MBR_ISSUE 48_FEB_LR

COVER STORY: RENEWABLE ENERGY
Malta Business Review
Solar farm image
"This project is on track
to becoming one of
the country’s first
solar farms approved
under Malta’s National
Renewable Energy Plan.
an abundance of energy sources which
are constantly being replenished - wind,
sunlight, waves. And since our use does
not deplete them (unlike fossil fuels),
with the right tools, we may tap these
resources in perpetuity.
The adoption of renewables as a primary
source of energy is, however, not quite
straightforward. Electricity generated by
renewables tends to be intermittent –
solar energy is only produced when the
sun shines; wind energy is only produced
when the wind blows. This means that it
will be more difficult to match electricity
supply and demand. We cannot simply
turn the sun or the wind on and off at will.
In addition, electrical grids were not
originally designed to cope with irregular
flows of electricity. As a result, we now
have aging infrastructures which are
desperately straining under today’s
realities. Furthermore, there is a lack
of efficient and cost-effective energy
storage options with the consequence
that renewable power producers may be
discouraged from connecting to the grid
until it is adequately upgraded.
Eventually, renewables have to become
our primary energy source rather than
merely an alternative or a supplement
to fossil fuels. Government incentives
and the declining costs of technology,
driven by ongoing scientific discoveries
in the field, have sown the seeds for the
mushrooming of smaller independent
power producers. Concurrently, there
should be greater encouragement for
technological innovations to increase
efficiency and create new energy storage
solutions, as well as to revamp the
architecture of traditional grids.
At Hili Company, we are excited and
optimistic about this sector. Indeed, we
have already set in motion key projects in
Malta and Croatia which exploit resources
naturally abundant in each country.
In sunny Malta, which has higher
peak irradiance in the summer than
even California, we have commenced
preparations for the development of a 2.4
MW solar farm. This project is on track to
becoming one of the country’s first solar
farms approved under Malta’s National
Renewable Energy Plan.
In Croatia, we are commencing works
on the commissioning of the first of
potentially a series of biomass gasification
cogeneration plants using woodchips.
Croatia enjoys an abundant supply of
woodchips thanks to its involvement in
the paper industry. Bioenergy (energy
from biological material, that is, biomass)
only accounts for approximately 9% of
the world’s primary energy supply and
more than half of this relates to the use
of biomass in developing countries for
cooking and heating. Although not given
the same amount of attention as wind
or solar, bioenergy plays a crucial role in
a low-carbon energy system and we at
Hili Company are proud to champion its
cause.
Beyond these projects, our aim is to
develop and grow our team’s expertise
which would thereby enable us to take
on further renewable energy projects
throughout Europe. We will show that we
can be commercially viable and leave a
positive impact on our planet. MBR
All rights reserved - Copyright 2019
www.maltabusinessreview.net
7