Renewable Energy In Malaysia Research Articles

Selection of renewable energy development path for sustainable development using a fuzzy MCDM based on cumulative prospect theory: the case of Malaysia

Malaysia's excessive energy consumption has led to the depletion of traditional energy reserves such as oil and natural gas. Although Malaysia has implemented multiple policies to achieve sustainable national energy development, the current results are unsatisfactory. As of 2022, only 2% of the country's electricity supply comes from renewable energy, which accounts for less than 30% of the energy structure. Malaysia must ensure energy security and diversified energy supply while ensuring sustainable energy development. This article uses the fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making(MCDM) method based on cumulative prospect theory to help decision-makers choose the most suitable renewable energy for sustainable development in Malaysia from four dimensions of technology, economy, society, and environment. The results show that solar power is the most suitable renewable energy for sustainable development, followed by biomass, wind, and hydropower, but the optimal alternative is sensitive to the prospect parameters. Finally, it was analyzed that efficiency, payback period, employment creation, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the most critical factors affecting the development of renewable energy in Malaysia under the four dimensions. Reasonable suggestions are proposed from policy review, green finance, public awareness, engineering education, and future energy. This research provides insightful information that can help Malaysian decision-makers scientifically formulate Sustainable development paths for renewable energy, analyze the problems encountered in the current stage of renewable energy development, and provide recommendations for Malaysia's future renewable energy transition and sustainable development.

Energy transition and sustainable development in Malaysia: Steering towards a greener future

In the evolving landscape of global energy dynamics, Malaysia stands as a pivotal example of a nation actively transitioning towards renewable energy and sustainable development. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Malaysia's energy sector transformation, underpinned by the government's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The objective of this research is to delve into the intricacies, opportunities, and challenges of steering Malaysia towards a greener future, with a particular focus on the shift from reliance on fossil fuels to the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. Employing a mixed-method approach, this study synthesizes existing literature, policy documents, and case studies to examine the current state and historical context of energy use in Malaysia, analyze government initiatives and policy frameworks, explore technological advancements, and assess the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the energy transition. Results indicate that despite facing challenges such as financial investment, technological advancement, and public acceptance, collaborative efforts between the government, private sector, and communities have led to significant progress in promoting renewable energy. The paper concludes that Malaysia's energy transition represents a critical step towards achieving a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation, setting a precedent for sustainable development in the Southeast Asian region. This transition is not only essential for climate change mitigation but also presents opportunities for economic diversification, energy security, and social inclusivity. The study ultimately calls for continued innovation, supportive policies, and international cooperation to overcome remaining barriers and fully realize the potential of renewable energy in Malaysia.

Review of the policies and development programs for renewable energy in Malaysia: Progress, achievements and challenges

In 2022, Malaysia was ranked 28th worldwide in terms of its energy oil consumption. Energy consumption in Malaysia has been predominantly reliant on natural gas and coal in both the past and present. Oil and gas in Malaysia are predicted to be depleted in 14 years due to the high energy consumption, especially from petroleum sources. Thus, the Malaysian government aims to expand renewable energy (RE) in the country's energy mix as an alternative source of energy. As of 2022, Malaysia has generated roughly 2% of its electricity from various renewable sources, which is still far from the initial target of reaching 20% RE penetration by 2030. However, since 2017, RE has started to contribute to energy mix generation. Several policies, including an act, have been implemented in Malaysia to achieve the target in RE, but many challenges and difficulties have hindered the progress. Thus, the present study explored the current status and challenges for RE in Malaysia and discussed the effectiveness of the available energy policies and programs. The outcomes are potentially valuable to Malaysian policymakers, industries and researchers to improve their current practices for achieving the initial national RE target by 2030 as well as to move forward towards net zero emissions by 2050. This study provides a crucial roadmap for Malaysia to achieve its RE objectives and contribute significantly to the international transition towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future.

Carbon Conscious Consumption: Impact of expenditure and renewable energy in Malaysia

This study aims to assess the impact of domestic consumption and renewable energy on environmental pollutants, with national income (GDP) included as a control variable. Employing the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) econometric technique, the analysis spans time series data from 1990 to 2020. The bound F-test and Johansen cointegration tests validate that domestic consumption substantially contributes to environmental pollution. By addressing existing gaps in knowledge, this research provides valuable insights for shaping sustainable energy policies tailored to the unique circumstances of Malaysia.

Study of intention to use renewable energy technology in Malaysia using TAM and TPB

Despite the increase in the usage of renewable energy in Malaysia, the proportion of renewable energy (RE) within the energy mix lags far behind satisfactory levels, at a mere 23% in 2020 compared to the 31% target by 2025 as per Malaysia's Energy Transition Roadmap. The public acceptance towards RE is one of the many obstacles that hinders the proliferation of RE in Malaysia. It is therefore imperative to determine the key factors which shape an individual's intention to utilize RE. In this study, three models are compared and assessed in terms of their efficacy in predicting such behavioural intention, namely the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and an extended model that combines the characteristics of the two prior theories. Partial-least-squares structural equation modelling, finite mixture partial least squares (FIMIX-PLS), and important-performance map analysis (IPMA) were performed on the collected survey dataset with 524 responses. Analyses revealed that attitude and perceived behavioural control are important factors of intention to adopt renewable energy technology, with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in turn being significant antecedents of attitude, whereas subjective norm did not influence intention. Among the three models, the extended model triumphs in terms of path significance and explanatory power, followed by TPB and then TAM. Results show that costs, ease of use and accessibility of RE remain limiting factors towards RE adoption in Malaysia, hence the need of appropriate policies/programmes, such as targeted incentive campaigns, to alleviate this issue.

Comprehensive Outlook on Macroeconomic Determinants for Renewable Energy in Malaysia

Mitigating global warming has been a challenge, and policymakers are responding to this issue by strengthening the commitment to enhance the renewable energy target from 20 to 31 percent in 2025 for Malaysia. However, adopting renewable energy in stages based solely on microeconomic factors, such as the price of energy, is insufficient. Thus, it is essential to investigate the macroeconomic variables that influence the share of renewable energy in Malaysia. In detail, this study introduces selected macroeconomic indicators, including gross domestic investment, domestic investment, foreign direct investment, trade openness, urbanization, financial development, and carbon emissions level, and their impact on renewable energy in Malaysia. The study utilized ARDL (Auto-Regressive-Distributed Lag) estimation based on annual time series data spanning 50 years of observations, beginning in 1971 and ending in 2020. Long-run elasticities show that greater economic development and urbanization increase the proportion of renewable energy. In contrast, increased foreign investment, trade liberalization, and carbon emissions could reduce the use of these clean energies. This paper concludes with a policy recommendation that could assist the country in achieving its goal of implementing a low-carbon, renewable energy-focused state policy.

Social and Ecological Impacts of Marine Energy Development in Malaysia

The excessive usage of fossil fuels in Malaysia is increasing yearly to meet the increasing domestic demands. However, this will impact the environment as fossil fuels will emit hazardous gases into the atmosphere. The development of marine energy in Malaysia is still in early periods compared with China, the U.K, and America. Notably, the impact of marine energy extraction on shallow water regions is not yet fully understood, such as the changes in the topography, the effect on marine life, and the cost of development and maintenance for tidal stream energy. This paper is focused on the social and ecological impact of potential marine energy development in Malaysia. Significantly, this study relies on published data to analyse and identify potential sites for harnessing tidal stream energy. Numerical calculation shows that the coastal region receives higher available energy compared to the deep sea. Three sites are found to be the best location for tidal energy exploration in Malaysia, namely Pangkor Island, Port Klang, and the Malacca coastline. From these three sites, the available energy per year for Pangkor Island is 193.668 MWh, while for Port Klang and Malacca coastline are at 241.66 MWh, and 433 MWh respectively. Apart from the economical aspect, the social aspect of tidal energy exploration is also examined. The purpose of the Renewable Energy Act 2011 and Electricity Supply Act 1990 is to ensure proper legislation for the implementation of marine renewable energy in Malaysia, specifically regarding zones of the ocean, licensing, and installation requirements.

Laws Governing Renewable Energy Production of Malaysia and Canada

The transition of the usage of fossil fuels to renewable energy after centuries of technological and economic support requires a set of efficient legal frameworks. Achieving widespread implementation of renewable energy involves substantial challenges, namely inefficiency of policies, lack of financial assistance, and unsecured economic instruments. Adopting the comparative method and research interviews, this research compares the comprehensiveness of the laws governing renewable energy in Malaysia with Canada. Further, to critically analyze the correlation on the effectiveness of legal frameworks on the production of renewable energy and to provide critical insight into the legal frameworks governing renewable energy in Malaysia. Keywords: law; renewable energy; Malaysia; Canada eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI8.3920

A system dynamics approach to pollution remediation and mitigation based on increasing the share of renewable resources

This study explores the role of renewable energy (RE) penetration in Malaysia's energy security (ES) and its implications for the country's target of 20% capacity in the energy mix by 2025. Renewable energy (RE) is a critical driver of long-term energy security. In 2018, the share of renewable energy in Malaysia's energy mix was 9%, falling far short of the national target of 20% penetration by 2025. This study employs a system dynamics approach to investigate the relationship between RE penetration and correlated indicators from energy security (ES) dimensions: energy availability, environmental sustainability, and socio-economics. The causal relationships between the three-dimensional indicators of ES have been established using causal and stock and flow logic. Simulated results show that energy consumption has increased sharply, while energy efficiency and economic growth have only increased by a small margin with an increase in RE from 2015 to 2020. The energy intensity is expected to rise slightly by the end of the fifth year. As a result, the overall impact is positive for Malaysia's environmental sustainability while reducing its reliance on energy imports and meeting national economic growth demands.

Feasibility Study on Biomass Bamboo Renewable Energy in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan

Feasibility Study on Biomass Bamboo Renewable Energy in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan

An Overview of Banana Biomass as a Potential Renewable Energy Source in Malaysia

Electricity is a vital component necessary to stimulate the growth of a country whereby Malaysia relies upon nonrenewable fossil fuel for much of its needs. Since the 70’s oil crisis, Malaysia has attempted to preserve its oil resources and increase the contribution of renewable energy which subsequently has boosted the rapid increase of renewable energy supply, particularly in hydropower but under the 5th Fuel Diversification policy, the country prioritises to diversify its fuel sources. Banana waste has been identified as one of the potential sources due to its abundance in natural resources in Malaysia for being widely planted in agricultural sector. It has been used by neighbouring country, namely Thailand and also efficiently recycled by developed nations worldwide. This paper will discuss the potential biomass feedstock, and banana plant is chosen for the nature of its abundance, fast growth rate, and disposal after harvest. Conversion from biomass into energy can be done by direct combustion, solid biomass briquette, bioethanol, and biogas. Theoretically, all the methods except direct combustion are viable for energy generation but bioethanol and biogas suffer from compatibility issues with existing infrastructure designed for fossil fuel thus making solid fuel a topic that should be researched further to improve its uses in cogeneration and boilers. Hence, banana biomass is feasible for use as a source of renewable energy in Malaysia.

Life Cycle Cost Assessment of Offshore Wind Farm: Kudat Malaysia Case

The Government of Malaysia has set a striving target to achieve a higher usage of renewable energy (RE) in the energy mix which is currently around 2% of the country’s electricity. Yet, the government intends to increase this ratio up to 20% by the year 2025. Most of the renewable energy in Malaysia comes from hydropower and biomass sources. Meanwhile, numerous studies have been conducted to determine the feasibility of wind energy in Malaysia. Several locations were reported to be economically viable for wind energy development such as Kudat, Mersing, and Kuala Terengganu. This study presents and discusses the whole life cycle cost analysis of an offshore wind farm in Kudat, Malaysia and determines the cost drivers of offshore wind energy developments. It covers the wind data collection and analysis, breakdown of whole life cycle cost structure, and calculation of the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Results showed that almost 67% of the total cost was incurred by the capital expenditure (CAPEX), and around 26% by operation and maintenance costs (OPEX), while decommissioning costs (DECOM) reached up to 7% of the whole life cycle costs. The LCOE was calculated and determined to be USD 127.58/MWh.

A Systematic Optical Sorting System and Food Waste Valorisation to Renewable Energy in Malaysia

Food waste (FW) is an omnipresent phenomenon and there is no exception in Malaysia. Statistics compiled by SWCorp Malaysia indicate that Malaysians typically produce 38,000 t/d of municipal solid waste (MSW), in which FW encompasses about 40 % or 15,000 t/d. To make the matter worse, more than 80% of the FW ended up in open landfills with no energy recovery system, posing a serious environmental concern and energy waste. Meanwhile, the Malaysia Government proposed to reduce up to 40 % greenhouse gas emissions intensity of GDP compared to the 2005 level and realise the renewable energy mix to 20 % by 2025. While the Malaysia Government emphasises on solar and hydro powers as renewable energies, unavoidable FW should be recycled and valorised to renewable biogas and other value-added products as far as possible. Although the Malaysia Government has formulated plans to prevent and reduce FW, most of the FW is still yet to be recycled and separated from other MSW at the source. It is important to note that if FW is mixed with other MSW, it will be contaminated and cannot be recycled for beneficial use. Hence, a simple sorting process is essential to motivate the people to separate FW from the other MSW at the source.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON LEGAL FRAMEWORKS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MALAYSIA AND INDIA: TOWARDS THE COMMITMENTS UNDER THE PARIS AGREEMENT

Climate change has always been an agenda for the international community, individually and collectively, due to global warming and unusual weather conditions. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) believes that the adequate deployment of clean energy can achieve the targets of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Many countries have shown their commitment to decrease their carbon emission levels substantially, and they have done so by resorting to renewable energy sources. Renewable energy generation opens a viable door for climate change mitigation efforts. Both Malaysia and India are committed to fulfilling their obligation under the Paris Agreement. This comparative study evaluates the laws and policies related to renewable energy in Malaysia and India, as these countries progress towards their commitments under the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC). This study operates under the comparative qualitative methodological framework and utilises secondary sources for analysis. Based on the comparative expositions, Malaysia can learn measures adopted by India to accelerate renewable energy development as well as to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, which will prove beneficial to the country as well as in order to comply with international conventions and agreements.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON LEGAL FRAMEWORKS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MALAYSIA AND INDIA: TOWARDS THE COMMITMENTS UNDER THE PARIS AGREEMENT

Climate change has always been an agenda for the international community, individually and collectively, due to global warming and unusual weather conditions. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) believes that the adequate deployment of clean energy can achieve the targets of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Many countries have shown their commitment to decrease their carbon emission levels substantially, and they have done so by resorting to renewable energy sources. Renewable energy generation opens a viable door for climate change mitigation efforts. Both Malaysia and India are committed to fulfilling their obligation under the Paris Agreement. This comparative study evaluates the laws and policies related to renewable energy in Malaysia and India, as these countries progress towards their commitments under the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC). This study operates under the comparative qualitative methodological framework and utilises secondary sources for analysis. Based on the comparative expositions, Malaysia can learn measures adopted by India to accelerate renewable energy development as well as to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, which will prove beneficial to the country as well as in order to comply with international conventions and agreements.

Renewable energy development in Malaysia: Communication barriers towards achieving the national renewable energy target

In Malaysia, the utilization of renewable energy (RE) as in “five fuel diversification policy” has been intensified since 2000 in the 8th Malaysian plan (2001-2005) as an addition to the supply from conventional energy sources. However, the RE goal in the policy was achieved minimally and later continued in the 9th Malaysian plan (2006-2010). At the end of 2010, The RE goal was again achieved minimally. Previous studies have been carried out to understand the influence of technological, economic, social and political barriers to the development of renewable energy in Malaysia, but not much on the communication barriers. Therefore, this paper will thoroughly examine the perceptions and understandings on the communication barriers towards renewable energy development in Malaysia.

A review of available hybrid renewable energy systems in Malaysia

The utilization of conventional sources of energy releases harmful pollutants to the environment causing global warming and acid rain. For that reason, it becomes necessary to use a non-depletable, sustainable and eco-friendly renewable energy as a mean of producing electricity. Malaysia is tropical country rich in resources beneficial in electricity generation as it is in equatorial region therefore it has an abundance of solar irradiance of average annually. In addition, Malaysia’s demand in electricity is increasing to 124,677 GWh by 2020. Therefore, the electricity generation from renewable sources in Malaysia is anticipated to grow in the future alongside the government endorsement due to its clean, eco-friendly and free source of energy which can highly reduce the dependency on oil and gas that emits harmful pollutants to the environment. This paper gives a comprehensive review on the renewable projects and researches in Malaysia, challenges that affect popularity of renewable energy in Malaysia and available and successful renewable energy system in Malaysia.

Analisis Kecekapan Aktiviti Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan (R&D) dalam Sektor Tenaga Boleh Diperbaharui di Malaysia

Research and development (R&D) activities in the renewable energy sector are one of the key elements under the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREPAP). However, renewable energy R&D activities are not considered as one of the key components of the country’s R&D program and it needs to compete with other fields to get the research funding. Although the renewable energy R&D fund received is relatively low, the output from the renewable energy R&D activities in Malaysia is seen as encouraging especially on the research publication, patent, and development of human capital. This means that the R&D activities undertaken contribute indirectly to the development of renewable energy in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of R&D activities in Malaysia based on five renewable energy sources, namely solar, wind, biomass, biogas, and mini hydro using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach from 2012 to 2017. This study used an output-oriented Charnes, Cooper, Rhodes (CCR)–DEA model with the ratio of one output and four inputs. The result of this study indicates that biomass is the most efficient renewable energy resource, while the wind is the least efficient renewable energy source from the perspective of R&D activities in Malaysia. The overall performance of renewable energy R&D activities in Malaysia is good with a score of 69.2% in 2012-2017. The results of this study are in line with the Malaysia Government's desire to develop biomass energy resources, as stated in the National Biomass Strategy 2020 initiative. The results of this study can serve as the basis for developing specific policies or strategies to strengthen R&Dactivities further to support the development of renewable energy in Malaysia.

An Evaluation Of Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Performance In Malaysia

The effort in finding the potential of renewable energy in Malaysia is essential due to the problem of global warming and the rise of energy demand. As time passes, these problems become severe and start to create a significant concern. This study aims to evaluate the performance of wind energy in Malaysia as a step ahead for the application of renewable energy to overcome the problems mentioned above. A software simulation using ANSYS was performed to evaluate wind energy performance by adopting the wind speed profile data for offshore locations in Malaysia. Based on these data, the potential sites for offshore wind energy development were assessed and proposed by the criteria of wind pressure in the rotor, wind velocity in the rotor, and the total power generation. The results show that Kijal, Kuala Terengganu, Kudat and Kota Kinabalu measure the greatest wind energy by the high wind pressure and velocity.
 Keywords: Offshore wind energy, Offshore Malaysia, Wind energy performance

Public Awareness Analysis on Renewable Energy in Malaysia

Renewable energy is growing rapidly and becoming a popular alternative source of energy. Malaysia is looking forward to achieve 50% implementation of renewable energy (RE) by 2050. Sustainable energy development has been related to environmental issues, which can be eradicated by replacing fossil fuels with natural resources such as hydropower, solar, and wind to generate electricity. Public awareness is important towards accomplishing the goal in implementing renewable energy. Thus, this study focused on the survey of renewable energy awareness which was conducted randomly in urban and rural areas in Malaysia. The aims of the study were to identify and explore public awareness of renewable energy based on the respondents’ educational level and area of residence. The perspective on renewable energy by each residential area is related to knowledge and technologies. The survey data was analysed using probability sampling and stratified technique. The results indicated that most of Malaysians realized and are informed about renewable energy which is gradually increasing in terms of sustainability awareness. Therefore, this study is expected to be useful in spreading understanding among citizens about the application of renewable energy by obtaining data on public knowledge and opinions. There were concerns about the environment with 90.3% of the responses showing that the public were aware of the negative impacts of pollution, which indicated a positive use of alternative energy. However, the implementation of renewable energy technologies was not optimised due to the expensive costs involved (98.8%). In achieving the government target, excellent and smart initiatives should be taken to attract the Malaysian public of every level in society by increasing public awareness of renewable energy as well as encouraging the people to adopt renewable technologies in their daily lives and help save the environment.