Brunei to experiment with harnessing solar power

TROPICAL Brunei Darussalam will soon tap into another energy source that exists all year round in the oil-rich state: solar power.

Yesterday, the government through the Energy Division signed a deal with Japanese trading giant Mitsubishi Corporation to undertake a three-year experiment on harnessing solar energy.

Called the Tenaga Suria Brunei (TBS), the 1.2 MW photovoltaic (PV) demonstration project, likely to be the largest in Asean, is slated to start in 2010.

Seria has been chosen as the test site, with the PV system to be installed at the town's power station and connected to the existing electricity grid.

The project will essentially put to test different PV modules to find which ones are suited to Brunei's tropical climate conditions. Mitsubishi Corporation, which is funding the venture as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, will also undertake training activities for locals and other capacity building efforts.

Hj Ismail Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Setia Dato Paduka Hj Hashim, who spoke prior to the signing, said that besides providing jobs and developing local expertise in the field of solar energy, TBS can also help the nation diversify its economy.

The deputy permanent secretary of energy at the Prime Minister's Office added that the project will help Brunei contribute a small percentage towards the Asean target of generation 10 per cent of the region's electricity from renewable sources.

While harnessing solar power remains a daunting task due to the high costs of the PV panels and their ineffectiveness on cloudy days, he stressed the need for it given rising energy prices and climate change concerns.

Hj Ismail signed the agreement on behalf of Brunei, witnessed by Hj Adili Hj Mahmud, head of the Energy Division, while Mitsubishi Corporation was represented by its top officials, Jun Yanai and Tetsuro Kuwabara.

The signing was also witnessed by Energy Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar and Koichi Komatsu, an Executive Vice President from Mitsubishi Corporation.

This is not the first collaboration between Brunei and Mitsubishi Corporation. The latter had also worked with the Sultanate to establish the Brunei Liquified Natural Gas plant in 1972.

According to Yanai, besides the BLNG project, the company has also worked with Brunei in promoting the Sultanate's diversification efforts and sustainable development, including establishing livestock technology and hydrophonics agriculture through the McFarm venture.The Brunei Times

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