KUCHING: Sarawak has received a RM10 billion investment in a move that will see the state boosting both its energy and food security.
China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) committed the funding and investment to build the first sustainable animal feed economics (SAFE) Agrovoltaic farm for in Sarawak.
CMEC and Planet QEOS in a joint statement said the project will be co-developed across 1,200 hectares in Baram and will be completed within 24 months. Where can i get a 1000 loan today.
On Friday (Feb 2), Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was briefed by the two companies on the investment and development of a privately funded, technologically advanced 1,000-Megawatt hour (MWh) solar plant integrated with SAFE in Baram.
They said the patent applied technology powering the SAFE Agrovoltaic farm, enables the energy farm to generate annually 1430 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy, 170,000 million tonnes of carbon neutral animal feed, and 25 million carbon neutral broiler chickens, at fixed, predetermined and sustainable prices for 30 years.
“This novel concept will ensure that Sarawak markets will have access to both sustainable energy and poultry prices for decades to come,” they said.
SAFE Agrovoltaic will enable grid scale (grid connected) 24-hour energy supply operations, allowing solar powered energy to now play a competitive role as a major and stable energy source.
The farm will have the biggest energy storage complex in the world at up to 2000 MWh capacity.
They also said the implementation of the Agrovoltaic project will allow green solar energy to directly substitute for energy generated by natural gas power plants, resulting in greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction of 640,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year or equivalent to removing the emission from 140,000 road vehicles.
“Baram alone has more than 200,000 MW capacity of solar energy potentials spread over more than 10,000 square kilometres of agricultural land.
“According to 20 years of continuous data compiled by SOLARGIS, a database funded and provided by the World Bank Group, Baram, Sarawak solar irradiance is among the best in Malaysia and the region, receiving 4.8 to 5.2 kWh/m2 global horizontal irradiance (GHI) per day average,” they said.
They added the SAFE Agrovoltaic technology and resulting investment committed by CMEC were the brainchild of three local tech entrepreneurs including two Sarawakians Dino Bidari, Gabriel Walter and Lam Poh Lian.
“The SAFE Agrovoltaic project can also immediately scale up to 2400 MWp which can generate power equivalent to a 400 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plant (CCGT) but at a much lower long term energy cost and the reduction of GHG by 1.54 million mtCO2e per year,” it said.
Once completed, the project is expected to create 1,200 new jobs, including 250 highly skilled engineering jobs in renewable energy, production, agriculture and veterinary, while supporting thousands of local farmers and agro-entrepreneur businesses in Baram.
