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Floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) technology has been gaining popularity in various parts of the world to address the growing clean energy demand and land scarcity challenges posed by conventional solar PV installations. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the recent progress in FPV research and actual implementations, highlighting advancements, challenges, and future prospects in this dynamic and promising field in Malaysia.

Soil resistivity is an important parameter for designing electrical earthing system. The measurement of soil resistivity is greatly influenced by moisture content, temperature, porosity, degree of saturation, number of soil layer(s), and frequency of lightning current. Researchers have proposed various methodologies to provide an approximation of soil resistivity using the listed parameters. In order to ease the process of estimating soil resistivity at a particular area, there is a pressing need to devise a simple tool that enables the calculation of soil resistivity in the most accurate manner. As such, this research proposes a reliable tool for quick evaluation of soil resistivity based on variousmethodologies using Microsoft Excel’s built-in-functions and Visual Basic Application (VBA) Next, the developed tool was validated using two methods, in which the output value of the calculator was compared with data retrieved from IEEE Std 142-2007 and data reported in past studies. The validation results revealed that the developed calculator may serve as a significant application in future due to its time-saving and cost-effective attributes.

On most of the offshore oil and gas platforms, the current means of generating power are through the use of generators i.e. gas turbines and diesel power generators, or micro-generators for some smaller equipment. These generator sets are less reliable, especially on unmanned platforms. Hence, the deployment of renewable energy, such as the use of wind turbines, would be better for energy security, economic development and also protection of the environment. Instead of using wind power to power up the whole platform, small wind turbines can be utilised to power up some utilities and instrumentations on the platform, while having generators as back up, as the wind speed is beyond control. However, the capability of a small wind turbine in generating enough power is constantly under doubt as it is yet to be widely employed and only meagre data is available. This is caused by the issue of having insufficient studies regarding the implementation of small wind turbines for power generation on offshore oil and gas platforms. Hence, this paper studied the capability of small wind turbines for power generation on offshore platforms in Malaysia. Several models of small wind turbines were selected and their abilities in generating power to fulfil the annual energy consumption on a typical offshore platform were examined through precise calculations. The common offshore locations in Malaysia were identified and the average wind speeds from 2017 to 2019 at these locations were analysed. The result shows that certain models of small wind turbines are able to provide a significant amount of power for an offshore platform especially to power up the low power machineries. It was found that Kerteh, Terengganu is the most suitable offshore location to harness wind power due to its averagely high wind speed throughout the year. The highest amount of energy that can be produced was around 1445kWh per annum at Kerteh by the small wind turbine with the largest swept area and the lowest cut-in speed. This paper aims to serve as numerical validation on the plausibility of integrating small wind turbines for the generation of electricity on offshore platforms in Malaysia while also providing the recommended locations that are suitable for this region.

Background: There has been rising concern amongst the public regarding their home's proximity to high tension power transmission lines. The primary cause of fear is the impact of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiation on the nearby occupants' health. Despite the presence of national permissible limits of EMI radiation, there is still lack of information with regards to the EMI radiation of the types of power lines configuration in Malaysia. Methods: The electric and magnetic fields of several selected power transmission lines were simulated using the EMFACDC software program from the recommendation ITU-T K.90. Five types of power transmission lines available in Malaysia are considered. Results: It was found that the simulated electric and magnetic field levels at all the power lines' right of way (ROW) boundary complies with the prescribed exposure limit. However, the electromagnetic fields (EMF) level increases significantly as the separation distance is reduced from 30m. For a more conservative approach, the ROW can be set at 30m across all transmission voltage level and corridor area condition. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Malaysia's power transmission lines are within the prescribed exposure limits. To further minimize the electric and magnetic field level, it is recommended that the residential building should be built at least 30 meters away from the power transmission lines, especially for the 275kV double circuit, 275/132kV quadruple circuit, and 500kV double circuit lines.

Background COVID-19 has drastically dampened human activities since early 2020. Studies have shown that this has resulted in changes in air temperature and humidity. Since lightning activities are dependent on air temperature and humidity, this study is conducted to evaluate the correlation between the intensity of lightning activities with the atmospheric changes, and investigates the changes, in lightning activities due to atmospheric changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The hypothesis was tested through a t-test and Pearson’s correlation study. The variation trend of lightning strikes count (LSC) in Europe and Oceania during the five months COVID-19 lockdown period (March – July) compared to the same period in the previous five years from 2015 to 2019 is investigated. Results Statistical analysis shows the LSC in Europe and Oceania during the lockdown period dropped significantly by more than 50% and 44% respectively compared to the same period in previous five years. Furthermore, LSC was found to be positively correlated with air temperature and relative humidity in Europe. However, in Oceania, LSC seems to be only positively correlated with air temperature but negatively correlated with relative humidity. Conclusions This study seems to suggest that lightning activities have significantly changed during this pandemic due to reduction in human activities.

Introduction: Malaysia is one of the countries with the highest lightning flash density globally. While sufficiency of lightning protection system is crucial to ensure human safety against lightning strikes, the public awareness towards lightning safety is also equally important in Malaysia. Hence, this study was conducted to understand the current lightning safety awareness level of the Malaysian population. Methods: An online questionnaire survey which consists of 22 scientific statements of lightning was first developed in Malay and English. The questionnaire allows the respondent to also check their own score upon completion of the questionnaire. It was then distributed to the public for data collection. The sample size comprised of both genders, all layers of society from various educational level and social background. Results: Overall, the awareness on lightning safety amongst Malaysian is at moderate level with an average score of slightly above 50%. Urbanites scored marginally better than their rural counterparts. One’s education level does not dictate their awareness level of lightning safety. Discussion: In conclusion, the public in Malaysia needs to be better educated on lightning safety. Similar studies should be replicated in other countries experiencing similar levels of lightning activity to better understand the public’s perception on lightning.

Although various lightning protection methods have been used in the industry, many outdoor high-voltage (HV) substations are still experiencing high failure rates due to lightning strikes. The applications of these rule-of-thumb-based methods generally lack coherence among the practitioners. IEC 62305-2 provides a systematic way for practitioners to assess the lightning risk for buildings or structures in a probabilistic way. However, this standard has not explicitly covered the application of HV substations. Moreover, IEC 62305-2 involves a tedious set of risk factors which may hinder many practitioners from applying the aforementioned standards while other preferred rule-of-thumb methods are available. As IEC 62305-2 does not specify the applicability to lightning risk assessment in HV substations, this paper proposes a novel approach to complement the standard-based risk assessment process. During this integrated risk assessment process, significant risks are identified, followed by ambiguous risks that will be adjusted in subsequent phases. The significant ambiguous risk factors such as fire load function (rf), environmental factor (CE), LPL class, and other governing factors have been analyzed and discussed. By adjusting these significant risk factors, the practitioners will understand the adjusted risk factors in relation to the practical implementation of lightning protection system (LPS). Therefore, integrating the substation characteristics, assumptions, and findings of ambiguous risk factors can result in a successful integrated lightning risk assessment process.

Purpose - Recently, a layered and lateral framework that provides opportunities for students to design the pedagogy that creates a broad based, flexible and personalized learning is introduced by the Taylor’s University School of Engineering. This approach creates avenue for the students to design their own curriculum within the framework that is developed with inputs from the industry. The framework, the key components, and the tracking of the performance to align the set outcomes through assessment tool is presented. Methodology - My Study Plan (MySP) a macro-enabled software is used to develop a four-year tier model for the students to design the curriculum with the help of a mentor at the start of the programme. Student’s learning is monitored on a semester-based learning analytics process implementing the Programme Outcomes (PO) Scorecard. The August 2018 cohort of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme is used to pilot this pedagogy. Findings - Currently the PO measurement is done for the graduating student and focus only on the effectiveness of the programme. The Programme Outcome Assessment Review (POAS) used in this study to monitor the MySP the continual monitoring each semester rather towards the end of graduation. Initial simulation of existing PO attainment record of students suggest that this can generate interest towards the learning progress on a semester basis. Significance - The successful adoption sees an effectiveness in the long run in developing graduates through the continual monitoring of the programme outcomes. The graduating students carry the PO scorecard that complements a second transcript for value addition for their studies. Prospective employers can use the PO scorecard as a metric for initial recruitment purposes, a measure for the soft skills achievements of the applicant.

Grounding enhancement material (GEM) is used to lower the earthing resistance value of a given earthing system. In this paper, a commercially available GEM is experimented at the field alongside with Sodium Chloride, Copper II Sulphate and planting soil. The well established Wenner's 4 pole method and fall of potential method was employed to measure the soil resistivity and earthing resistance respectively. It was found that the salts i.e., Sodium Chloride and Copper II Sulphate are superior in reducing the earthing resistance as reduction of more than 85% were observed. However, the commercial GEM has exhibited the most stable earthing resistance value over a period of 101 days, exhibiting the lowest standard deviation. This seems to suggest that the commercial GEM has superior moisture retention capability. This study also proven that Sodium Chloride can be dissolved by heavy downpour and replenishing it periodically is needed in a tropical country like Malaysia with regular thunderstorms and heavy downpours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing sector constitutes a cornerstone of Malaysia's economic landscape, significantly contributing to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This pivotal role, however, is accompanied by substantial energy requirements, placing the manufacturing sector among the highest energy consumers across various industries in the country. This study primarily focuses on assessing the solar energy potential within the manufacturing sector. The objectives encompass two key facets: firstly, simulating the attainable energy yield from a photovoltaic (PV) system integrated into manufacturing industry facilities, and secondly, evaluating whether the PV system's generated electricity aligns with the energy requirements of selected manufacturing sectors, namely chemical and metal manufacturing plants. Sixteen companies have been selected from the chemical and metallurgical sectors for this study. The design process for the solar photovoltaic systems within these facilities necessitates determining the factory's location and rooftop area. Additionally, assessing the total savings is imperative to gauge the viability of the solar energy generated by these manufacturing plants. Among the 16 companies analyzed, intriguingly, 5 companies have demonstrated the capacity to fully transition to solar energy to cater to their energy needs. Notably, one of these companies can harness solar power to meet an impressive 179.91% of their energy demand by optimizing available space for solar power generation. This transition could potentially translate into substantial savings exceeding RM1 million in electricity costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthing systems play an essential role in electrical systems in terms of safety for people in the vicinity against the hazard of electric shocks as well as protection and proper operation of equipment during the incidence of faults. Both are achieved by providing a lowimpedance path that can dissipate fault currents to the conductive mass of Earth. One of the first steps in the design of an earthing system is estimating the total resistance to earth and determining the proper size and basic layout of the earth electrode required. Engineers must design adequate earthing systems that comply with international standards and national regulations, which in fact incorporate a variety of earthing methods and various formulae to obtain the design parameters, especially the earthing resistance. The effects of using the varied formulae for each earthing technique are ambiguous and entail considerable risks, and thus require comprehensive compilations and critical examinations. This paper reviews many of the earthing design formulae available in widely used international standards and published scientific papers for a comparative analysis of their differences. The results of a rigorous survey for each earthing type, based on respective electrical resistances' calculations evaluated for a specified range of resistivities, are presented in line graphs to show precise trends. A recommended list of the most conservative formulae from a safety perspective, based on the results obtained, is outlined as a basis for computing the earthing resistance for designing effective earthing systems. This provides a beneficial compact reference to facilitate the revision and provision of international earthing standards agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]