PENANG, Tuesday, 23.3.2021 – A solar power system at Bukit Dumbar has generated electricity bill savings averaging RM22,811.00 per month for Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) over a 6-month period. Following the commissioning of the system on 31.7.2020, PBAPP’s electricity costs dropped by RM136,868.00 for the period August 2020 – January 2021, as compared to February 2020 – July 2020. The projected cost savings for a full year is RM273,732.00. This 1.5 MWp (megawatt peak) solar power system was installed by a Penang-based company, PSB Energy Sdn Bhd (PSB), at no cost to PBAPP.
Instead of paying for the system, PBAPP signed an agreement with PSB to pay a solar tariff of RM0.305/kWh for a tenure of 25 years. This solar tariff is lower than the commercial tariff billed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). PSB is also responsible for the maintenance of the system during the entire tenure of the agreement. An online monitoring system has been installed on-site to monitor the performance of the system. To capture solar energy, a total of 4,586 photovoltaic solar panels have been installed atop the enclosed Bukit Dumbar R2 and R3 reservoirs. These panels convert the solar energy into electricity that is fed to an on-site 415V/11kV step-up power transformer.
Following the step-up process, the electricity is distributed into a power supply system for use by the Bukit Dumbar 1 and Bukit Dumbar 2 Pumping Stations. In this manner, the electricity generated from harnessing solar energy at the Bukit Dumbar Reservoir and Pumping Station Compound is consumed within the compound for treated water pumping operations 24/7. Please note that the yield from the solar power system is insufficient to power all the energy-intensive 24/7 water supply pumping operations in the compound. As such, PBAPP was still drawing an average of 864,197 kWh per month directly from TNB’s power grid for use in Bukit Dumbar during the period August 2020 – January 2021. Nevertheless, following the success of this pioneer green energy venture at Bukit Dumbar, PBAPP is looking at options to install similar solar power systems at its other facilities in Penang to generate more cost savings.
