Barriers in My Life..

When I was in primary school, I was a student who was very active in sports. Ever since I was six years old, I have always been a top scorer in class. It was the sweetest moment in my life when I had been chosen as the best student in my school in the final primary year. At one time I was so preoccupied with the sports and ignored my studies. Even though I was very busy with my sport but I always scored in Mathematics and Science subject which were my favorite subjects but I failed to score well in English subject. The basics of education that I should have mastered in primary school were almost abandoned. Fortunately, upon realizing that the primary school evaluation test was approaching, I was back with the books. The deep understanding in Mathematics and Science subject somewhat helped me to give the chance upon me to focus more in English subject. I had to learn and revise all the previous lessons at the eleventh hour especially English. Eventually I succeeded in the test to get A in all subjects.

Following my straight A test results and my athletic record, I was offered to carry on my studies to Bandar Penawar Sport School which one of the best sports school in the country. I was very proud to be selected to go there because I was one of two students in my state who was elected to enroll there. However, I choose to continue my studies in full boarding school instead. My aim was to study hard but it was such a challenge especially when some subjects were taught in the English language. I was not able to master the basics of the language that was taught in primary school. Perhaps, it was because of my last minute studying. Other than that, I was also joined a more extreme sport which was rugby. My aim to study hard was not realized and I failed again. This continued until I reached the Fifth Form.

However, my involvement in Rugby ended when I was injured while playing futsal with my friends. According to doctors, the ligament at my knee was torn and I needed a long rest. I however, did not heed the doctor’s and my coach’s advice to rest. I continued playing as I thought I should maintain my fitness. This resulted to me not attending the classes for about two months because of that injury and even I forgot most of the lectures in class before. My English became worse and sometimes I felt that I never learnt anything about English. Nevertheless, I used the opportunity to learn and revise all the studies that I have missed. I had to study all the time in order to make up for the classes I had missed as an important major exam named Malaysian Certificate of Education was approaching. My poor time management had a negative impact on me. Sports were supposed to bring a good and positive impact on me, like the saying “A healthy body leads to a healthy mind”. In addition, I could not play many games since the tragedy until today.

For your information, I still face a difficulty in learning as the present medium of study at the tertiary level education is English.

My American Cultural Studies (ACS) Subject Task

Electro Hop – Famous Band

One of the famous band related to this music genre is the Black Eyed Peas.

a)BLACK EYED PEAS - BACKGROUND AND EVOLUTION

The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. Further performances made by both them lead Taboo or his real name Jaime Luis Gómez to join the group. In 1998 they released their first album entitled “Behind the Front” which made them visible throughout the states. After their first success, once again they released their new album named “Bridging the Gap” in the next two years. In 2003, their group became more influential for the joining of Fergie which acts as a flower to the group. In the same year, they released their third album “Elephunk”. Fergie made their album more successful as they emphasize on different type of music in that particular album. As a result, they are well-known throughout the world. At this time, their first single in that album, “Where is the love?” ranked #8 in the U.S Hot 100. Their popularity only took them less than one year to produce their fourth album. “Monkey Business” was officially released to the public in the year 2005. Their effort did not stop there, where in 2009 and 2010 they released two albums in each year. They released “The E.N.D” (Energy Never Dies) in 2009 and “The Beginning” in 2010. Up until today, Black Eyed Peas plays a major role in developing hop-related music and influences much in the music industry.

b) BLACK EYED PEAS – MEMBERS BIBLIOGRAPHY

William James Adams Jr., was born on March 15, 1975 in East Los Angeles, California, better known by his stage name will.i.am(will-i-am) and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer. Will.i.am came to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas along with rappers apl.de.ap and Taboo and, later, singer Fergie. As a music producer, he has produced with other artists including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears ,Rihanna, and Usher.

Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. was born on November 28, 1974 in Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and an African American father and is better known by his stage name apl.de.ap. He is a rapper and record producer and is best known as a member of the The Black Eyed Peas. He studied in Holy Angel University. Apl.de.ap started performing with The Black Eyed Peas at Outside Lands in 2009. Apl.de.ap is working on a solo album.

Jaime Luis Gómez was born on July 14, 1975, in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, the son of Aurora Sifuentes and Jimmy Gomez. His parents were Mexican American, and he also has Shoshone American Indian ancestry on his mother's side. He is better known by his stage name Taboo is a rapper and actor best known as a member of the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas. In music career, he joined The Black Eyed Peas in 1995. His group mates; apl.de.ap, will.i.am, and Robert Byrne were originally in a group called Atban Klann, but changed the name after changing record labels. Taboo is known for his capoeira-inspired dance moves (he is a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do concepts) and an eclectic style of dress. Taboo is in the process of creating a solo album, T.A.B.O.O.

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born on March 27, 1975 in Hacienda Heights, California, better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, fashion designer and actress. She is from Irish, Scottish, Mexican (from a great-grandmother), and Native American descent. She is the female vocalist for the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas with whom she has attained charting success worldwide. Fergie joined The Black Eyed Peas and with The Black Eyed Peas, she enjoyed a series of hits and albums before releasing her debut album, The Dutchess, in September 2006 to similar success. As Fergie's five solo singles and six singles with the Black Eyed Peas have reached two million downloads in the United States, Fergie is the artist with most two-million sellers as of January 2011.

c) BLACK EYED PEAS – DISCOGRAPHY

This is some of the list of their album:
 Behind the Front (1998)
 Bridging the Gap (2000)
 Elephunk (2003)
 Monkey Business (2005)
 The E.N.D. (2009)
 The Beginning (2010)

d) BLACK EYED PEAS – ACHIEVEMENTS

The Black Eyed Peas have won totally 80 awards and they have had 116 nominations. They have won 6 Grammy Awards-(16 nominations), and too many others. They have been nominated in awards like : Billboard Music Awards, Brit Awards, People's Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards Japan, International Dance Music Awards, Billboard Awards, ARIA Awards.

Electro Hop Music Genre

I. Electro Hop – Brief Overview

Electro hop (sometimes called electronic hip hop, electronic rap or robot hip hop) is the fusion of electro, electroclash, electropop, electronica, ortechno with hip hop. The music usually has dancing in mind, however some forms of the music are electronica. The electro hop movement came about after the underground electro movement on the East Coast gained popularity with artists such as Mantronix, Man Parrish, Jonzun Crew, Newcleus, Planet Patroletc. The electro sound was pioneered by Kraftwerk and was further developed by Universal Zulu Nation leader and hip hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa. This style of hip hop began with an underground fanbase based primarily in Southern California; however, today electro hop artists can be found across the United States.

II. Electro Hop - History and Development

The Electro hop movement began and remained prominent during the 1980s. Then, it slowly faded from mainstream throughout the 1990s. As of the late 2000s it has made a comeback and remains very popular with many artists like Kanye West, Three Six Mafia and the Black Eyed Peas. Its most modern form is a mix of hip hop and electro house. Some tracks may be confused with electropop, grime and hip house due to interchangeable and similar styles. Alonzo Williams was one of the early DJs on the West Coast and many consider him the godfather of West Coast hip hop. He helped usher in the electro hop scene. His Eve After Dark nightclub was important to the future of west coast hip hop and was pivotal in creating the careers of Dr. Dre and DJ Yella along with a lot of other west coast hip hop talent getting noticed. By the late 1980s the electro hop movement went into decline as a controversial new hip hop genre was developing on the West Coast: gangsta rap. This was pioneered by Ice-T and popularized by controversial and influential group N.W.A. The Unknown DJ like Dr Dre and Yella would embrace the gangsta rap genre producing for gangsta rap artists such as Compton's Most Wanted, The D.O.C, J.J. Fad, Above The Law and would reinvent hip hop and change the landscape of hip hop forever. Even though the electro hop sound went into decline, the sound became influential in the development of G-Funk and various other hip hop genres. It is also influential to many hip hop producers including The Neptunes. Artists such as Egyptian Lover still perform music today and continue their cult legacy.

Originally, hip hop evolved as a more advanced version of disco music (just as disco was a more 'technologically' advanced version of jazz and funk), incorporating spoken rhymes as the main vocals (otherwise known as MCing). After the collapse of disco and post-disco, hip hop slowly progressed as more of a vocal form of music, very popular amongst R&B and jazz listeners. This led on to hip hop music adopting R&B vocals and vice versa, within the same track of music, hence a new style of (relatively 'underground') music formed called 'Contemporary R&B'. As soon as the new style of R&B incorporated the more beat-based, almost 'robotic' vocal style of 'rap', R&B listeners saw this as more of a clubby, seemingly futuristic edge to the older style.

Electro hop music typically features harsher synthesizer sounds than other styles of hip hop, often utilizing heavily distorted lead and bass sounds, as well as "bleep"-ing square leads and abrasive digital brass effects. Drum sequencing is typically more minimal than other genres, and frequently has characteristic segments where the kick drum stops or is shortened and a march-style snare pattern prevails for 2 or more bars before returning to a typical kick drum-dominated hip hop beat. This kind of music actually has various effects to us human which influents our emotion so much. Sometimes it soothes us, and sometimes it is kind of stimulating as well as entertaining. In conclusion, electro hop music genre is one of the most valuable music genre ever created.

Apa yang Perlu Kalau Nak Belajar?

1. Niat yang betul

Niat merupakan dari segi bahasa bermaksud kehendak hati atau tujuan hati. Manakala dari sujud istilahnya pula, niat bermaksud gerak hati melaksanakan sesuatu pekerjaan dengan tujuan mencari keredhaan Allah S.W.T. Sebelum kita melakukan apa – apa perkara kita hendaklah mempunyai niat yang baik. Seperti sabda Rasullullah S.A.W:

“Sesungguhnya setiap amalan itu bergantung kepada niatnya.”
(Hadis Riwayah Al Bukhari wa Muslim)

Orang yang tidak mempunyai niat yang betul semasa belajar tidak akan belajar dengan baik. Mereka tidak akan mempunyai komitmen terhadap apa yang sedang dipelajarinya. Ramai orang belajar tetapi tidak faham atau memahami apa yang mereka belajar dan kenapa mereka belajar. Setiap perkara yang kita lakukan perlulah berdasarkan niat kita. Jika kita berniat untuk kebaikan, maka Allah akan berikan kebaikan kepada kita melalui pelajaran kita namun jika kita belajar tanpa niat kerana Allah S.W.T sudah pasti kita tidak akan beroleh apa – apa.

2. Mempunyai ketekunan dan ketabahan

Setiap sesuatu yang dilakukan memerlukan ketekunan dan ketabahan. Musuh utama dalam usaha kita mencapai kejayaan dalam pelajaran adalah kebosanan dan kemalasan. Begitu juga dengan komitmen dan minat yang mendalam apabila melakukan sesuatu, insha Allah akan membawa kepada kejayaan.

3. Bentuk sifat ingin mencuba

Keinginan untuk meroka sesuatu yang baru dalam bidang keilmuan akan membentuk sifat kretif dan inovatif dalam diri di samping menambahkan ilmu pengatahuan. Kita selalu beranggapan bahawa apa yang kita tahu adalah benar, sebab kita menerima sesuatu yang baru atau sesuatu yang kita tidak tahu daripada orang lain. Oleh sebab itu kita sentiasa pertahankan apa yang kita tahu padahal jika kita sendiri yang mengkajinya, hasilnya pasti berbeza dengan apa yang kita tahu selama ini. Ilmu Allah S.W.T itu terlalu luas dan kita perlu mengkajinya kerana jika tersilap mengkaji maka hasilnya akan memudharatkan diri kita sendiri malah orang lain juga.

4. Sabar

Dalam menjalani kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar, kesabaran merupakan aspek yang amat penting terhadap pengurusan diri kita. Orang yang berakhlak akan sentiasa sabar dalam menjalani kehidupan di alam pembelajaran. Misalnya, kita gagal dalam peperiksaan atau mendapat markah yang rendah dalam peperiksaan, orang yang berakhlak akan redha dan sabar dengan ketentuan yang telah ditetapkan oleh Allah S.W.T malah akan lebih berusaha untuk meningkatkan prestasinya pada masa hadapan. Sabar merupakan perintah Allah S.W.T dalam kitab suci Al-Quran.

Firmannya dalam surah Al-Baqarah ayat ke-153:

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, mintalah pertolongan kepada Allah dengan sabar dan shalat, sesungguhnya Allah beserta orang-orang yang sabar.” (2:153)

Akhlak? Penting Ker?

Akhlak yang mulia merupakan sesuatu yang amat disukai dan dipuji oleh Allah S.W.T, Rasullullah S.A.W dan seluruh manusia di alam ini sama ada yang beragama Islam mahupun yang bukan Islam. Dapat kita simpulkan disini bahawa akhlak bersifat sejagat. Melalui akhlak yang mulia, kita dapat menjalinkan hubungan kasih sayang dalam kalangan manusia sama ada manusia yang beragama Islam mahupun yang bukan beragama Islam.

Selain itu, melalui akhlak yang mulia juga, manusia tidak akan bersifat riyak dan sombong walaupun mereka hebat dan istimewa. Sebagai contoh, kita lihat sendiri akhlak Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Firman Allah S.W.T dalam Al-Quran Surah Al-Ahzab: 21.


(33:21) لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا


Maksudnya: Sesungguhnya telah ada pada diri Rasulullah itu suri teladan yang baik bagimu (yaitu) bagi orang yang mengaharapkan (rahmat) Allah dan (kedatangan) hari kiamat dan dia banyak menyebut Allah.

Beliau (Nabi Muhammad S.A.W) merupakan seorang rasul utusan Allah S.W.T yang paling mulia di dunia ini. Walaupunn memiliki jawatan yang tinggi sebagai pemimpin utama umat Islam, namun, dengan akhlak yang sangat mulia, baginda tidak memilih untuk bersifat riyak, angkuh dan sombong dengan kelebihan dan jawatan yang ada pada diri baginda. Jika kita menyedari tentang kepentingan berakhlak terhadap diri dan orang lain, sudah pasti tidak ada manusia yang terbiar dengan penderitaan dan kesusahan disebabkan kemiskinan, peperangan, bencana alam dan sebagainya. Ini kerana apabila manusia menyedari peranan akhlak dalam diri masing – masing, sudah pasti mereka tidak tegar melihat penderitaan saudara – saudara mereka yang kurang bernasib baik itu. Mereka akan segera menghulurkan bantuan tidak kisah dalam apa – apa bentuk seperti wang ringgit, pakaian, makanan, dan sebagainya.

Akhlak juga mendidik diri kita menjadi lebih baik dan bersikap positif disamping bersikap terbuka. Misalnya, jika ada dalam kalangan manusia melakukan kesalahan dan kesilapan sesama mereka, ia tidak akan berlaku permusuhan yang berpanjangan kerana pihak yang benar akan segera memberi maaf dan pihak yang salah akan bersegera meminta maaf. Selain itu juga, akhlak mendidik kita supaya menjadi insan yang bertolak ansur serta berlapang dada dengan bermacam – macam ragam dan kerenah manusia dan melahirkan masyarakat yang di antara satu sama lain mengutamakan orang lain melebihi kepentingan diri sendiri.

Kesannya, akan lahir masyarakat yang adil dan bertimbang rasa di antara satu sama lain. Malah tidak akan ada di kalangan manusia yang terasa dizalimi dan rasa teraniaya. Selain itu, masyarakat yang rendah kedudukannya di dalam masyarakat akan dapat dihindarkan dan mereka tidak akan berasa terhina dan dihina oleh orang lain. Hasil daripada akhlak yang mulia, maka akan lahir masyarakat yang hidup aman damai, selamat sejahtera, berkasih saying dan harmoni. Maka, dengan itu tidak berlakulah di dalam masyarakat manusia hal – hal yang menakutkan datang daripada perbuatan sesama manusia.

Sendiri Menyepi..

Hari ini kududuk sendiri menyepi di bilikku. Apa lagi yang mampu kubuat. Oleh kerana bangun agak lewat, kaki ini berat unruk melangkah ke kedai. Buat apa lagi kalau bukan bersarapan, bak kata orang Kedah, "menyorok". Namun begitu, kukuatkan diri bangun mencapai tuala untuk mandi. Badan yang lemah perlu dikuatkan semula untuk menjalani rutin harian seperti biasa.

Kerjaku bermula hari ini. Semalam aku men'format'kan laptopku. Memandangkan laptop aku selalu lambat dan ada butang la tidak berfungsi, aku mengambil keputusan untuk men'format'kannya. Lagipun, aku rasa contents or unneeded file or software dah mengganggu sistem laptopku itu, jadi jalan terbaikku adalah men'FORMAT'kannya. Setelah selesai meng'install' Window 7 Home Premium, aku mula mencari software2 yang penting untuk dimuatkan dalam laptop aku yang sudah 'suci' itu. Alhamdulillah, sume berjalan dengan lancar. Semua butang keyboard sudah berfungsi. Tapi masalah besar muncul pula apabila installer Microsoft Office Pro 2010 tak ada. Aku mula meminta pertolongan dari sahabat karibku, Muhammad Hanif Hazemi. Dialah yang banyak membantu aku selama ini. Tetapi masalah muncul lagi apabila server yang kami masuk diblok seketika kerana terlalu ramai yang memasukinya. Percubaan kami pada malam harinya hanya 'percuma' bak kata orang Indonesia la yang bermaksud sia-sia. Aku mula mendesak 'Kaben' (nama panggilan Hanif) untuk menyelesaikan masalah itu namun masih belum berjaya. Aku mendapat satu pengajaran apabila Karben berkata "Hang ni pikiqkan dunia sangat la". Aku tersentap dengan ayat-ayat tu. Niat dihati hanya untuk bercakap kosong saja tapi ada yang terasa. Ia memberi satu 'ibrah' (pengajaran) kepada aku supaya perlunya menjaga kata2 walaupun kita hanya menganggapnya sebagai saja2 tetapi orang di sekitar kita tidak merasai apa yang kita fikirkan. Aku menghantar mereka ke pintu pagar Kolej Cendana.

Seterusnya, aku melangkah semula ke bilik dengan harapan untuk tidur dengan nyenyaknya. Tapi memang dugaan la dengan adanya laptop disisi. Aku mula men'download' segala software yang berguna untuk dimuatkan di dalam laptopku ini. Untuk muzik, aku tidak lagi mahu berfikir panjang kerana Window Media Player pun dah cukup hebatnya cuma masih tinggal software untuk video clip and movie je belum lagi. Aku mula melayari laman sesawang "FileHippoo" untuk mencari software2 berkaitan. Alhamdulillah, memang tak salah link yang aku masukakan. Terdapat banyak software yang boleh dimuat turun. Apa lagi, dengan tamaknya, aku men'download' hampir kesemua software2 disitu. Kemudian, aku mencuba satu persatu software tersebut dengan harapan aku dapat temui sofware yang paling menarik untuk movie dan video clipku. Setelah beberapa kali mencuba, akhirnya aku menjumpai software yang agak menarik iaitu KM Player. Ok la software yang ini, boleh full screenkan video or movie kita.

Malam pun sudah mula menjadi lebih gelap dan unggas2 di taman mulai menutupi kotak suara mereka untuk bekalan hari esoknya. Mataku berat untuk mengelip2kan kelopaknya dan mati kecillah aku di situ.

Selamat malam.....

My Research Paper

Salam everyone. Actually this is my first research paper that I have made during Spring Semester 2011 at International Education Center (INTEC), Universiti Teknologi Mara Kampus Seksyen 17. Generally, it was about my research on solar system. I wanted to do so because of I wanted to enhance my knowledges about solar. Since I was 17, after SPM, I worked in Shah Alam at an solar energy company. I learnt a lot from the work and now I want to share with you all a little bit information about solar. Hopefully, you enjoy reading my research.. Thank you

~~Solar Energy is Applicable for the Future~~

Can you imagine one day, when you wake up from sleep, you walk to switch on the lamp but there is no electricity. Then, when you are walking out of your home to take the car for breakfast, you noticed your electricity bill in front of your door. You are very shocked to see the notice “The electricity service at your home has been cut because of very high usage.” You feel very frustrated and make your way to the car. When you start the car engine, it does not work because there is no fuel. Life without electricity and natural resources like fossil fuel is nothing and meaningless. To avoid such problem from happening, we should find another source and use them in the proper and right ways. If the resource is used in a sustainable fashion, the energy is consumed at a rate comparable to that at which energy is being replenished. Renewable energy is thus inexhaustible as opposed to conventional sources of energy which have a limited lifespan. One way to encourage extensive use of renewables is to provide greater public understanding of energy systems and energy supply as well as the benefits of renewable resources especially its long term environmental benefits. One example of renewable energy is solar energy. There are three aspects that will be discussed in this research paper, which are the viability of solar energy compared to natural resources from the earth, the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy and the implementation of solar energy in real life.

Nowadays, the world is blessed with a generous supply of conventional fossil energy resources such as oil, gas and coal as well as renewable energy resources like hydropower, biomass and solar. We simply use them from day by day but we should know that, it is not going to last forever because we are already aware of many of our natural resources from the earth have their limits. On top of that, the world's population will jump from 6.5 billion to around 9 billion over the next 50 years. . However, the natural gas, reserves can meet the country’s requirements for only the next for 50 – 60 years, while oil for the next 20 – 30 years. (JBEG, 1999). So, the usage of energy will gradually increase and we should find other resources to replace the raw resources before it eventually decreases and becomes depleted from the world. For instance, nowadays, the modern world is built on oil. It is used to power transport, construction, manufacturing, and food production - our entire economy. The Peak Oil theory suggests that oil production for a given reserve will follow a bell curve. Now, the production for the reserve is rising to a peak, and then begins declining due to the fact that as the oil levels get lower, it becomes more expensive to retrieve, ending up at a point where you have to put more energy into sucking up and refining the oil than you get out of using it.

As we can see nowadays, the use of natural resources like coal contributes to the greenhouse effect and other serious environmental problems. The world is warming faster and faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years and the 1990 was the warmest decade in the past millennium. Climate change will have an increasingly significant impact on the world circumstances, communities and businesses. As the average temperature has risen, we have also seen an increase in the incident of hot days and hot nights, and a reduction in the number of cold days and nights. As a society, we need to reduce our consumption of electricity and fuel and move toward renewable sources like solar energy resource. Currently, the worldwide renewable percentage contribution is about 18%. Rapid development of renewable energy use is mainly hindered by low fossil fuel prices in world energy markets. By the year 2020, the World Energy Council predicts that the contribution from renewable energy will rise to 30%. Again, half of the total growth is projected in the developing nations. However, solar will become increasingly important with comparable contribution to other resources. In the long term, solar is predicted to be the most dominant renewable energy resources.

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that has been used widely all over the world. It can be used in many technologies and day–to–day usages like heat, electricity, transportation and many more. Nevertheless, like all great things the nature has ever seen, there are two sides of the coin. It means that, even though the solar energy brings lots of benefit, it also has disadvantages. Nevertheless, those drawbacks can be overcome and resolved to satisfy and fulfill the folks’ demands. The first advantage of solar energy is that it is a renewable resource. It does not contribute to pollution as it is an eco-friendly and also helps to decrease the harmful emission of the greenhouse gases. It is truly an ever green source of clean, sustainable power. Moreover, there are no emissions from generating solar power unlike most other methods used to generate power and electricity. Solar energy is also clean and does not let out hazardous and harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and etc. which usually electric generation does. In addition, the energy supply from the solar will last as long as the sun continues to shine.

Secondly, the usage of solar energy can save money. First thing first, people will think about the cost because they know that the installation cost of solar system is very high. Actually merely the initial cost of installation is very high and expensive but the electricity generation is essentially free for the next time and onward. As the systems last for extraordinarily long times, you will be producing free electricity the entire time for your home in the future. Furthermore, you will not have to pay your monthly electrical bills. Simply say, it helps to save your electrical service’s expenditure in long–term period. Other than that, the solar energy does not need fuel, thus saving us money as well as the possibility of polluting the environment by burning fuel. There is no incurring cost; once the initial costing is taken care of, it is virtually maintenance free and it is easily expandable. In addition, solar panels can be added according to the requirement for a family or any machine. Maybe, it seems too expensive to be owned by common people but I believe that as the demand rises for cleaner energy sources and new technologies continue to be developed, the prices of the solar power system will continue to decreasing so that people can have a chance and afford to install it at their shelter places.

Besides that, the solar energy can operate entirely independently, not requiring any connections or anything to a power or gas grid at all, so it can be used easily and effectively anywhere. The system can be set up in remote locations, making it more practical and cost-effective than the supply of utility electricity to a new site. So those locations can rely on solar energy even if the modern technologies do not reach out to them. Nevertheless the installation systems depend on design and usage - how much energy that is being used. If the average electricity usage of the certain place is high, it would need a larger solar system design so that it can support the usage. There are two types of installation of solar systems which are Off-Grid system and Grid-Connected system. First thing first, the Off-Grid system is divided into two which are standalone system and hybrid system. The standalone system consists of the photovoltaic array which is built up of a number of photovoltaic panels to make up the peak power capacity, the charger-controller for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery and a battery bank for storing the electrical energy generated for later use. Storing electrical energy makes PV systems a reliable source of electric power day and night, rain or shine.

Another system named hybrid system has the components of the standalone system but with an additional power generating system such as diesel, wind or wave generators. This system is capable of supplying power without interruption since the diesel generator can be programmed to operate at such intervals so as to maintain the battery bank fully charged. Hybrid systems also combine a number of electricity production and storage pieces to meet energy demand of a given facility or community. Meanwhile, the Grid-Connected system consists of the photovoltaic array and inverter. The inverter converts the direct current electricity generated by the PV array into alternating current electricity which is synchronized with the mains electricity so that excess electricity generated at any time is fed into the grid. Basically, this system is connected with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to ensure that the power supply is sufficient without any lacking and problems. In this system, the costumers get electricity supply from both TNB and solar power system. The users cannot only buy, but also can sell electricity each month. When the home requires less electricity that the PV array is generating, the excess is fed (or sold) back to the utility and vice versa. By using this way, the utility backs up the PV like batteries do in stand-alone system thus eliminating the need of battery bank which adds to the cost of the system.

The most notable disadvantage of the solar power system is the extremely high initial cost. Actually the high cost of the system is due to the high-cost semiconductor materials which are used to build solar energy system. The costumers usually have to pay lots of money for the first installation. Since the solar power comes from energy produced by the sun, it is highly dependent on climate and weather pattern. The solar energy is not available at night and also may not be accessible in cases of bad weather conditions. The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of certain components. Besides that, the installation of solar panels requires a large area in order to achieve a good level of efficiency. Nowadays, people assume the solar power system can be used only when the weather is bright. So, they take it as a reason to deny the advantages of using the solar system.

On the other side, I want to aver that the thought is totally false. Generally, the solar power system has batteries to store electricity power and it can withstand almost five days with no sunlight. In Malaysia, solar energy is endowed with more than 10 hours of sunshine daily all year round. Its high level of global solar radiation ranges from 12 MJ/m2/day to as high as 21MJ/m2/day (Zain-Ahmed,2000). It also make up between 30-50% of the total (or global) solar radiation (Zain-Ahmed, 1991). Plus, the solar panel merely needs about four hours to fully charge. Moreover, the solar plate is very sensitive towards sunlight and surrounding temperature. For your information, the ambient temperature remains uniformly high over the country throughout the year. Average ambient temperatures are between 26.0oC to 32.0oC. Most locations have a relative humidity of 80% – 88%, rising to nearly 90% in highland areas, and never falling below 60% (Niewolt, 1981). In Malaysia, the monthly average daily solar radiation is 4000–5000 Whr/m2 with the monthly average sunshine duration ranging from four hours to eight hours (Sopian and Othman, 1992).

Because the energy production method creates environmental and health concerns, it is beneficial for scientists and researchers to investigate and improve the solar energy production that is eco-friendly and cleaner compared to other sources. In addition to reducing pollution, it also can reduce the costs of energy in homes and buildings. There are many application of solar energy is created throughout the world across a range of industries, transportation and communication. First of all, solar energy is an important advance in the effort to save the environment and can be implemented for industrial usages. Most industries operate as usual where the power supply is already available. However, there are some places that do not have access to a power grid or energy is not readily available in some form. In this case, the viability of solar energy is very beneficial and becomes crucial in order to generate energy so that the industries can operate similar to other places. Solar energy has been used since the beginning of time as it was developed and in the 1830’s one of the other solar energy platform had been developed as a solar energy cooker on a safari. Since then, many solar energy applications have been formulated, and almost everyone can take advantages of these inventions. For instance, a couple of years ago, a 1.3 megawatt solar-powered stadium have been built in Switzerland, and then in 2009, Taiwan has built a new solar powered stadium for World Game in July. About 8844 solar panel was installed on the stadium roof where it can generate enough energy to power the stadium’s 3300 lights and two huge television screens.

Apart from that, solar energy is often used for communication purposes. It is consumed to power the stations of telecommunication, radio and television. In Malaysia, solar energy is utilized for a gigantic project, V-SAT Satellite Communication for Bario Airport in Sarawak by Gading Kencana Sdn Bhd, an energy service company. As the number of travelers going to Bario increases, the airport needs to improve and upgrade its facilities to handle more frequent flight. Besides using solar energy for facilities in handling the flight, it is also used to power the telecommunication satellite (VSAT) which provide free Wi-Fi internet access to passengers’ usages and a Nano base station for mobile phone connections.

Other than that, solar energy is also utilized in transportation industries such as solar car, solar boat and solar flight where people created them in an attempt to reduce the use of petroleum, lighthouse signal, traffic signal and the warning light found on the aircraft. First thing first, since the1980s, the development of a solar powered car has been an engineering goal. Some vehicle use solar panels for auxiliary power, such as for air conditioning, to keep the interior cool, thus reducing fuel consumption. In 1974, the first solar flight has been made by the unmanned AstroFlight Sunrise plane. Followed by the Solar Riser in 1979, it made the first flight in a solar-powered, fully-controlled, man-carrying flying machine, reaching an altitude of 40 feet. Other than that, a solar balloon was also created. It is a black balloon that is filled with ordinary air. As the sunlight reaches the solar panel on the balloon, the system operates to heat the air inside the balloon and then expands the air causing an upward buoyancy force like a heated hot air balloon.

Secondly, the application of solar energy can be used in almost all industries as well as in residential setting especially for home usages. Most people have no problem to get electricity and other form of energy for their house but it becomes a burden or difficulty for people who live in rural areas. Basically, rural area is located very far away from the towns or cities that have electricity generation and facilities. It is very hard to supply the electricity to those places because they are somewhat far away hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the nearest cities. So, the best solution for such problem is by providing and installing solar system at those places. Basically, at rural areas, people typically use the standalone, or off-grid, solar power systems which consist of solar panels and a battery bank. Apart from that, the usage of solar energy is not only for the rural area but it is also being used in urban areas as well. In suburban and even urban area, people use solar energy for their water heater. Heating water using electricity can be an expensive undertaking and can cost homeowners a lot of money. Applications of solar energy can help people to reduce their water heating and electricity cost. In solar water system, solar thermal collectors are used to heat water and then solar energy propels the water through the system. Solar thermal applications are the most developed and widely used with the flat plate solar collectors being the most technologically developed (Sopian, 2000). This is much more efficient and has lower harmful effects than using electricity-powered water heater system. A study that was carried out in 1996 estimated that the market growth rate was 15%. It is estimated that by year 2020, about 500 000 households will installed with the system (Singh and Boon, 1996).

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the solar energy has a high potential to become an energy resource and is the best alternative renewable resources for the future. Solar has the potential for significant sustained growth, and solar investment may indeed be, at this point of time, the very best area in renewable energy to invest in. According to Altenews’s conclusions, a solar investment strategy could be multifaceted and include multiple components. Based on the researches, interviews, reasons and views regarding the solar system that I have provided, it clearly proven that solar power industry is balanced to carry on its high annual growth. Various qualities make short-term solar growth likely, and factors such as the end of the solar silicon shortage and sales in new markets may push solar power into the realm of conventional power generation, on par with the oil, coal and nuclear. But again, bear in mind that one day, when the natural resources from the earth has run out, the world then will depend on solar resources for generating power for the future generation usages.

After read my research, what did you feel? I think we should develop the solar energy in our country IF we want our natural resources from the earth to exist in this world. Think back people. That's all everyone. Thank you so much for reading.
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