Satellite-Based Offshore Wind Energy Resource Mapping in Malaysia

Journal of Marine Science and Application - Development and application of offshore wind turbine farms have been increasing, particularly in the developed countries, because of their high power...     

Barriers for adoption of energy efficiency operational measures in shipping industry

According to the Third Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Study 2014 of International Maritime Organization (IMO), the total emission in 2012 are estimated to be 949 million tonnes which is 2.7% of global CO₂ emission by total shipping and expected to increase from 2012 levels by 50–250% by 2050. Significant changes are needed to all industry by implementation of energy efficiency design and operational measures to meet existing and future global emission reduction targets. Although the fuel cost-reducing effects of some energy efficiency measures and new technologies are well established and matured, shipping companies appear reluctant to adopt them. Besides, it is observed that the stakeholders are directly or indirectly involved for implementation of energy efficiency measures in shipping industry. Therefore, the objective for this study was to identify the barriers to energy efficiency operational measures by a qualitative survey among various stakeholders from all corners of shipping industry. It has been found in the research that the barriers for implementation of all cost-free operational measures are almost the same such as lack of information of the measure, lack of awareness and competence of ship crews and operation difficulties which are in nature of information and technical barriers. But financial issue and owner’s interest are the key barriers for some other operational measures which are related to costing and need investment for implementation.     

基于卫星的马来西亚近岸风能资源分布情况测绘研究（英文）

Development and application of offshore wind turbine farms have been increasing, particularly in the developed countries,because of their high power rating, high yield energy, high offshore wind, and unlimited space in the offshore. However, the poor data and simplistic methodologies of the previous assessments result in insufficient estimates of the wind energy potential.Thus, this study provides an assessment of the offshore wind energy resources in Malaysia using multi-mission satellite altimetry data. The satellite altimetry data was extracted from Radar Altimeter Database Systems located at GNSS and Geodynamics Laboratory, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The data were validated by buoy measurements from two offshore sites, as indicated by the high correlation coefficient of 0.88. Further, the offshore wind energy resource mapping data in Malaysia identified three areas in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo as potential areas for offshore wind energy development.     

Use of diesel engine and surface-piercing propeller to achieve fuel savings for inshore fishing boats

Fishing is a major local industry in Malaysia, particularly in rural areas. However, the rapidly increasing price of fuel is seriously affecting the industry’s viability. At present, outboard petrol engines are the preferred choice for use in small-scale fishing boats because they deliver the advantages of high speed and low weight, they are easy to install, and they use minimal space. Petrol outboard engines are known to consume a greater amount of fuel than inboard diesel engines, but installing diesel engines with conventional submerged propellers in existing small-scale fishing boats is not economically viable because major hullform modifications and extra expenditure are required to achieve this. This study describes a proposal to enable reductions in fuel consumption by introducing the combined use of a diesel engine and surface-piercing propeller (SPP). An analysis of fuel consumption reduction is presented, together with an economic feasibility study. Resulting data reveal that the use of the proposed modifications would save 23.31 liters of fuel per trip (40.75 %) compared to outboard motors, equaling annual savings of RM 3962 per year.     

Experimental Investigation of a Hydraulic Turbine for Hydrokinetic Power Generation in Irrigation/Rainfall Channels

The development of microchannels with open flow for use in irrigation and rainy areas is challenged by electricity generation via hydrokinetic devices in shallo...