K.sopian (BIPV in Malaysia)-p

40

1. Introduction

Photovoltaic technologies have significant long termpotential to provide sustainable energy for the world’s needs.Photovoltaic are silent, clean in operation, highly reliable,low maintenance, and extremely robust, with expected lifeti-me of at least 20 or 30 years. They are also very modular, andcan be adapted for many locations or easily extended. Solarelectricity can also displace fossil fuel use with many envi-ronmental benefits. The energy involved in the manufactureof the panels can be quickly overtaken by the energy produ-ced by the photovoltaic panels. One of the most attractiveapplications is the use of photovoltaic on buildings, com-monly known as Building Integrated Photovoltaic or BIPV [1].Photovoltaic has huge potential in this sector, offering seve-ral advantages. When integrated into the fabric of a building,

it can displace other material and replacing conventionallybuilding material, thus saving some costs. A variety of rooftiles and sheet materials are also on the market, and there arepurpose-designed mounting and integration systems toimprove appearance and weather proofing as well as makingthe installation process easier. Building IntegratedPhotovoltaic needs no extra land, and it generates at the pointof use, thus reducing transmission losses. If used for domes-tic electricity supply, it displaces purchase electricity, andexports the surplus to the grid.

Net metering is an important issue in building integratedphotovoltaic application. The owner of a grid-connected PVsystem can, not only buy, but can also sell, electricity. This isbecause electricity generated by the PV system can be usedon site or fed through a meter into the utility grid. When a

Abstract

Building IntegratedPhotovoltaic or BIPV is

an application where solarPV modules are integratedinto the building structures.The integration could bemade by either installing thePV modules on top of exis-ting structures or by usingthe PV modules as part of thebuilding materials. PVmodules could also be usedas building elements(facades, roofs, walls, glass),and as non-building ele-ments (sunscreen, sunshade).BIPV application will resultin the production of qualityelectricity very close to thedemand points. This willdirectly improve energy effi-ciency and reduce electricaldistribution losses. The pre-sent installed capacity ofBIPV in Malaysia is 400kWp. A photovoltaic installation in Malaysia would yieldaround 1100 kWh/kWp per year. The potential of BIPV in theresidential, commercial and industrial sector is estimated tobe 11,000 MWp or 11 GWp which could provide more than 12TWh solar energy covering 20% of the national energy

demand. However, the cost ofBIPV is still expensive andlong term strategies have tobe adopted for Malaysia toreduce the cost of BIPVnamely (a) Establishment ofBIPV Information Services,Awareness and CapacityBuilding Programs (b)Development of BIPVMarket Enhancement andInfrastructure Development(c) Improvement of Policyand Financial FrameworksSupportive for BIPV MarketSustainability and (d)Establishment of competitivelocal BIPV manufacturingindustries and R&D. Theoutcome of these strategieswill strengthen the industry,consumers and policy/deci-sion makers. These will ensu-re the increase of BIPV ins-talled capacity by 300% inthe year 2010; thus, the long-

term cost reduction of the technology via the increase indemand, economies of scale and competitive local manufac-turing.

Keywords : BIPV potential, energy yield estimates, strategiesfor BIPV development.

Building IntegratedPhotovoltaic (BIPV) in

Malaysia – Potential, CurrentStatus Strategies For Long

Term Cost Reduction

K.Sopian1, A.H. Haris2, D. Rouss3

and M.A.Yusof4

1 Department of Mechanical and MaterialEngineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 Bangi Selangor - Malaysia2 TNB Research Sdn Bhd

No. 1 Lorong Ayer Hitam, Kawasan InstitusiPenyelidekan

4300 Kajang, Selangor - Malaysia3 Enecolo Ltd, Lindhofstrasse 521 I CH 8617

Monchaltorf I - Switzerland4 Mensilin Holdings Sdn Bhd

Petaling Jaya, Selangor - Malaysia

V o l u m e 1 - M a y 2 0 0 5 ( 4 0 - 4 4 )

41

K.Sopian, A.H. Haris, D. Rouss and M.A.Yusof /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (40-44)

home or business requires more electricity than the PV arrayis generating (for example, in the evening), the need is auto-matically met by power from the utility grid. When the homeor business requires less electricity than the PV array is gene-rating, the excess is fed (or sold) back to the utility. Used thisway, the utility backs up the PV like batteries do in stand-alone systems thus eliminating the need for a battery bankthat adds to the cost of the system. At the end of the month, acredit for electricity sold gets deducted from charges for elec-tricity purchased.

Unlike pioneering nations such as Germany or Japan,Malaysia need only to adapt and improve international fin-dings, develop appropriate framework to facilitate and encou-rage the BIPV business chain development. This remainderof this paper is organized a follows, (a) solar radiation avai-lability in Malaysia (b) potential for BIPV (c) current statusin the application of BIPV and (d) strategies for the long termcost reduction of BIPV in Malaysia.

SOLAR RADIATION IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia lies entirely in the equatorial region. The clima-te is governed by the regime of the north-east and south-westmonsoons which blows alternatively during the course of theyear. The north-east monsoon blows from approximatelyOctober until March, and the south-west monsoon betweenMay and September. The period of change between the twomonsoons is being marked by heavy rainfall. The period ofthe south-west monsoon is a drier period for the Peninsulasince it is sheltered by the landmass of Sumatra. In general,Sabah and Sarawak receive a greater amount of rainfall thanthe Peninsula. Hence, heavy rainfall, constantly high tempe-rature and relative humidity characterize the Malaysian cli-mate. Much of the precipitation occurs as thunderstorms andthe normal pattern is one ofheavy falls within a short per-iod. Generally, chances of rainfalling in the afternoon or earlyevening are high comparedwith that in the morning. Thecountry experiences more than170 rainy days; however, anarea may have a greater num-ber of rainy days and yet recei-ve a lesser amount of rain in ayear than another area withsmaller number of rainy daysbut receiving its rain in heavyspells. Ambient temperatureremains uniformly high overthe country throughout theyear. Average ambient tempe-ratures are between 26.0 to32.0 ∞C. Most locations havea relative humidity of 80 –88%, rising to nearly 90 % inthe highland areas, and neverfalling below 60%.

The monthly average daily solar radiation in Malaysia is4000 - 5000 Whr/m2, with the monthly average daily sunshi-ne duration ranging from 4 hr to 8 hr [2]. Chuah and Lim(1981) have performed statistical analysis of solar radiationdata for three cities namely Kuala Lumpur, Penang and KotaBaru [3]. The analysis shows that days with low radiationoccur scarcely in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Of these two,days with high solar radiation occur more frequently inPenang than in Kuala Lumpur. However, Kota Baru expe-riences a larger variability of total radiation, extremely lowsolar radiation for long periods occur during the north-eastmonsoon season, while high radiation for long periods occurduring the south-west monsoon.

Estimates for the urban areas are important for buildingintegrated photovoltaic applications, It can be seen, that theregion Klang valley (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Seremban)has the lowest irradiance value. Around Penang(Georgetown, north-west coast) and Kota Kinabalu were thehighest values. Figure 1 shows the annual average daily glo-bal solar irradiation for Malaysia.

POTENTIAL OF BIPV

Ideally, the orientation of a photovoltaic panel must facesouth towards the equator, but Malaysia being close to theequator offers an advantage for innovative architectural ecs-tatic and sensible design with varieties of building orienta-tions and shading considerations. Table 1 shows the estimatesfor the annual energy yield from photovoltaic installationslocated at the various locations. A solar photovoltaic installa-tion in Malaysia would produce energy of about 900 – 1400kWh/kWp per year depending on the locations. Areas locatedat the northern and middle part of the Peninsula and the coas-tal part of Sabah and Sarawak would yield higher performan-

Figure 1 Estimates of the Annual Average Daily Global Solar Irradiation

42

ce. An installation in Kuala Lumpur would yieldaround 1100 kWh/kWp per year (Alamsyah et al,2004).

The potential of BIPV in the residential,commercial and industrial sector is huge. For theresidential sector, approximately 2,500,000 hou-seholds are suitable for BIPV. Some houses haveobstacles on its roof, which makes PV not sui-ting. A rough building evaluation assumes about1/5 are not suitable due to architectural constrains. A typicalroof surface of a household, bungalow is approximately 10m2. In addition, about 5 % of the total residential consumersare flats or apartments that are not suitable for BIPV.

Most commercial business is located in urban areas and apotential for PV application. Approximately 45,000 buildingcan be considered for BIPV. About 10% of these building arenot suitable for BIPV due to shading or obstacles on the roof.Shopping mall and a business park can be assumed to have1000 m2 available for BIPV.

The industry sector is usually bordering the urban centers.They offer large roof areas (mainly flat roof) averaging 2000m2. Again 10% of the buildings are not suitable because ofinfluencing factors (shading, construction not able to carryadditional weight).

Hence, the total available surface for BIPV is110,000,000 m2 (Residential = 2.5 x 106 x 10 m2, Commercial= 4.0 x104 x 1000 m2 and Industry = 2.1 x 104 x 2000 m2).Considering only the lower value of 1 kWp for every squaremeter of available building roof surfaces in these sectors, thepotential is around 11,000 MWp or 11 GWp which couldprovide more than 12 TWh solar energy. Today this wouldcover 20% of the national energy demand. At today’s pricesof RM25,000/KWp (or RM25 million/MW) the total BIPVpotential of 11GWp presents a total business potential of RM265 billion.

CURRENT STATUS ON BIPV

Despite the abundant resource, solar PV applications inMalaysia are limited to mainly stand-alone PV systems, espe-cially for rural electrification where the technology costs arehighly subsidized. Other minor applications being promotedinclude, telecommunication, street and garden lighting andrecently for powering parking ticket dispensing machines.

The recent energy efficiency (EE) initiative by theMinistry of Energy Communications and MultimediaMalaysia (MECM) is to showcase an example of a low ener-gy office. Hence, the new MECM building in Putrajaya, orsimply known as MECM LEO building (currently underconstruction), would be the most energy efficient building inMalaysia, with the aim to achieve less than 100 kWh/m2/yearof building energy consumption. This initiative also brings inexpertise and transfer of knowledge from Denmark (throughDANIDA support). The outcome of the initiative is expectedto further pave the way towards efficient energy utilization inbuildings and towards sustainable building development.Among others, it would also provide a possible opportunityto introduce zero energy-building concepts through integra-tion of solar PV into the building envelopes.

Today, there are more than 400kWp of BIPVs installed inPeninsular Malaysia. These installations are mainly fundedby the Malaysia Electricity Supply Industry Trust Account(MESITA) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (local utility), or bythe grant from Intensified Research in Priority Areas (IRPA).Some of these pilot grid connected systems are have photo-voltaic integrated into the building structure. The pilot gridconnected systems have be installed including the 3.5 kWrooftop of College of Engineering, Universiti TenagaNasional (UNITEN), the 6.4 kW ground based at the SolarEnergy Research Park, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia(UKM), the 5 kW Solar Hydrogen Eco-House, UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 15 kW installation at theInternational Islamic University (UIA), and the 8kWp BPpetrol station along the KESAS highway. The BP petrol sta-tion was officiated by Her Majesty the Queen of Englandduring Her royal visit to Malaysia for the Commonwealthgame. NLCC Architects Sdn Bhd of Malaysia andFraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy of Germany haveconstructed a 3.19 kW BIPV project in SIRIM. Ministry of

Science, Technology and the Environment ofMalaysia through the Industrial Grant Scheme fundedthe project. The Prototype Solar House has 3 PVsystems integrated into 3 different roofs(Monocrystalline module – 1.05 kW, Amorphous sili-con PV module / thin film –1.02kW, andPolycrystalline module – 1.12 kW). The installationis a typical size for PV installations on private livinghouses (single family houses). It can produce a signi-ficant share of the overall energy consumption in thehousehold and fits in the typical roof area of suchhouses. Innovative mounting strategies have alsobeen incorporated in the project. The PV modules and

Penang

1286

KotaKinabalu

1369

Ipoh

1253

KualaTrengganu

1235

JohoreBaru

1171

Kuching

1157

KualaLumpur

1132

Bandar BaruBangi

1072

KotaBaru

1229

Kuantan

1154

Locations

Energy yield

Locations

Energy yield

1995

3,441,169

524,224

14,174

1996

3,580,874

576,982

14,669

1997

3,657,781

644,509

16,655

1998

3,909,911

718,232

18,689

1999

4,092,106

764,480

20,584

2000

4,186,799

792,887

21,235

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Table 1 Estimates of Annual Energy Yield for Various Locationsin Malaysia (kWh/kWp)

Table 2 Number of Electricity Consumers in Malaysia


43


inverters used were imported from various parts of the world.The system performances indicated that some of the pilot PVsystems are capable to produce electricity of about 1,200kWh/kWp annually. The Technology Park Malaysia (TPM)runs a 362 kW system at Bukit Jalil. It comprises of 4824fixed mounted roof modules. The system is coupled with aUPS battery bank and a generator backup. The PV installa-tion at TPM is claimed to be the biggest in Asia Pacificregion. It also demonstrated Malaysian capability to handleand manage large PV installations. Other BIPV installationscould be found at SIRIM Berhad, TNBR’s nursery, universi-ties, and a private school. Figure 2 shows example of theexisting BIPV projects in Malaysia.

Presently, the cost of the BIPV installation is high.However, the total cost of a BIPV system is constantlydecreasing. Within four years, the costs of the BIPV systemshave reduced by almost 60%. However, the main cost of theBIPV system is still the solar PV module. In comparison toPV system in other parts of the world, the cost in Malaysia is

still relatively high as shown in Figure 3 [4].This is becausethe product is still very new and there is no local marketdemand for it. Furthermore, the local components and ser-vices tend to be overpriced. Additionally, the main compo-nents such as the PV module and the inverter are still impor-ted.

STRATEGIES FOR THE LONG TERM COSTREDUCTION OF BIPV

The widespread application of this technology can beenhanced if the long term cost of BIPV technology within theMalaysian market is reduce, which could subsequently, passon to its neighbouring and global markets. Hence, severalstrategies have to be employed for the long term cost reduc-tion of BIPV namely (a) Establishment of BIPV InformationServices, Awareness and Capacity Building Programs (b)Development of BIPV Market Enhancement andInfrastructure Development (c) Improvement of Policy andFinancial Frameworks Supportive for BIPV MarketSustainability and (d) Establishment of competitive localBIPV manufacturing industries and R&D. Moreover, thesestrategies should be addressed in an integrated manner.

BIPV Information Services, Awareness and CapacityBuilding Programs will enhance the level of understandingand awareness in an extensive education campaign and capa-city building program. The level of awareness for the publicin general and especially policy makers will be raised to thepoint that they understand the technology, are aware of itstrue benefits and ecological significances, understand thepurpose and appreciate the functions of the technology.Policy makers shall further appreciate the possibilities for themarket and the industry and are able to introduce suitablepolicy, regulatory initiatives and special electricity tariff forgrid interconnection. Activities such as establishing informa-tion services, seminars, workshops and capacity building pro-gram will improve the level of competency and quality ofwork of the service providers, architects, engineers and deve-lopers. In addition, establishment of the information resourcecentre, database and website will provide the end users therequired information for installing BIPV technologies.

BIPV Market Enhancement and InfrastructureDevelopment will addressed the technical feasibility and eco-nomic viability of BIPV technology via implementation of anumber of demonstration projects. These projects will furtherprovide a wider level of acceptance and better understandingof the technology and its benefits. The demonstration projectswill also pave the way for providing first hand experiencesfor improvements in the training and skills of the stakehol-ders as well as increased efforts in R&D activities. Thedemonstration projects (500 kWp) and a national kick-offroof-top program (>1 MWp) similar to many programsimplemented in Japan and Germany will provide adequateknowledge and experience to architects, engineers, projectdevelopers, policy makers and other stakeholders forMalaysia’s future sustainable implementation of subsequentfollow-up program. Relevant standards must be updated andnew guidelines must be drafted providing technical assistan-

Source: UKM &Arkitek Urbanisma

Source: TPM & PJI Holdings

Source: NLCC Architect& SIRIM Bhd

Source: TNBR

Figure 2 Examples of BIPV Applications in Malaysia

Figure 3 BIPV cost comparison per kWp (IEA-PVPS)


44

ce to the industry.

BIPV Policies and Financing Mechanisms Programwill involve activities intended to enhance the capacity ofpolicy makers in coming up with appropriate, proactive andintegrated plans and policies that will facilitate the develop-ment of a conducive business environment for BIPV and thusenhancing further cost reduction of the technology. Based onvarious targeted research activities, a compilation of policy,legal, institutional, financial and fiscal measures will be pro-posed to the government of Malaysia. These frameworks willenable the formulation of a national BIPV target in the 10thMalaysian Plan (10MP) (2010-2015), supported with suitableand customized mechanisms for the local condition.

Industry and R&D Enhancement Program will syste-matically strengthen and organize the human resource capa-city in R&D and manufacturing. Partnership and/or joint ven-tures with international companies will upgrade local compa-nies, R&D institutions and the technical infrastructure for tes-ting and certification facilities will be established to ensureonly high quality commercial BIPV products for the local andinternational market.

These strategies are instrumental in the successful anyfuture national BIPV program. The outcome of these strate-gies will strengthen the industry, consumers and policy/deci-sion makers. These will ensure the increase of BIPV installedcapacity and the long-term cost reduction of the technologyvia the increase in demand, economies of scale and competi-

tive local manufacturing. Therefore, the cost of BIPV sys-tems and components for an installation in Malaysia will

decrease as shown in Figure 4.

The cost of photovoltaic have fallen dramatically, and fur-ther reductions, down to a quarter of today’s level, are confi-dently predicted, even without a major technological break-through. A high proportion of the total cost is still associa-ted with the lack of awareness and experience of photovoltaicin the building industry, limited planning guidance and mete-ring arrangements [5 , 6].

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008

RM

/Wp

EuropeUSAMalaysia

6. Conclusions

Photovoltaic has huge potential, offering several advantages. When integrated into the fabric of a building, it can displa-ce other material and replacing conventionally building material, thus saving some costs. A variety of roof tiles and sheetmaterials are also on the market, and there are purpose-designed mounting and integration systems to improve appearanceand weather proofing as well as making the installation process easier. Building Integrated Photovoltaic needs no extra land,and it generates at the point of use, thus reducing transmission losses. If used for domestic electricity supply, it displaces pur-chase electricity, and exports the surplus to the grid. There are over 400 kWp of BIPV installation in Malaysia. The potentialof BIPV in the residential, commercial and industrial sector is estimated to be 11,000 MWp or 11 GWp which could provi-de more than 12 TWh solar energy covering 20% of the national energy demand.

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications are among the cost-effective solar energy applications in manydeveloped countries. In Malaysia, however, BIPV technology has been left out as a viable RE application alternative due toits high cost. Several strategies must be adopted to reduce the cost as well as increase penetration of BIPV into the energymarkets. The strategies will induce an increase of BIPV application to about 300% by 2010. Hence, the overall capacity(technical, policy, planning, institutional, financial) both in government and the private sector, to develop, design and makeuse of the energy potential of BIPV and to manufacture local products is significantly improved.

References[1] Claus, J. 2003, Solar Architecture - Forerunners of the Solar City, Sun &

Wind Energy, BVA Bielefelder Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Vol. 1. pp 16 – 23

[2] Sopian K. and Othman M.Y., 1992. Estimates of Monthly Average DailyGlobal Solar Radiation in Malaysia. Renewable Energy, Vol 2(3). pp 319-325

[3] D.G.S. Chuah and S. L. Lee, 1981. Solar Radiation Estimate in Malaysia,Solar Energy 26, 33 – 40

[4] Hadri, A.H., 2002, Final Report for a Pilot Project to Study the Performanceof Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System in Malaysia, TNB ResearchSdn Bhd

[5] IEA-PVPS, 2002, Trends in Photovoltaic Applications in Selected IEACountries between 1992 and 2001, Task 1 Report IEA-PVPS T1-11:2002.

[6] IEA-PVPS, 2001, Operational Performance, Reliability & Promotion ofPhotovoltaic Systems, Task 2 Report IEA-PVPS T2-02:2002.

Figure 4 Present and Predicted Cost Comparisons of BIPVin Malaysia, Europe and United States

Documents

K.sopian (BIPV in Malaysia)-p