicle from 2023, priced from 28,500 euros (about RM132,000)

Free sunshine helps Proton save up to RM5.85 million on electricity costs

Sunshine powers Shell stations in Malaysia

Limited edition Citizen Eco-Drive watches inspired by new Nissan Z

Toyota, Sharp and NEDO to conduct road trials of high-efficiency solar cell panels

Archive

Porsche Partners with Blizzard for Overwatch 2 Macan EV Skin

Gentari Partners with SEDC Energy for Sarawak Hydrogen Production Facility

Rolls-Royce Introduces the ‘Spirit of Expression’ – Three Unique Bespoke Units

Opposition MP Calls for Removal of Gombak and Karak Tolls to Ease Congestion

Mini Introduces Next-Generation Petrol Mini Cooper with 204hp

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube

The Piston Show