PENANG, Wednesday, July 24, 2002 (The Star) - The country’s firstspecially designed prototype van, powered by palm oil, is set to roll outand promote itself next month with a roadshow.The van, also a mobile exhibition unit and costing RM200,000, was designedby the Education and Training in Renewable Energy and Energy EfficiencyCentre at Universiti Sains Malaysia.It would display household items which run on solar energy such as arefrigerator, coffee maker, oven, fan and personal computer.Centre director Prof Dr Kamarulazizi Ibrahim said the van would stop at aschool in each state and two technical schools in Ipoh and Kulim.“Apart from being environment-friendly, the van’s exhaust emission smellslike fried burgers or pisang goreng (banana fritters),” he told reportersyesterday.He said the van also housed six exhibition kiosks used to demonstrateseveral energy-saving solutions.The vehicle would also stop at shopping malls to create awareness amongthe public.“We believe that our future generation must be instilled with knowledge onenvironment preservation for sustainable development,” he said.Centre project manager Assoc Prof Dr Fauziah Sulaiman said the van wouldbe among the highlights at the opening of a journalism seminar onrenewable energy and energy efficiency.Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Amar Leo Moggie isscheduled to open the seminar here on July 29.“The seminar is not on science-related topics. Everyone uses energy whichis necessary for our daily routines,” Dr Fauziah said.Jointly organised by the centre, the ministry and the Energy Commission,the three-day seminar would feature the launching of six books on relatedtopics.(The informations and opinions expressed in this article represent theviews of the author only. They should not be seen as necessarilyreflecting the views of Palm News)