Ts Shamsul Bahar touched on the showcase of National, and ASEAN Energy Awards (NEA/AEA) winners as one of the main highlights of COPE-BEST.  He said, NEA, which is managed by MGTC, is part of the government’s effort to promote Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE). Inaugurated in 2018, NEA recognizes the outstanding achievements and best practices of the public and private sectors in driving the country’s sustainable energy agenda.

Ts Shamsul Bahar who officiated COPE-BEST 2021 said, “I think few of us are aware that, from a Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (PTM – former name for MGTC)-UTM joint project entitled Baseline Study on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Award System for Malaysia that was completed in 2008, only a decade later that ideas and concepts to establish the NEA were finally realized”.

He added that, “A summary of the project study was documented as a research paper entitled “Energy Efficiency Award System in Malaysia for Energy Sustainability”, and published in one of the world’s most prestigious energy journals, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2010)^”

Ts Shamsul Bahar also highlighted ten unique and inclusive features of COPE-BEST 2021:

• From thermal to electrical energy, industry and building, EE, RE, EnMS, 4IR and funding support, COPE-BEST covers a comprehensive array of energy sustainability topics.
• It also addresses the critical needs of funding at key stages, from R&D to realisation.
• It inclusively assembled quadruple helix stakeholders from SME to large corporations.
• It consciously prepares stakeholders for the anticipated enactment of Energy-Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) by making industrial EE a prominent feature.
• It places due emphasis on Energy Management Systems standards to drive systemic and sustainable organisational change.
• COPE-BEST go extra miles to engage the Indonesian Ministry to share their unique experience on nationwide implementation of ISO 50001 standards.
• It engages universities/research institutions with good research track records and commercialisation experiences in the effort to foster industry-university partnership.
• The organiser has even included energy sustainability video competition in the effort to nurture young energy leaders and enculture sustainability in the younger generations.
• COPE-BEST endeavors to make the fully online event truly engaging by emphasizing on interactive discussions as opposed to a monologue presentations.
• COPE-BEST strives to bridge the innovation gap by promoting open innovation as a way to democratise R&D across stakeholders.

Ts Shamsul added that, MGTC strongly supports the organising team’s aspiration to make COPE-BEST a signature annual event under IGEM and to position Malaysia as an ASEAN hub for synergizing energy sustainability best practices and innovation.

He stated that the experiences of the organiser in leading R&D in energy sustainability will be its defining edge.  In particular, he acknowledged their prominent involvement as part of the global R&D community of practice on Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction (PRES) conference that has been established for 23 years, with members from over 60 countries.

Ts Shamsul also acknowledged the organiser’s experience in leading The International Conference on Low Carbon Asia (ICLCA), and their success in driving UTM Sustainable Energy Management initiatives as vital, in achieving the COPE-BEST vision of making Malaysia the hub on energy sustainability best practices and innovations in ASEAN and beyond, and to ultimately steer the nation towards achieving its 2035 carbon intensity target.