Milestones come in many shapes and sizes for Plus Solar. From just starting a business in renewable energy in an era when the cons outweighed the pros, to assisting clients such as IKEA, KLIA, Sunway Sales Gallery, Proguard, PKT Logistics and more, it gives us pride to be able to provide a sustainable future for the next generation. In recognition of our efforts toward energising Malaysia, Bernama and Bernama Malay have featured Plus Solar which can be found below:

Solar installation company Plus Solar Systems Sdn Bhd [Plus Solar] expects to achieve its revenue target of RM150 million for the financial year ending March 2020 (FY20), driven by solid demand from domestic companies.

Chief executive officer and co-founder Ko Chuan Zhen expressed his confidence on hitting the mark based on the company’s performance in the first eight months of FY20, with revenue growing to nearly RM100 million.

“Indeed, there have been many milestones for us this year, including two solar farms built under [the] second-round large-scale solar (LSS2) scheme that we are going to commission by end of 2019, which means we will be running two projects concurrently.

“We have also installed photovoltaic (PV) solar panels in numerous commercial building projects, from factories to shopping malls. They included IOI Acidchem, Asadi, Mah Sing Plastics and Spritzer factories, and Toppen and IKEA Batu Kawan shopping malls,” he told Bernama.

Ko said this brought the number of Plus Solar’s installations to-date to 103 commercial buildings.

As of today, the company has assisted over 700 buildings in making the switch to clean energy. With a project track record of over 125MWp, it has helped in lowering the nation’s level of carbon emissions by 107,570 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually to ensure that the vision of sustainability for Malaysia will materialise.

Humble beginnings
The company started out as a solar consultancy firm called Leaf Energy back in 2011, with an investment of RM100,000 and revenue of RM130,000 that year.

However, in 2013, Ko and fellow co-founders, Ryan Oh Zhi Kang and Poh Tyng Huei, decided to expand their scope beyond consultancy work.

Towards this end, the company was reborn as Plus Solar Systems Sdn Bhd a year later. Becoming a total energy solutions firm providing engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) services led to its revenue growing tenfold to RM1.46 million.

Plus Solar, headquartered in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, opened a Perak branch this year in a strategic move to cater to the high demand for PV energy in the state, particularly in the industrial and commercial sectors.

“Having this branch enhances our efficiency when responding to queries from the state while also improving the quality of our services. We are looking to continue this trend and open other state branches in the future,” Ko said, adding that revenue was projected to grow by at least 20 per cent in 2020.

U-Solar Partnership
In October 2019, Plus Solar forged a partnership with United Overseas Bank (UOB) for the U-Solar programme to enable higher accessibility to renewable energy (RE) for Malaysians. Under the programme, UOB is offering a suite of financial solutions to support the solar power value chain.

Ko said the partnership was not only meant to benefit business owners who were interested in installing solar PV systems, but also to gear the nation towards meeting the target of 20 per cent RE in its power generation mix by 2025.

“We are working with other banks as well. We are in the midst of finalising some of these partnerships.

“Among the banks which we have been working with over the past two years are HSBC, AmBank, Hong Leong Bank, OCBC and Public Bank,” he disclosed.

Overseas Expansion
The company currently undertakes solar project developments only in Malaysia. However, [Plus Solar] plans to venture into neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, following the government support for solar energy, Ko said, adding that these countries had demonstrated solid policies around solar.

“According to a Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables report, the global solar PV market is projected to increase to 125GW per year by 2020, and we want to lead within this segment as much as possible.

“Besides, with the extension of the Green Investment Tax Allowance and Green Income Tax Exemption to year 2023 in the 2020 Budget, more businesses will be encouraged to instal solar PV panels on their rooftops, enabling us to provide our personalised service. “We foresee that this will drive up demand and keep us busy. Naturally, this will gear us towards business expansion, and we are excited to see this happen,” he added.

— BERNAMA

Bernama Malay

Syarikat pemasangan solar Malaysia Plus Solar Systems Sdn Bhd (Plus Solar), yakin sasaran hasil RM150 juta boleh direalisasikan dalam tahun kewangan berakhir Mac 2020 (FY2020), didorong oleh permintaan tinggi daripada syarikat domestik.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif dan Pengasas Bersama syarikat, Ko Chuan Zhen berkata keyakinan itu adalah bersandarkan kepada peningkatan pendapatan syarikat kepada hampir RM100 juta dalam tempoh lapan bulan pertama FY2020.

“Nyata, sudah banyak kejayaan penting yang kami capai tahun ini, termasuk dua ladang solar yang dibangunkan menerusi Program Skim Solar Berskala Besar (LSS2), yang akan kami operasikan menjelang akhir 2019, yang bermakna kami akan menjalankan dua projek serentak.

“Kami juga telah memasang panel solar potovoltan (PV) dalam pelbagai projek bangunan komersil, dari kilang hinggalah ke pusat beli-belah, termasuk IOI Acidhem, kilang Asadi, Mah Sing

Plastics dan Spritzer, pusat beli-belah Toppen dan IKEA shopping mall Batu Kawan,” katanya kepada Bernama.

Ko berkata projek itu menjadikan pemasangan Plus Solar kepada 103 bangunan komersil setakat ini.

Sehingga ini syarikat telah membantu lebih 700 bangunan beralih kepada penggunaan tenaga bersih dengan rekod prestasi projek lebih daripada 125MWp, membantu mengurangkan tahap pelepasan karbon negara sebanyak 107,570 tan CO2, yang menjamin visi kelestarian untuk Malaysia menjadi kenyataan.

Latar belakang syarikat
Operasi bermula sebagai firma perundingan solar, Leaf Energy pada 2011, dengan pelaburan RM100, 000 dan pendapatan ketika itu sebanyak RM130,000.

Pada 2013, Ko dan rakan pengasasnya, Ryan Oh Zhi Kang dan Poh Tyng Huei, memutuskan untuk mengembangkan skop mereka di luar khidmat perundingan.

Untuk itu, mereka menubuhkan Plus Solar Systems Sdn Bhd setahun kemudian sebagai syarikat penyelesaian tenaga menyeluruh yang menyediakan perkhidmatan kejuruteraan, pemerolehan, pembinaan dan pengoperasian (EPCC), dengan pendapatan meningkat sepuluh kali ganda kepada RM1.46 juta.

Plus Solar membuka cawangan Perak (2019) sebagai langkah strategik untuk menyokong rakan-rakannya di Pantai Barat Semenanjung, yang mendapat permintaan tinggi untuk tenaga PV, terutama dalam sektor perindustrian dan komersil.

“Pembukaan cawangan itu meningkatkan kecekapan dan pada masa yang sama meningkatkan kualiti perkhidmatan kami. Kami sedang berusaha untuk membangunkan trend ini dan membuka cawangan di negeri lain pada masa akan datang.

“Kami menyaksikan pertumbuhan pendapatan sekurang-kurangnya 20 peratus pada 2020,” kata Ko sambil menambah bahawa syarikat itu hanya menjalankan pembangunan projek solar di Malaysia setakat ini.

Usaha sama
Pada Oktober 2019, Plus Solar menjalin perkongsian dengan United Overseas Bank (UOB) untuk program U-Solar, bagi membolehkan akses yang lebih tinggi kepada tenaga boleh baharu untuk rakyat Malaysia.

Ko berkata perkongsian itu bukan sahaja bertujuan memberi manfaat kepada pemilik perniagaan yang berminat memasang sistem PV solar, bahkan untuk memacu negara ke arah memenuhi sasaran gabungan RE (tenaga boleh baharu) sebanyak 20 peratus menjelang 2025.

“Ya, kami juga bekerjasama dengan bank lain. Kami sedang memuktamadkan beberapa perkongsian.

“Ia terdiri daripada HSBC, Ambank, Hong Leong Bank, OCBC dan Public Bank, antara bank yang terlibat dalam kerjasama sejak dua tahun lepas,” katanya.

Perancangan masa depan
Untuk masa depan pelan pengembangan Plus Solar termasuk meneroka negara jiran seperti Vietnam, Kemboja dan Myanmar, berikutan sokongan kerajaan ke atas tenaga solar, dan negara-negara ini telah menunjukkan dasar kukuh ke atas solar, kata Ko.

“Menurut laporan Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, pasaran PV solar global dijangka meningkat kepada 125GW pada 2020, dan kami mahu menerajui segmen ini sebanyak mungkin.

“Selain itu, peluasan Elaun Cukai Pelaburan Hijau dan Pengecualian Cukai Penghasilan Hijau (GITE) yang dilanjutkan sehingga 2023 dalam Belanjawan 2020, lebih banyak perniagaan akan digalakkan memasang panel PV solar ke bumbung mereka, dan membolehkan kami menyediakan perkhidmatan peribadi,

“Kami menjangkakan dorongan ini pasti akan merangsang permintaan dan menjadikan kami sibuk. Secara semula jadinya ini akan menjuruskan kami ke arah pengembangan perniagaan, dan kami teruja melihat ini berlaku,” katanya.

— BERNAMA

Bernama English: Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid
Original Source: Bernama & Bernama Malay
Disclaimer: The contents of the reposted article have been edited to represent Plus Solar’s brand
and services to its truest nature.