High on a Hill

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by Hillary Chan, Malaysia

Fourth vehicle fitted with a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinder explodes in Malaysia

Jul 6, 2009 12:54

There are many good reasons to fit your car with an Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) tank. Natural gas releases less Co2 into the atmosphere as compared to petroleum and diesel, is much more affordable and much more abundant.

However, with the fourth explosion of an NGV-fitted vehicle in Malaysia last week, can we be sure that we will be safe as we travel in cars fitted with such tanks? Have a look at these incidences.

November 2007 - an NGV gas cylinder exploded in the boot of a Mercedes-Benz at a petrol station in Jinjang. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that it was another tank (a welder's tank) that was kept in the boot of the car that exploded

10th August 2008 - an NGV gas cylinder in the boot of his car exploded at a petrol station in Taman Billion, Cheras while the driver was filling up the tank. The driver also happened to be carrying a cooking gas cylinder in the trunk

9th November 2008 - a van fitted with a home-made NGV kit (converted from a cooking gas tank) exploded, killing one person and injuring 2 others.

5th July 2009 - a Proton Waja fitted with an NGV gas cylinder exploded in the car park of an apartment building, killing its driver who may have fallen asleep in the car with the engine running.

Let's learn from the experience of others. If you were to fit your car with an NGV tank,

Please do not carry other tanks in your car boot such as a welder's tank or a cooking gas tank.
Please do not leave the engine running when the car is stationary.
Please do not make your own D-I-Y NGV kit.
Above all, please DO make sure that your NGV installer uses cylinders that comply by these international safety standards for Natural Gas Vehicles.

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Land grab in East Malaysia

Jul 4, 2009 15:42

Recently, a United Nations human rights expert reported that international investors have been buying up or leasing large amounts of farmland in developing countries. This is hardly surprising. I am sure that if possible, Singapore would love to buy a huge chunk of land in Peninsular Malaysia while land owners in Peninsular Malaysia would love to buy a huge chunk of even more land in East Malaysia on Borneo Island.

But while Singapore would probably not be able to buy vast lands in Malaysia as easily, there is little protection over Peninsular Malaysians buying up tribal-owned lands in Sabah and Sarawak. In today's news, it is reported that a private consortium and a government-linked agency have decided to take up 80,000ha in Ulu Baram, Sarawak to establish an oil palm and timber plantation.

Obviously, this is not going down well with the native Berawans who live there. Imagine that you are a farmer or hunter-gatherer and all of a sudden, your natural resource is owned by someone else who have never been there before.Even though there are promises of jobs for the Berawans once the plantation is firmly established, there is still something unrightful when a wealthy consortium takes away 80,000ha of ancestral land from the natives who live there.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter said,

"Although transactions can be opportunities for development, with the potential for creating infrastructure and employment, increasing public revenues and improving farmers' access to technologies and credit, they also have negative effects on the right to food as well as other human rights.The eviction of people who have informally cultivated the land for decades, the loss of access to land for indigenous peoples and pastoral populations, and increased competition for water resources are some of the potential detrimental impacts."

It is reported that the unnamed private consortium and government-linked agency already owns more than 100,000ha of land development projects throughout Sarawak. How badly could it need the 80,000ha that 10,000 native Berawans live on?

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Malaysia's first Nuclear Power Plant targeted for 2025.

Jul 3, 2009 14:37

Remember the post that discusses whether Malaysia should build a nuclear power plant? After writing that, I received the following email,

Hi, I am a Malaysian, who works in the USA for the last ten years in the nuclear power industry. I am fortunate enough to participate in building the Generation III+ nuclear power plants.

For the long run, nuclear power is the only viable option left. Every country, especially developing countries like Malaysia, needs base load power plants that run the all year long. Hydro, coal and nuclear are the only three via options for base load power plants. Gas is not typically considered for a base load power plant because it is too expensive to use gas turbine (mostly refers to simple cycle power plant) to generate the electricity needed for day-to-day use. I think Hydro would remind Malaysian about the famous Sarawak Bakun Hydro Project; so, it is not really a viable option for every country. Now, we are down to coal and nuclear. Your article has pointed out why coal is not a viable option for the long run. So, we are pretty much down to nuclear power.
Should Malaysia build a nuclear power plant? That is a very good question. My answer is YES. Will we SOON see the building of a nuclear power plant? My highlight is "SOON"; not because it takes ten years to build a two units plant; but, from the regulatory and technical readiness prospective.
I don't believe Malaysia's current regulatory is ready to handle the enriched uranium fuel as well as spent nuclear fuel (at the end of nuclear fuel cycle). By the way, you can use uranium fuel that is not enriched to power a reactor that what we normally refer to as heavy water reactor (like Canadian CANDU reactor).

As a Malaysian, I am well aware that it will take some time for our government to lay out the necessary regulatory for handling nuclear fuels. Thailand and Indonesia are doing that now, with the goal of getting nuclear power by 2018. More important, we need to train our people to run these nuclear units. We need the operators that are knowledgeable to shut the units, when there is an emergency (e.g. LOCA). We need plant maintenance staffs that are knowledgeable to keep up the equipment in the plants. Simulator is built to train the plant operators how to respond to emergency. These operators are required to get regulatory certification for their works.
Should Malaysia build a nuclear power plant? Again, my answer is YES. Is Malaysia ready to a nuclear power plant? My answer is NO.

Best Regards, SSF

Thanks SSF, for writing the email. It seems that SSF is not the only person who feels Malaysia should build a nuclear power plant but is not ready to build one yet. On Wednesday, it was reported that France have offered to help Malaysia in this endeavour. See report: France offers to build nuke plant in Malaysia.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said France had very advanced nuclear power technology which provided nearly 90% of its energy needs. According to the same news report, Tenaga Nasional Bhd had originally hoped to start its first nuclear power plant by 2025.

Perhaps with the help from France, this plan will be accelerated. What's clear is that it is no longer a question of should or should not but of when and how fast?

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The Cisco Telepresence System brings the presence of colleagues into the meeting room

Jul 2, 2009 17:14

Thousands of products have been created and labelled as green products. Some of them are a complete greenwash. Some are genuinely more energy-efficient than their predecessors. Some are not, but they enable you to live a greener lifestyle.

Cisco says the Cisco Telepresence System enables you to live a greener lifestyle because with it, you won't need to jet across continents for every meeting. You can just hook up to the system to conduct one online and feel as though everyone else is right across from you in the same room.
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Michael Jackson's technologically advanced dancing shoes

Jun 29, 2009 14:48

I have always been in awe of Michael Jackson's ability to sing and dance with such joy and passion. Have you ever considered that Michael Jackson could have been so in love with dancing that he invented a special kind of shoe to perform a special dance move that had never been thought of or seen before?

For the dance move in Billy Jean where he and his dancers were able to lean forward at a 45-degree angle, they were helped by a very technologically advanced footwear.
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