Investment set for development of agrovoltaic farm in Baram
KUCHING: Sarawak markets will have access to both sustainable energy and poultry prices for decades to come once a privately-funded 1,000 MWh solar plant integrated with Sustainable Animal Feed Economics (SAFE) in Baram has reached completion.
It is informed that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was recently briefed on the investment for and development of this project by Planet QEOS and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).
“The Premier, whose persistent efforts on green energy are now recognised globally, has systematically sounded the clarion call to transform the economy of Sarawak into a green one with emphasis on green energy generation, modern sustainable agriculture and methodising the distribution of wealth to the population,” said Planet QEOS and CMEC in a joint statement.
The patent-applied technology powering the SAFE Agrovoltaic farm would enable the energy farm to generate annually 1,430 GWh of energy; 170,000 MT of carbon neutral animal feed; and 25 million carbon neutral broiler chickens at fixed, predetermined and sustainable prices for 30 years.
“Furthermore, the SAFE Agrovoltaic farm can also enable 24-hour, grid scale, day-andnight energy supply operations, allowing solar-powered energy to play a competitive role as a major and stable energy source. It will have the biggest energy storage complex in the world at up to 2,000 MWh capacity.
The implementation of this project will allow green solar energy to directly substitute energy generated by natural gas power plants, resulting in a reduction of Green House Gasses (GHG) by 640,000 mtCO2eq/year or equivalent to removing the emission from 140,000 road vehicles,” the statement said.
“Baram alone has more than 200,000 MW capacity of solar energy potentials spread over more than 10,000 square kilometres of agriculture land,” it added.
According to 20 years of continuous data compiled by Solargis, a database funded and provided by the World Bank Group, Baram’s solar irradiance is among the best in Sarawak and the region — receiving 4.8 to 5.2 KWh/m2 of global horizontal irradiance per day on average.
The SAFE Agrovoltaic would incorporate a major 100 Ha solar site integrated with high yield rice planting, a staple food for the population in this region, with new solar technology designs.
SAFE Agrovoltaic technology and the investment commitment by CMEC are the brainchild of three local tech entrepreneurs, including two Sarawakians, namely Dino Bidari, Gabriel Walter and Lam Poh Lian.
CMEC, which has a long history in Sarawak since it built the first coal-fired plant Sejingkat 1998, is now setting its sights on building this first SAFE Agrovoltaic for Sarawak by committing RM10 billion in financing and investment together with Planet QEOS.