Green initiatives part of DiGi business strategy

Thestar: Saturday April 10, 2010

By YVONNE TAN

yvonne@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: DiGi.Com Bhd is now practically synonymous with green initiatives.
This is hardly surprising, considering it has pumped in more than RM40mil in “green investments” since 2008 and plans to invest RM60mil more over the next few years.
“We’d like to think that we are among the largest ‘green investors’ in the country,” outgoing chief executive officer Johan Dennelind said in an interview with StarBizWeek.

Johan Dennelind ... ‘We are prepared to invest up to R M100mil.’

He said DiGi, the third largest mobile operator in the country, had its “wake-up call” in 2008 when it received an industry report which stated that the information and communications technology sector would basically grow emissions at double the pace of the aviation industry, commonly perceived to be a large carbon emitter itself – in two years.
“We said to ourselves, let’s use this as a wake-up call and take that message to our shareholders – so, that’s how it all started and this has become part of our business strategy now.
“We saw ourselves being a big culprit because in 2007, 2008, we were emitting something like 100,000 tonnes of carbon, and we thought to ourselves, if we didn’t do anything, it could very well increase by up to 70% in four to five years’ time and that was not acceptable,” said Dennelind.
There are only a few things people can do as individuals, according to him.
“We started out basically just trying to raise the awareness among employees at DiGi. We spent quite a lot of time trying to educate the employees – things like car pooling were encouraged.
“At DiGi, polystyrene is not used at the cafeteria while garbage bins have also been banned in the office,” Dennelind said.
Instead, DiGi’s sprawling campus-like headquarters in Shah Alam has waste separation areas, where employees have to “arrange” their waste which is then sent for recycling.
To cut down on the use of paper, DiGi asks its employees to log in or provide some form of identification before using paper, to track how much is being used by each employee.
“After all these (efforts), we looked at what we could do as a company to reduce our (carbon) footprint,” Dennelind said.
As part of its efforts to counter the problem, in 2008 DiGi launched its Deep Green Programme, which not only seeks to address energy efficiency within the company’s business, but also with related stakeholders.
Dennelind said DiGi’s goal was to slash its carbon emissions by 50% by 2012.
“Can we reach 50% in two years? Yes. Are we certain? No. Then again, the important thing really is not the number itself, it’s the initiatives and how we engage ourselves around them,” he said.
Does doing its part for Mother Nature help bring down the cost of doing business?
“To some extent it does because you save energy and hence reduce some cost but you also have to invest in the initiatives. We said that we were prepared to invest up to RM100mil and we have invested close to RM40mil since 2008 in green investments to enable us to achieve the 50% reduction,” said Dennelind.
Among the company’s green initiatives, DiGi recently organised the Challenge for Change competition which saw teams from eight local universities participating in a six-month programme to develop energy solutions.
It has also helped fund the micro-hydro system which uses “green technology” in the remote village of Kampung Lumpagas at the border of Sabah and Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Estimated to cost around RM160,000 and expected to be ready by mid-year, the micro-hydro system will generate up to 3kW of electricity for basic lighting.
The system is expected to gradually phase out the use of firewood, kerosene and diesel- and petrol-run generators – all culprits of global warming.

Foreign interest may return with clarity in tariff structure, says Tenaga

Written by The Edge Financial Daily

Tuesday, 30 March 2010 23:54  KUALA LUMPUR: TENAGA NASIONAL BHD [] believes that foreign interest "may come back" to the company once clarity is seen in terms of government policy on tariff structure. Its CEO Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohd Nor said foreign interest in Tenaga peaked at 28% but was now down to about 9%, with many investors exiting due to the lack of clarity in power tariff policy. "The announcement by the prime minister on the New Economic Model (NEM) that the subsidies will eventually be removed is a positive sign at providing more clarity to our industry," he told reporters on the sidelines of Invest Malaysia 2010 on Tuesday, March 30. Che Khalib said once there was clarity in relation to subsidy and tariff pass-through formula, Tenaga should be able to attract foreign interest. "The more transparent tariff pass-through formula and removal of subsidies have to come together, as people may question who will bear the cost once the subsidies are removed," he said. "Once the removal of the subsidy happens, the pass-through formula must be in place, if not, the industry players will have to absorb it," he added. Che Khalib was quick to add that Tenaga "is not in a position" to absorb the cost that would come with the removal of the subsidy. He said he did not know when the pass-through formula would be adopted or when the government would announce a tariff review. Nonetheless, he said the gas price in Malaysia was below the market price and would remain so even with a 10%-20% increase in tariffs. "It is still going to be below the market price. We eventually have to raise the gas price to the market price, which cannot be done overnight," he said. Che Khalib said the tariffs would have to reflect the increase in gas price, which may be raised gradually, perhaps over a period of more than five years. Meanwhile, Reuters cited Che Khalib as saying the utility giant would report a better profit in its second quarter ended Feb 28, 2010, after electricity demand bounced back strongly from a year ago. Tenaga saw a 13.8% increase in power demand in the second quarter from a contraction of 7.6% in the same period a year earlier. "Due to this, we think that we are going to far exceed our initial estimate of 3% demand growth for the full year," Che Khalib told Reuters in an interview at the Invest Malaysia conference. "My guess is that it (growth) could be 6%-7% for the full year," he said.

Call for telcos to invest in green technology

By Azlan Abu Bakar

:Business Times: Published: 2010/03/18

 

NOKIA Siemens Networks Malaysia said the government should take the lead and get telecommunication companies to equip their transmission towers with renewable power sources.

This is in line with the government's commitment to reduce the country's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 40 per cent by 2020.

"Alongside the government, we strongly believe the telecommunications industry is uniquely placed to drive this," said Nokia Siemens Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Rainer Althoff.

The biggest environmental impact in a telecommunications network is energy consumption, which typically accounts for around 80 per cent of the total energy consumed, and up to 30 per cent of overall energy cost.

This means that telcos that invest in energy efficient technologies are not only able to reduce CO2 emissions but also make higher profits with lower energy spending.

"A key move would be for the government to encourage new off-grid base stations deployed in Malaysia from 2011 be based on renewable energy sources versus fossil fuel," he said.

Althoff told this to reporters at Nokia Siemens EnergiSmart Eco-Adventure Day - Greening Malaysia's Telecommunications Industry event in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, on Tuesday.

At present, Malaysia has about 20,000 base stations nationwide, powered by diesel generators.

"If 5 per cent were to use renewable energy, it would be a good start," Althoff said, noting that it is important that the government comes up with a policy to "force" telco players to invest in green technology.

With the expectation that electricity costs will shoot up by around 55 per cent in the next five years, telcos must cut their reliance on non-renewable energy resources.

In recognition of this, Althoff said the company is committed to improve the efficiency of its base stations products by up to 40 per cent by 2012.

Nokia Siemens aims to use renewable energy like wind and solar power to be the first choice for all remote base station sites by next year.

"A low carbon economy not only benefits the environment, but also feasible and holds great potential for sustainable growth in all industries," he said.

Recently, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd announced it would invest up to RM100 million in its Deep Green programme to reduce CO2 emission by 50 per cent within four years.

Singapore's MobileOne also made a commitment to reduce its telecommunications network carbon print by 35 per cent by early 2011.

Electric Cars: Where to Plug In Away From Home?

From: Business Week

Plug-in electric vehicles have an edge over hydrogen-powered cars for a simple reason: The infrastructure to support them, the electric grid, is already in place. At night, you just connect the car to an outlet in your garage.
Unless of course, you don't have a garage. Now, Coulomb Technologies of Campbell, Calif., wants to provide service to city-dwellers and other drivers who lack handy access to an outlet for their cars. It's testing a subscription-based network in San Jose called ChargePoint, whose members use special key fobs to access outlets mounted on lamp posts, parking meters, or in parking lots. The power isn't free. Subscribers must register a credit card when they sign up for the service. Then, when they swipe the key fob, their usage is metered and charged to the card.
China is taking a different, top-down approach. It's starting to build a nationwide network of charging points to speed the adoption of electric vehicles. Electricité de France is working with carmakers on a similar idea.

—By David Kiley, Edited by Adam Aston

Research on oil palm biomass to be ready next march

Thestar: Monday March 22, 2010

TAWAU: The comprehensive research on viable renewable energy, using oil palm biomass and palm oil mill effluent, currently being undertaken by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, will be ready in a month, Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said.
"The research is on-going. We will have the findings within a month. The research covers all aspects including economic viability, problems faced by parties involved and the actual number of oil palm mills which can geneate biomass-based energy.
"I can truly say this is one industry which has a huge potential to generate 1,335 megawatts of energy if all the palm oil biomass produced in the country is maximised to the fullest," Dompok told reporters after officiating a conference of the East Malaysia Planters Association here on Monday.
The conference themed, "Sustainable Growth For People, Planet and Profit" is organised by EMPA and sponsored by Sabah Softwoods Sdn Bhd.
He said despite the industry's vast potential, exorbitant start-up cost and capital outlay could pose challenges.
"One major issue to overcome will be the distant location of palm oil mills from Tenaga Nasional (TNB) and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB)'s transmission line grids.
"Besides, the tariff offered by power purchasers in this country is 21 sen for per kw/hour, which is too low, while the industry needs to fetch between 29 sen and 30 sen for per kw/hour to remain profitable," Dompok added.
He said MPOB's research would also address this problem and the findings would be handed over to the government for further action as the issue of palm oil biomass renewable energy also involved other ministeries.
Dompok said palm oil mills nearer to TNB or SESB's transmission grid can take off first while mills located far away may take longer to take off.
"It has to be carried out in stages. We might need two phases to implement the activities," said Dompok, adding that the use of palm oil biomass as reneweable energy can solve the government's problem of ensuring adequate electricity supply in the country and Sabah.
"I wish to emphasise here that this is not the sole solution to the power supply problem in Sabah but it will complement the government's effort to overcome the shortage.
"What's more important is we will be able to clear palm oil estates (of the empty fruit bunches), and give a clean image to the industry.
Earlier, Dompok urged all 417 mills in the country to pursue the use of biomass and palm oil mill effluent in the production of renewal energy and organic fertiliser.
He said the goverment had allocated RM1.5 billion under the Green Technology Fund which can be utilised by mills to produce bio-energy.
"This fund provides loans with a two per cent subsidy from the government for producers and users of green technology. In addition, the government provides a 60 per cent guarantee on the loan," he added. - Bernama

Secondary water source vital in crisis

Thestar: Mar 20, 2010

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KUALA LUMPUR: Harvesting rainwater and using groundwater are two ways to alleviate shortages in times of drought, said the Council for Water and Green Technology Professionals.
“A secondary water source provides more security, especially in times of crisis,” said its secretary-general Mohmad Asari Daud at a roundtable discussion on “Clean Water for Our Future” on Thursday.
Currently, he said, only 1% of the country’s water supply is from groundwater while 99% is derived from surface water.
He said that in Malaysia the quality of groundwater was generally better than surface water.
“The storage of rainwater should be encouraged as it can be utilised for cleaning purposes and watering plants at home,” added Mohmad Asari.


World Water Day falls on Monday and in discussing ways to obtain clean and an undisrupted supply, Malaysian Water Partnership chairman Datuk Syed Muhammad Shahbudin emphasised the need for an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) system.
“There are 11 ministries as well as agencies and operators involved but they are not co-ordinated,” he said, adding that the IWRM system was not moving at the moment.
Other panellists at the discussion were Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association information secretary Zulkefli Muhammad and the Institute of Geology Malaysia’s hydro-geology expert Mohd Nazan Awang.
Malaysian Water Association immediate past president and Syarikat Air Terengganu’s former chief executive officer Datuk Wan Ngah Ali was the moderator.

Go green and save money

Thestar: :by CECILIA KOK | Mar 20, 2010

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cecilia_kok@thestar.com.my
The onus is on us to contribute to a greener and healthier environment. StarBizWeek looks at some of the ways we can adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
SCIENTISTS and environmentalists are pointing to the drastic climate change and weather-related natural disasters happening around the world to substantiate their claim that global warming is worsening and we urgently need to conserve our natural environment.
Just think about the extraordinary dry spells we have been having so frequently in Malaysia.
Herein lies the importance of a green reform. While most people will agree on its importance, many are just not practising an eco-friendly lifestyle.
The main barrier in going green is the wide perception that such a lifestyle is inconvenient and costly as most eco-friendly systems and products are expensive.
But at the household level, going green does not necessarily have to cost a bomb. Just a fundamental change to one’s lifestyle can go a long way. Most of the time, it helps us save money too. Lets look at some age-old tips to be eco-friendly in a purse-friendly way.
Reducing utility bills
For a start, one can conserve electricity and water to reduce utility bills.
Some basic steps include ensuring all electrical appliances are switched off when not in use (most appliances still consume electricity even when on standby mode), replacing conventional electrical items such as light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, and by not letting the tap run incessantly especially when brushing teeth, washing hands, rinsing dishes and cleaning fruits and vegetables.
Clean water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity nowadays, so recycle water whenever possible.
For instance, the water used for washing vegetables and clothes can be re-used to flush the toilet, among other things.
Harvesting rainwater for watering plants or outdoor-cleaning is also another wise option.
Think before you throw
It is always good to think twice before throwing anything away. By reducing waste, less will be going to the landfill.
For example, food waste can be used as fertiliser as it contains nutrients and minerals that can be easily absorbed by plants.
What’s more, by doing so one does not have to spend money to buy synthetic fertilisers anymore. Requesting for less packaging when shopping is also one way of doing more for the environment. One can use reusable bags instead of plastic bags when shopping for groceries.
And for those who shop in Selangor on Saturdays (which is observed as “No Plastic Bag Day”), one can avoid paying 20 sen for each plastic bag used.
To prevent having more trees being chopped down, one can start by consuming less paper.


Going paperless
Going paperless can help cut paper usage and ink. For instance, ATM receipts and emails do not have to be on hard copy unless absolutely necessary.
Whenever possible, one should try using both sides of the paper when printing documents.
Another way to recycle is to use the clean side of used paper or post-it notes. This way, one can save on stationery expenses.
Driving less is also eco-friendly too and helps reduce one’s petrol expenses. For those who may find this impractical, why not consider carpooling with a friend.
For short distances, walking is the most ecological mode of transportation and a healthy form of exercise.
Nevertheless, whichever eco-friendly mode of transport one opts for, it is always important to exercise vigilance in view of the rising crime rate in the country.
The list of eco-friendly tips that we have here is not exhaustive. There are certainly many other ways but the onus is on us to contribute to a greener and healthier environment.