Sabah Golfers have just become the greenest golfers in Malaysia, with the introduction of the country’s first solar-powered golf buggies.
Thanks to the collaboration of 2 Malaysian companies, battery operated buggies that recharge with the help of the sun, is now a reality in Sabah.
Many golfers probably never give a second thought to where the power in their golf buggies come from as they zip around the golf course. Most would probably think of the electricity used to charge their ride as negligible.
However, once you consider the numbers of golf buggies at your average golf course, and how often they are used and recharged every day, you quickly realise that the amounts of electricity they consume is anything but negligible.
Having come to this realisation, Sabah-based MB Enviro-Healers (MBEH) hooked up with Penang based Menara Sutera Snd Bhd (MSSB) to explore the use of roof-top mounted solar panels to recharge golf buggy batteries while on the go.
They presented a proposal to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah to develop a prototype to illustrate the benefit of such a design to the public and golf club operators.
Sutera Harbour Golf Club got in on the action after they agreed to avail one of their 2-seater golf buggies as a guinea-pig for the project prototype.
Along with the introduction of Malaysia’s first solar powered golf buggy at Sutera Harbour Resort last week, the proposal was accepted by the Ministry and Sutera Harbour Golf Club.
It is hoped that on the back of successfully illustrating the viability of solar powered golf buggies, all golf course operators in Sabah will convert their buggies to solar power.
Not only will it be good for the environment, MBEH believes, but in reference to last year’s successful protest against coal-fired electricity, it will show the world that Sabahans not only shut down dirty energy, they also put clean energy to work.