In an exclusive chat with SolarQuarter ASEAN magazine, Mr. Ko Chuan Zhen, CEO & Co Founder of Plus Solar Systems, Malaysia tells us about the main learnings from 2020. He spoke about the company’s solar projects, installed capacity and investment plans. He also threw light on the recent technology and cost trends in the Malaysian solar market and future outlook of rooftop solar in Malaysia.
Please brief our readers about the major utility scale projects that Plus Solar have undertaken in Malaysia.
The government has recognised solar generation as a key contributor towards achieving national RE mix by 2025. Industry experts have singled out the 1GW solar development tender by the Energy Commission, expecting it to unlock RM4 Bi l l ion in investment and create an estimated 12,000 new jobs.
Large scale solar (LSS), or solar farms, has been a focus area for Plus Solar as we have outfitted notable projects during the second cycle of LSS such as Leader Solar Energy II (LSEII) with a system capacity of 27.469MWp, Jentayu Solar with a system capacity of 8.976MWp and more. These initiatives focused on opportunities for local players will stimulate the country’s RE industry in the midst of the pandemic.
Please tell us about the current installed capacity of the company and what are the investment plans for the year 2021?
To date, we have completed over 200MWp in solar photovoltaic (PV) system installation services all over Malaysia. Our clients include but are not limited to IKEA, Petronas, Sunway, Secret Recipe and PKT Logistics. On top of that, Plus Solar is the first solar
company in Malaysia that provides AIoT solutions that enable business owners to source smart energy savings at the touch of their fingertips. As for investment plans, we have also set a clear regional growth agenda for our company as we seek to expand our
presence in SEA. We already have plans for Vietnam and have put things in motion. Although this has been affected by the pandemic, we have partners in Vietnam who are making headway despite the situation.
What is your outlook on the future development of rooftop scale solar especially in the C&I section in Malaysia in the next 5 years?
While the pandemic has indeed proven challenging, with the earliest potential recovery only in H2 2021, we are confident of prospects this 2021 as well as to contribute towards the newly revised RE target of 31% in 2025 and 40% in 2035. The NEM 3.0 programme provides an opportunity for more users to install the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the roof of their respective buildings or homes for electricity bi l l reduction. Moreover, in the next 5 years, we see that the demand for rooftop solar will grow and the industries require less Govt. subsidies to advance into the future. With the attractive govt. subsidies and NEM 3.0 in place, it is our hope that people will begin to realise that solar energy is no longer a luxury but an affordable essential . We believe this is possible. As a business, we plan on expanding our presence in Southeast Asia which we believe will be a focus for investors in the future. We will also continue to expand our businesses overseas in countries such as Vietnam following the government support for solar energy.
Read the full interview here: https://solarquarter.com/2021/04/27/solarquarter-asean-magazine-jan-2021-issue/
