Gamuda Rise NewsletterGamuda Rise NewsletterPhoto by Freepik.com
Sheena Wong
Gamuda has installed a total of 2,208 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the rooftop of the Quayside Mall in Kota Kemuning, which is our largest feat to-date. The massive array covering 5,706sqm, or more than 53% of the available roof area, has a total generation capacity of 1,192 kilowatts peak (kWp) or 1,536,900 kilowatts hour (kWh) per year. This will provide an anticipated energy savings of RM560,969 annually, which is an offset of about 15% of the current electricity consumption for the mall.
Behind the scene, the solar PV installation project was led by Leong Sai Pink, Gamuda Land Manager of Product Management Unit – Design and Innovation, in close collaboration with Chang Peu Lee, Gamuda Land Assistant General Manager of Facilities Management, and two of our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) – Puganesan Thiruselvan, Gamuda Engineering Head of Renewable Energy and Power System, and Faris Bin Mohd Yusof, Gamuda Engineering Assistant Manager of Renewable Energy.
According to Puganesan and Faris, the Government has always encouraged TNB consumers to install a solar PV system to hedge against the rising cost of electricity. Apart from enjoying energy bill savings, generating energy via a self-owned solar PV system will reduce our dependency on the electricity gridline, which is currently 42% generated by environmentally harmful coal fired plants.
The SELCO model was chosen based on the available space on the premise rooftop which allows a maximum of 1,192kwp installation size to offset 15% of energy consumption. It does not allow any excess to flow into the utility network but useful for properties with constant usage of electricity such as shopping malls.
There are three categories of programme under NEM 3.0 differentiated by consumer premises and quota allocation.
*For Gamudians who are interested in installing or retrofitting solar PV on their rooftop, check out NEM Rakyat that is designed for domestic consumers to install solar PV systems in their homes or residences. Any excess energy produced through the solar PV systems will be exported to the electricity grid through a “one-on-one” offset basis for a term of ten years. Visit the SEDA website at https://www.seda.gov.my/reportal/nem/ for more information.
Solar PV installation took over three months
Bird eye view of the solar PV panels at Quayside Mall