Dr. Sulaiman Shaari is actively involved in the development of competency and skills in photovoltaic (PV) system applications. He is a leading figure in Malaysia and the region and has significant experience in human capacity cultivation, research, consultancy and expert advice for government and industry sectors, locally and internationally.
Dr. Sulaiman graduated with a Ph.D. specialising in PV systems from De Montfort University, England, United Kingdom (U.K.); M.S. in physics from University of Missouri, Kansas City, United States of America (U.S.A.); and B.S. in physics from the Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.A. Dr. Sulaiman earned his competency certificates from: Renewables Academy (RENAC) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany; Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), Malaysia; New Energy Development Organization (NEDO), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan; and Global Sustainable Energy Solutions (GSES), Australia and Institute of Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ).
Dr. Sulaiman is a certified Master/Chief Trainer issued by various organisations, namely: SUNGROW, Hefei, China; Guangzhou Sanjing Electric Co., China; Global Green Energy Industry Council (GGEIC) Shanghai, China; Malaysia; Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (MPIA, now known as MPSEA); and is Train-the-Trainer accredited by Human Resource Development Corporation (HRDC) Malaysia.
Dr. Sulaiman represented Malaysia at: International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA PVPS) for Tasks 11 and 13; International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) for WG1_TC82; and APEC EWG 14 2015A project. He served as lead trainer-cum-examiner for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) accredited course, organised by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (MEGTW) Malaysia. Dr. Sulaiman also served as Secretary General 2019-2021 of the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA), registered in Singapore, whose members and network cover Australia, Europe and the Americas.
Dr. Sulaiman has completed engagements with various government-linked agencies for projects such as: PV systems design, training, evaluation, tender documents, research proposals and post-project evaluations for PV systems. The government departments involved were: Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO); MEGTW; Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI); the Ministry of Rural Development’s (MORD); Energy Commission (EC); SEDA; Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (PTM); Public Works Department (PWD); and Perbadanan Taman Negara Endau-Rompin; AAIBE committee. Dr. Sulaiman served as chairman of the Working Group on PV (WGPV) for Malaysian Standards (MS) and was in the Technical Committee on Renewable Energy (TC RE).
Dr. Sulaiman served as a Director on the Board of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Holdings Sdn. Bhd.; resource person for CETREE, University of Science Malaysia (USM); Vice-President II of MPIA. Dr. Sulaiman was bestowed with several awards such as: APVIA-2015 for talent cultivation; MOSTI-2013 for PV standards in Malaysia; and various recognitions for products development and activities at the national and international levels.
Dr. Sulaiman has served as Professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and has been engaged by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM); Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) at Gombak, Malaysia; and Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) Malaysia, as Master Trainer/Consultant. He was regularly engaged as evaluator, referee, reviewer, advisor and examiner at local and international programmes at universities/agencies. Dr. Sulaiman has authored many books on competency in PV systems design, installation, testing, commissioning and evaluation for Malaysia and has been instrumental in the development of Malaysian Standards on PV.
Dr. Lim Boon Han is an assistant professor at University of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia.
Upon graduating with Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (first class honours) from the University of Technology Malaysia in 1998, he pursued his PhD directly – majored in Optical Engineering – in the same university after selected by a Cambridge University Fellow Professor from Cavendish Laboratory; he was also awarded National Science Fellowship from Malaysian government to support the doctorate study.
Dr. Lim has been involving in the solar energy research and engineering works for about 20 years, his fields include photovoltaic (PV) technology supply chain, solar tracking, non-imaging focusing technology, etc. He has led more than 40 research projects, built more than 75 sets of solar furnaces and designed more than 40 MW of commissioned solar power plants, including China’s first government-subsidized solar power plant in 2006 which laid the foundation for the subsequent feed-in tariff and incentives introduced until today. He also invented and mass-produced the world’s largest solar tracker with rotating platform of 35m in diameter.
He and his team received “China Top Ten Science and Technology Progress Award in year 2009”, the highest level of science and technology award in China, for the application of NIFH (non-imaging focusing heliostat) solar furnace to purify metallurgical silicon into solar-grade silicon feedstock.
Dr Lim has served at Malaysia University of Science and Technology as well as the University Science and Technology of China. He is reviewer of Elsevier Science: Solar Energy, review editor of Frontiers in Solar Energy and associate editor of Journal of Daylighting.
He is also a member of Global Young Academy (GYA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), International Solar Energy Society (ISES), National Committee of CIE (International Commission on Illumination) Malaysia (MyCIE), and working group committee on Photovoltaic Standards of Malaysia national standards development agency SIRIM.
Dr Lim’s present and future research focus on solar power plant optimization, low cost smart module, building integrated PV system, carbon emission reduction, etc.
Ts. Dr. Muhammad Idzdihar bin Idris is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), and currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Smart Environment (CENSEi), UTeM. In this leadership role, he drives research and innovation initiatives in smart and sustainable technologies, particularly in energy and environmental applications.
He began his academic career in 2010 as a Tutor at the Faculty of Electronic and Computer Engineering (FKEKK), UTeM, after completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering from Hiroshima University, Japan. He was appointed as a Lecturer in 2012 upon earning his Master’s Degree in Microelectronics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He later obtained his Ph.D. in Semiconductor Devices, specializing in silicon carbide technology, from Newcastle University, United Kingdom, in 2018, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2019. He also served as the Research Coordinator for FKEKK from 2021 to 2023.
Dr. Idzdihar’s research focuses on the development of electronic devices, including MOS capacitors, MOSFETs, diodes, and solar cells. His work also explores emerging materials for energy harvesting and sensor applications in interdisciplinary fields.
Throughout his tenure at UTeM, he has demonstrated strong commitment to teaching and supervision, having guided more than 20 undergraduate final-year students and over 10 postgraduate students in various research projects.
In research, Dr. Idzdihar has been involved in more than 20 research grants, securing total funding exceeding RM2 million. His areas of interest include solar cell technology, semiconductor materials, and artificial intelligence. He has authored over 80 journal and conference publications, accumulating more than 300 citations.
Beyond academia, he is actively involved in innovation and has achieved multiple international recognitions, including a Gold Award at ITEX 2020 and Special Awards from Infineon Technologies and onsemi in 2023. He also holds four intellectual properties, including patents, copyrights, and utility innovations.
In consultancy, Dr. Idzdihar serves as an advisor to several companies in solar technology. He holds competency certifications in Grid-Connected Photovoltaic (GCPV) and Off-Grid Photovoltaic (OGPV) systems from the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia. He has also led numerous consultancy projects in the design and installation of solar energy systems.
Malaysian Photovoltaic and Sustainable Energy Industry Association 