Solar Flare or Storm???

Do anyone come across  Discovery documentary about solar storm. Solar also can be damaging as well. For those did not watch yet, attached below for your view. Muslims we should aways prepare for our next world journey..

From NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News012312-M8.7.html

M8.7 Solar Flare and Earth Directed CME

01.25.12

UPDATE 01.25.12: The geomagnetic storm on the night of January 24-25 produced brilliant aurora at high latitudes as seen in this image from Sweden.


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Image Courtesy of Peter Rosén.

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UPDATE 01.24.12: The coronal mass ejection CME collided with Earth's magnetic field a little after 10 AM ET on January 24, 2012. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has categorized the resulting storm as "strong" -- or S3 (with S5 being the highest) -- storm. Solar radiation storms can affect satellite operations and short wave radio propagation, but cannot harm humans on Earth. Auroras may well be visible tonight at higher latitudes such as Michigan and Maine in the U.S., and perhaps even lower.

GE and Sabah firm said to be close to RM750mil geothermal plant deal

More news on greener energy... so what is your corporation move for corporate sosial responsibility (CSR)? Many just talk only... no action...

Thestar: Friday March 23, 2012

By YAP LENG KUEN
lengkuen@thestar.com.my

3 in green energy talks 1MDB
PETALING JAYA: 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and General Electric (GE) are among three companies currently in talks to develop the country's first geothermal plant in Apas, Tawau.
The third company in the venture, tagged at between RM750mil and RM800mil, is a Sabah-based green energy company which has inked a power purchase agreement with Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.
Sources familiar with the project told StarBiz that the companies were in the final stage of negotiations and expected to reach a joint agreement soon, possibly end of the month.
The renewable energy plant, when fully completed, can generate a total capacity of 67MW, supplying electricity to Tawau's population of 398,000.
The emission-free geothermal plant will tap natural hot fluids from the ground for steam production to drive the steam turbine generator; it will generate 36MW under phase one and an additional 31MW under phase two.
When contacted, a 1MDB spokesperson said the company did not comment on speculation.
Following 1MDB's recent acquisition of Tanjong Energy Holdings Sdn Bhd, CEO Shahrol Halmi had said it “signals the first step towards fulfilling the shareholder's aspiration for a more holistic eco-system to drive long-term energy security”.
According to the sources, GE will provide technical know-how, global expertise, equipment and technology.
GE is currently involved in Indonesia's biggest geothermal power plant, the Wayang Windu power plant, which taps into naturally occurring underground pockets of steam and hot water with wells as deep as three km.
In March 2011, Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup revealed that studies regarding the electricity generation potential of up to 67MW from geothermal resources discovered at a geothermal site in Apas had been completed.
Although a study by the Mineral and Geosciences Department was not a detailed one, the technical aspects indicated that the geothermal site in Apas had the potential to generate enough electricity to cater for the needs of the Tawau people.
The study also found a reservoir about 2,000m to 3,000m below the earth's surface with water at temperatures of 220-236 degrees Celsius. This heat was more than sufficient to generate electricity, Kurup had said after visiting the site.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said: “Malaysia's embracing of green technology is not only to conserve and preserve its resources, but is also envisaged to act as a new economic impetus for the country.”
The Prime Minister said the renewable energy target under the 10th Malaysia Plan was 5.5% of the total capacity mix in 2015 or 985MW of generating capacity, from less than 1% previously.

Time frame set for renewable energy to impact electricity supply

thestar: Monday March 19, 2012


Time frame set for renewable energy to impact electricity supply

By YAP LENG KUEN

lengkuen@thestar.com.my





PUTRAJAYA: A three-year time frame is being set for renewable energy (RE) activities to kick off with expected higher funding and quotas.



“We are now at the stage of looking at this preliminary period in the implementation process,” Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin told StarBiz.



“We would like to see a higher level of RE being generated in the future. But it is better to be more cautious and look at what this preliminary process is like in our implementation and the administration process by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA Malaysia). We have to learn from this preliminary phase before we proceed in a more aggressive manner.





We are looking at about three years to see how this RE is performing especially with solar energy. — Datuk Seri Peter Chin

“We are looking at about three years to see how this RE is performing especially with solar energy for which the cost of solar production is getting lower and lower.”



On the progress of the RE sector, Chin said: “We are restricted by the amount in the kitty called the RE Fund for which we can only collect 1% from each account holder of Tenaga Nasional Bhd. Therefore, the quota that is being created to implement this feed-in tariff has to be rather small.



“Because of that, it will take time for RE to really take effect in terms of the impact that it can create on the total electricity supply.



“If the fund is higher, the quota can be increased and more RE can be generated. That will be good for the country in terms of emission of carbon and the fact that RE is considered a cleaner source of energy.”



Currently, 398 applicants have received the feed-in approvals. Out of these, 71 have signed the standardised renewable energy power purchase agreements (REPPAs).



FIT payments can only be made to those developers who have signed the REPPAs and implemented their projects successfully.



Industry players suggest there should be a liability imposed on those who have not implemented their projects as money is a scarce resource.



“In fact, they should be relieved of their allocation so that others can take their place. Deadlines should be set for implementation; under the REPPAs, there may be deadlines stipulated but who is actually monitoring all this?” asked an industry player.



SEDA Malaysia acts as a one-stop centre to facilitate interested parties in all matters related to RE; it is also working with relevant training institutes to set up a centre of excellence for each RE source.



In terms of research and development, SEDA Malaysia is working on an R&D roadmap for RE.



It has also been tasked to raise awareness on RE; one main awareness programme that has been planned is a sustainable energy conference

Govt considering inclusion of wind and thermal as renewable energy sources

thestar: Wednesday March 21, 2012


Govt considering inclusion of wind and thermal as renewable energy sources





PETALING JAYA: The Government is considering including wind and thermal in the country's renewable energy (RE) mix, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.



“Under Seda (Sustainable Energy Development Authority), we had only included solar, biomass, biogas, and hydro (to generate RE).



“So now we are looking into wind as well as thermal,” he said after witnessing the signing of a technology transfer agreement for the maglev turbine system between China-based Shenzhen Timar Scenery Energy Technology Co Ltd and Timar Wind Solar Energy Sdn Bhd.





Clean resources: (from left) Chin, Lee, Shenzhen Timar Scenery Energy chairman Lin Wen Qi and Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry senior secretary (energy sector) Badaruddin Mahyudin at the signing ceremony.

He added that the outlook for wind power was bright and wind power capacity was expected to achieve about 50,000MW this year.



In many parts of the world, Chin said, using wind for power generation was still a more cost effective option compared with solar.



With the commencement of the Renewable Energy Act 2011, feed-in-tariff system, and the setting up of Seda as the central authority for the RE industry, he said Malaysia's RE capacity was projected to reach 2,080MW by 2020, or some 11% of the total peak electricity demand.



Domestic RE generation could also prevent some 42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and create at least RM70bil in revenue from RE plants and over 50,000 jobs in the sector.



Meanwhile, Timar Wind Solar Energy chief executive officer Simon Lee said that for this year, the company would invest RM500mil in phase one of its energy production for both the local and South-East Asian markets. Its factory would begin operations this year.



Its factory would begin operations this year.

Wednesday March 14, 2012

IRM gets OK to set up solar station

PETALING JAYA: Plastics manufacturer IRM Group Bhd has been granted the feed-in approval by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) to install a solar power station with a maximum capacity of 5MW in Kangar, Perlis.
The company said in an announcement to Bursa Malaysia that the feed-in tariff was scheduled to commence from April 9, 2013 and to last 21 years while a power purchase agreement would also be signed with Seda and Tenaga Nasional Bhd.