SENSLAR OFFERS FLOATING SOLAR PANELS TO ENHANCE GREEN TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES

By Durratul Ain Ahmad Fuad

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 (Bernama) -- The Senslar brand of solar panels with floating technology produced by Ikhlas Jati Sdn Bhd is a green technology initiative to help the country drive towards renewable energy sources.

Ikhlas Jati was established in 2007 as a supplier of scientific goods, instruments, chemicals and laboratory equipment to government agencies and the private sector.

Chief executive officer S. Shanmuganathan said his company had entered the renewable energy industry after getting the opportunity to highlight new technology namely Senslar from the Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten).

“This floating solar panel technology is still new and although it already exists in Japan, it is different because Senslar has a sensor or algorithm under the panel that allows the panel to 'tilt and rotate' following the movement of the sun.

“As a pioneer, we want to introduce it to the local market so that companies or industries can move towards green technology initiatives,” he told Bernama.

He said solar power is a renewable energy source that can reduce carbon emissions in the air.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework, any company or industry that uses solar technology can be regarded as a green company, he added.

Senslar has been established as an intellectual property (IP) and can float in lakes or dams, however it is not suitable for floating in places with strong currents such as rivers.

“In the next five to 10 years, we hope to bring this local technology to the international level, introducing Senslar to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shanmuganathan said that after agreeing to bring Senslar, which is Uniten's laboratory-scale technology, to an industrial scale, Ikhlas Jati then received guidance and a grant from the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC).

“MTDC played an important role for us to introduce this laboratory-scale technology to industry.

“I advise young entrepreneurs to do their due diligence and seize the opportunities offered by government agencies such as MTDC because of the many grants and training schemes given,” he said.

Ikhlas Jati is one of the recipients of the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) programme funding.

MTDC, as the main funding partner of the initiative, will provide a platform including funding for products/technology/services resulting from research and development (R&D) or local innovation from the prototyping stage to the commercialisation stage.

-- BERNAMA