NIBONG TEBAL, 4 April 2022 – The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Engineering Campus will continue with the installation project of the second phase of the Solar PV System by Request for Proposal (RFP) under the Net Energy Metering Scheme (NEM 3.0).

The information was relayed by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato' Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan during the signing ceremony on the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between USM and Sunway Engineering Sdn. Bhd. at the campus today.

“This project can be seen as part of the national agenda to become a carbon-neutral country in the future, as the installation of this solar system is expected to be able to reduce the rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) pollution by up to 97,000 metric tons for the next 25 years at the USM Engineering Campus,” he said.

“As USM is well-known for its sustainability agenda, this is our move towards advocating a commitment in areas of environmental, social and governance (ESG), as it shows how this university is walking the talk, we are pushing our words into realisation by implementing it,” said Faisal Rafiq, who added that, it involves zero financial outlay from the University.

“In addition, the alternative energy consumption, such as solar energy in government buildings, especially in Public Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA) today is still low.

“Therefore, the use of solar energy in generating more sustainable electricity through the installation of a PV solar system at the USM Engineering Campus with a maximum capacity of 4.3 MWp (Mega Watt Peak) together with the development of technology and the location of our country that receives a regular amount of sunlight (solar energy) are the advantages that USM must take,” he added.

Meanwhile, Group Deputy Managing Director of Sunway Constructions Sdn. Bhd., Richard Wong Kwan Song in his speech said that there will be a total of 8,917 solar panels to be deployed and installed at the USM Engineering Campus Building at Nibong Tebal, Penang.

“The power systems are expected to reach commercial operation by the end of Q1 2023.

“The solar arrays will generate more than 6.2 million kWh of energy in the first year and the installation is expected to offset 97,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years – the equivalent of taking more than 21,000 cars off the road or preserving over 119,000 acres of forests,” said Richard.

“Like USM, we also hope that this initiative will showcase how the university can lead by example in mitigating climate change and to inspire students, the surrounding communities and other corporations to join along in the journey towards achieving net zero carbon emissions,” he added.

Also present were Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability and Institutional Development), Professor Dr. Md Roslan Hashim; Director of Engineering Campus, Professor Dr. Nor Azazi Zakaria; General Manager of Sunway Constructions Sdn. Bhd., Tan Eng Koon and Senior Manager of Sunway Constructions Sdn. Bhd., Rodney Wong Chin Siu.

Teks: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Foto: Muhammad Taufik Abdul Rahman