A hotel in Malta is considering installing a solar cooling system to service its guest rooms. The target is to have half the hotel's cooling capacity generated by solar means during the summer months. In the winter months the same system would be used for heating.

Opportunities to apply clean green energy on a domestic level in the Maltese Islands are many, despite the lukewarm attitude of some politicians. Now that the deep water offshore wind farm idea has been shelved, investors are looking shoreward again.

Only last week a Member of Parliament was heard propounding land-based wind energy with claims of "skyline aesthetic distortion". Yet we seldom hear the same comments about the many skyscrapers popping up everywhere.

In the absence of a strong energy plan and the ability to implement it, we may have to rely on small businesses (SMEs) to save us from the effects of global warming... or EU wrath if we do not generate enough political will to bring in renewable energy to any extent, which has significant effects.

If anyone is passionate about the implementation of renewable energy sources in Malta, it is three friends who take personal satisfaction in actively cutting down on Malta's greenhouse emissions through their work.

Just three years ago, David Zammit brought his strong business background and financial understanding into partnership with Jesmond Farrugia on the technical and administrative side. Together with Karl Azzopardi in marketing they formed Solar Solutions Ltd.

Jesmond does the talking as he explains how renewables are gearing up to take off in Malta, despite the obstacles: "This is quite a new business in Malta, so one of the main hurdles is the lack of information and awareness."

Permits for small wind turbines

Up to now, MEPA has made no distinction between domestic, commercial or rural applications for wind turbines. Describing the permit process, Jesmond points out: "At the moment domestic wind turbines require a full development permit.

"MEPA is working on a wind policy. My vision for wind is micro-generation - up to 20-kilowatt wind turbines."

Perceived obstacles to wind turbines often mentioned are visual impact and noise, although Jesmond believes that visibility is not really an issue for micro-wind turbines in Malta. Wind turbines are new and eye-catching compared to the thousands of masts, electricity poles and flagpoles seen everywhere.

"There are some people who are very passionate about flying flags on their roofs. I've seen some huge ones flying. If we have got used to electricity poles every 10 metres, then they are not ugly to us but seen as a necessity... we live with it. It is the same with wind - it is one of the few solutions and it has to be implemented."

As for the noise issue, the choice is between two simple solutions. Either siting wind turbines far enough away from other residents, so that there would be no disturbance, or install a wind turbine that does not make noise. Certain wind turbines are simply not suitable for mounting next to residential areas.

The British Wind and Energy Association has issued a standard for noise. It also measures the output of the wind turbine at a set wind speed because it generates different amounts of electricity at different wind speeds. Most of the ratings are at 12 m/sec, which works well in Malta's climate conditions but certain turbines don't reach their peak before 14 m/sec. Wind is extremely site-specific and will perform according to the level of wind at the installed site.

Small wind turbines in Britain range at anything up to 60 kW output. "Personally I would not go over 15-20 kilowatts in residential areas in Malta. However it depends on the height of the mast and the size of the turbine. There is small-scale and there is micro.

"Micro-wind turbines up to 1 kilowatt are usually roof-mounted. Just one kilowatt of wind power installed at a good site would generate from 1,000 up to 3,000 kilowatt hours a year."

Wind turbines are most efficient if sited at elevated spots, on ridges or tall buildings. They are not recommended for use in closed valleys or depressions.

"Wind is very site specific. It is crucial on the performance of the turbine because you need a 'clean' flow of wind. A higher mast is recommended should there be walls or obstructions around. If it is in a very sheltered area, then it is not suitable for a wind turbine. Sometimes we get requests from farmers in valleys - I would not recommend a wind turbine there."

"What is important in this business is the specialisation. We are not trying to sell a product... we are trying to sell a solution, which is the generation of electricity. People want clean electricity, free electricity but the initial cost is a very important consideration."

Monitoring data at home

"The largest PV sytem we have installed is a 10-kilowatt system in Gozo. This will generate nearly 17,000 kilowatt hours yearly and save the emissions of around 15 tonnes of CO2 yearly."

The largest wind turbine so far installed was at the residence of a private client in Marsascala. At 6 kW it is expected to generate between 9,000 and 19,000 kW a year. The system is being monitored to see how well it performs within this range.

At the small end of the scale is a 1 kW wind turbine. "This is the smallest system you can install domestically, which would make a noticeable change to your consumption. We are testing this ourselves on the premises before putting it out on the market."

Quality inverters can be connected to a home computer so anyone generating their own electricity at home has all the data about what is going on whether it's a wind turbine or a photovoltaic system.

"You would know what amount of electricity is being generated... the voltage, current, etc. Enemalta is trying to spread awareness with a demonstration system on the roof of their district office at Kappara roundabout.

"The Enemalta engineer who is taking care of the project is very knowledgeable about the subject. They are benchmarking PV system generation in Malta using our system. All the data is on their Website (www.enemalta.com.mt - PV Info)."

The Enemalta target for this system is to generate 5000 kWh per year, which would offset 4,350 kg of carbon dioxide produced by the same amount of energy generated with fossil fuels at the power station.

It is still to be seen how well the system will function in different conditions as the seasons change. Even at this early stage the readings give cause for optimism that the target can be reached.

Solar (PV) panels do take up a lot of roof space but they can also have a cooling effect on the building as they help to shade the roof in summer. Rather surprisingly, a PV panel gives its best output on sunny days in spring, autumn and winter.

The panels are tested at a certain irradiance, which is the sun's intensity, and a certain temperature. The panel manufacturer can then give a reliable prediction. For example at 25°C, with an irradiance of 1,000 watts, a square metre of panel could produce 200 watts.

"As long as the client has unshaded space, the sun's intensity is the same everywhere in Malta, so you are more able to predict with certainty. We have logged data over a couple of years on our PV system, so we can predict with quite a reliable degree of accuracy what it will do."

Getting it right

Raw energy from a PV panel can be fed into the grid using an inverter. "The ones we use are mainly without transformers as this type of inverter gives the best efficiency." A "grid-tied" system is linked to the customer's electricity supply from Enemalta with an inverter to change DC into AC (230 volts at 50 Hz).

Getting the right inverter for the type of panel used is important. If the voltage goes up or down beyond the parameters, the inverter has a safety device, which will make it switch off to protect itself. This could happen in summer, so if the configuration of the inverter with the panels is incorrect, the system will switch off. On the other hand, too much voltage can destroy or damage the inverter, so it is important to get it right.

Up to now, PV panels are treated the same as solar water heaters and water tanks in MEPA's guidelines on building design. A law is awaiting parliamentary approval to waive the need for a planning permit for most rooftop panels. Sensitive village cores and the two historical cities of Valletta and Mdina would probably still require a permit.

Every government ministry now has a building with PV panels on its rooftop. Solar Solutions Ltd won the tender last year to supply and install them. Now it is up to the Green Leaders appointed by each ministry who should be monitoring their performance.

"They could monitor the panels by simply comparing the readings on the inverter to the ones on Enemalta's Website and make sure everything is working well. This should be the responsibility of every Green Leader. On the other hand, investing in monitoring systems for the PV installations would give more detailed data."

While Government has appointed a Green Leader for every ministry, very few multi-national companies operating locally have someone who is responsible for their environmental policy. When it comes to installing energy-saving devices or energy generating systems some companies appear to be falling short of what they are preaching.

Minimising bureaucracy

One of the problems faced by other countries when they came to implement photovoltaic programmes was the amount of bureaucracy they had to wade through before the system could get off the ground. Bureaucracy has been identified at EU level as one of the barriers to the introduction of photovoltaics - and renewable energy as a whole.

For wind turbines there is a long procedure. MEPA would process the planning permit, then the Malta Resources Authority has to be notified about technical information for the micro-wind turbine being installed and details of the warranted electrical engineer certifying the installation.

The MRA is also interested in the height above road level of rotor blades and how much electricity the installation of a wind turbine or PV panels is likely to generate in a year. An estimate of how much will be exported to the national electricity grid is also requested on their notification form as shown in the guidance notes (http://www.mra.org.mt/Downloads/licences/Guidance%20Notes%20RES-v2-070212.pdf).

Enemalta then handles the grid connection for the turbine, while the Ministry of Finance deals with the grant. A one-stop shop under the MRA umbrella or under the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Environment would be a better solution to eliminate bureaucracy.

"This ministry (MRAE) is working very hard and was one of the first ministries to install PV on their roof. I am not sure how important renewable energy is to Government as a whole. They have not yet grasped the importance of renewable energy as a political tool.

"The electricity rates have been raised due to the price of oil, so politically I am sure the government lost out on that. Renewable energy is something that can mitigate the effect of that decision."

Enemalta is still a government corporation and electricity is being subsidised to this day. If renewable energy is not given the same treatment, it will not take off. In Europe today each country has an incentives programme for renewables but the real success story is Germany.

Their key to success was the introduction of a feed-in tariff, which pays €0.45 for each unit of electricity generated by PV, giving a much faster payback time.

One of two things can happen in Malta, predicts Jesmond:

"Either the government gives incentives or the electricity rates will go up. I have a suspicion they will go up after the next election. In the 2005 Budget it was forecast that the surcharge had to go up to 84 per cent in two years' time. In fact the opposite has happened."

The EU Energy Commissioner made it clear during his visit last April that we have to pull our socks up. We have the resources - wind and sun. Malta has the highest level of irradiance in Europe.

"I feel insulted, both as a Maltese citizen and as a businessman, that in 2005 the Malta Resources Authority bluntly told the EU that the five per cent national indicative target as agreed by 2010 could not be met. Instead they have gone down to a figure of less than one per cent. This I find insulting because it's not true!"

Malta has the potential to generate more than that, as has been pointed out by the MEEREA Association. They have all the data and they know what amount of renewable energy we can generate.

"Whoever is in the business knows and sees that not enough is being done. What I fear is that not enough is understood by Government about renewable energy. Apart from the technical side, one has to understand the global effect of climate change, what is going on in renewables, what other countries are doing, what the EU is saying... and what do we have to do to get there.

"We had to go through a very steep learning curve. Once you start looking two or three years ahead to see what Malta should be doing, and what it has the potential to do now, you see that something is wrong. Whose responsibility is it? Is it the MRA? Is it the Environment Ministry... MEPA? Who is responsible for what?"

The first step should be the creation of a renewable energy agency which would be responsible.