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Reducing carbon emissions one solar panel at a time
Ian Borg, the minister for transport, infrastructure and capital projects, announced that a sizeable investment has been secured, which will see Malta’s public transport vehicles go electric, as the islands acquired a fund packet from the European Union, as they work towards recuperating from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The €40,000,000 investment will also be contributing to the installation of solar panels on the roofs of a number of public transport vehicles. By means of the hefty investment, the vehicles will effectively reduce the levels of C02 emissions, as well as cut back on yearly diesel expenses. In this way, diesel consumption, on a local level, will decrease by 8-10% on an annual basis.
The 800Wp solar panels, which will be installed on the buses, are expected to produce approximately 1000kWh annually, from CIGS solar cells. Every kWh is expected to save a litre of diesel, or 2.68kg of C02 emissions. Therefore, this could see a reduction of up to 1000 litres or 2,680kg of C02 emissions annually.
“We are striving to fulfil our vision of more sustainable energy and cleaner air in our country, in line with the EU targets for 2030 and 2050, so that our country is at the top of the table in terms of decreasing emissions,” said the minister.
According to Borg, the project is still in its testing state and testing is currently underway, by Tallinja and private company Zarb Coaches Malta, together with Malta Public Transport.
Testing is currently underway, by Tallinja and Zarb Coaches Malta. The latter are also undertaking another study involving PHIL CELL TECHNOLOGY, to purify the air inside the vehicles.
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