Unimas hailed for accreditation to run solar photovoltaic system design course
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has become the first institution in Sarawak to receive accreditation to conduct solar photovoltaic system design course.
In announcing this, Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi also expressed hope that this recognition would not only encourage the development and usage of solar energy system in Sarawak, but would also address the lack of ‘competent persons’ (CPs) needed for the state’s energy sector.
Speaking at a press conference after witnessing the handing over of the accreditation letter from the ministry’s Electrical Inspectorate Unit (EIU) to Unimas’ Faculty of Engineering, Julaihi said Sarawak needed to produce as many CPs as possible to handle the installation of the electricity supply system.
According to him, at the moment there are 126 CPs registered under the solar system installation category.
“Our target for the solar energy industry is to have as many competent persons as possible.
“Should there be surplus, they could be utilised in other sectors. I believe Unimas has a target number each intake (for this course), and they would have to produce many competent persons.
“As we all know, solar energy is a green source of energy, and since we want to reduce the impact of global warming, we need to have energy that is not from a source that can pollute the environment.”
Julaihi further said companies or contractors registered with Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) must have at least one CP.
“A competent person will lead one team. If there are two competent persons, there would be two teams, and so on. Thus, it’s important to accelerate the electrification programmes in the rural areas. We need them (CPs), apart from the ordinary workers,” he added.
Earlier in his speech, Julaihi said Unimas’ accreditation to run the solar photovoltaic system design course took effect in June this year.
Prior to this, the university also received accreditation to conduct competency ‘Wireman’ and ‘Chargeman L4’ courses, he pointed out.
In this respect, he said: “To ensure the sustainability of the solar sector, Sarawak cannot rely on outside parties to produce skilled energy and expertise in the solar field.
“We should take the initiative to train the local people to meet the needs of the solar industry, which is expected to grow rapidly.”
Julaihi added with the promotion of electricity generation using solar, the need for skilled manpower in this field would increase.
“In addition, skilled manpower is also required to design solar systems to ensure that the latest technology would be fully utilised in providing a sustainable and safe system to users,” he said.
Meanwhile, Unimas vicechancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said he believed that Sarawak was pioneering other states in Malaysia in coming up with such a programme.
He also said the university was planning to embed this course in the current degree programmes under the Faculty of Engineering, as a way to improve the graduates’ employability.
“They each will graduate with not only a scroll from the university, but also a certificate from the industry. That is what being planned by us,” he said.