Sustainable Energy Development Authority Research Articles

Performance monitoring as fault detection approach on AC power output of monocrystalline grid-connected photovoltaics system

As per the Malaysian sustainable energy development authority (SEDA), Malaysia has seen a significant growth in renewable energy thanks to the feed-in tariff (FiT) program. However, photovoltaic (PV) systems in tropical countries like Malaysia experience degradation due to technological factors and operating conditions. The effectiveness of PV systems is influenced by geographical location and weather conditions. This research study conducted a comparative analysis between the actual power output PAC_actual and the predicted power output PAC_expected, referred to as the acceptance ratio (AR). The study also assessed the yield and performance ratio (PR) of a PV system situated at the green energy research center (GERC) in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. The actual monocrystalline grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) system versus predicted AC power and AR were monitored over a year, with MATLAB software used for simulating output power based on real data. According to the Malaysian Standard MS2692:2020, an AR value of 0.9 or higher is required for approval in testing and commissioning tests. The findings indicate that most AR graphs fall below this threshold, and the PR value for each month is below 0.75, suggesting a need for significant system overhaul.

Investigation of power quality issues in 14-bus electrical network with high penetration of renewable generation

Power quality issues arise in electrical networks when variable renewable energy (VRE) is integrated into them due to their random and intermittent nature which depends on weather conditions and other factors. The variation of solar irradiance throughout the day affects the energy produced by solar panels and the integration of solar power into electrical networks will result in changes and fluctuations in the voltage profile of buses. Reactive power compensation is required to improve the bus voltage levels of the electrical network to be within the required limits and the optimal allocation of reactive power compensation devices in the network is a complex problem to be investigated for the optimum injection of reactive power to obtain better voltage profiles for the entire network. This research investigated the penetration of variable solar energy into an electrical network in terms of voltage and reactive power flow. A variety of literature was reviewed in the scope of reactive power management in power systems and a gap in addressing the optimal allocation of compensation devices in the IEEE-14 bus was addressed based on the proposed methods followed by discussions of the results in terms of voltage profiles and reactive power flow in the buses. The objective is to produce an output power of higher quality and reliability for the loads so that intermittent sources of renewable energy can be more competent with energy sources such as fossil fuels that do not depend on weather conditions. Integration of methods using compensation optimisation (optimal allocation of capacitors) and volt-var regulation (smart inverter) to improve the voltage profile that was dropped and the fluctuations after penetration of solar power were carried out. A solar bus with variable energy generation was connected to the IEEE-14 bus to study the voltage variations. This was executed by the power flow calculation module to determine the voltages and reactive power in the buses of the network. With the optimum allocation of the capacitors, the voltage levels in all weak buses of the IEEE-14 bus were increased to be between 0.95 p.u. and 1.05 p.u. which was the voltage specifications of the Malaysian Grid Code Requirements. The voltage for every weak bus in the IEEE-14 bus showed a rise of 5.7% from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. With that, the volt-var function was used for reactive power regulation at the point of common coupling (PCC) and a reduction of voltage deviation of 2.828 to 1.3% in the IEEE-14 bus was observed. The average voltage profile of all buses managed to attain a value of 98.99% from 95.673% (with solar power) with the optimal allocation of capacitors and volt-var regulation. The beneficiaries of this project will be the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) which administers the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) which is the Malaysian multinational electrical company focused primarily on the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. The Energy Commission and Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources are also beneficiaries as they carried out a competitive bidding programme for large-scale solar (LSS) known as the LSS@MEnTARI or LSSPV4 to attain bids for the development of around 1000 MW AC of LSS power plants to be operational in Malaysia by 2022. This work will also be beneficial in future research in planning reactive power compensation devices in networks of multiple VRE sources, communication, and coordinated control of smart inverters, and incorporation of these devices for smart grid applications.

Investigating Factors Affecting Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Adoption among Malaysian SMEs

This study investigates the factors affecting solar PV adoption among Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing specifically on manufacturing. The study employed Technology-Organisational-Environmental (TOE) model as a research framework. The study hypothesised that owners’/managers’ technology readiness (innovativeness and optimism), relative advantage, organisational readiness, and government support play a significant role in the adoption of solar PV. Data were gathered from 69 manufacturing SMEs and analysed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings demonstrate a significant influence of owner’s/managers’ technology readiness (innovativeness and optimism) and relative advantage on a firm’s adoption of solar PV. Meanwhile, organisational readiness and government support were not significant predictors of the adoption. The study’s findings can be helpful to policymakers (e.g., the government) and solar authority bodies [e.g., Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA)] in Malaysia to design effective strategies, programs, and incentives to promote solar PV adoption in the manufacturing sector. The study further suggests that the efforts to promote greater adoption of solar PV among firms should be capitalised on its perceived benefits. In short, consistent with the government initiative to promote a more sustainable environment using renewable energy sources such as solar PV, this study offers an insightful perspective to understand the acceptance of this renewable energy solution among the industry players, specifically the SME sector.

Large-scale energy storage system: safety and risk assessment

The International Renewable Energy Agency predicts that with current national policies, targets and energy plans, global renewable energy shares are expected to reach 36% and 3400 GWh of stationary energy storage by 2050. However, IRENA Energy Transformation Scenario forecasts that these targets should be at 61% and 9000 GWh to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and limit the global temperature rise within the twenty-first century to under 2 °C. Despite widely known hazards and safety design of grid-scale battery energy storage systems, there is a lack of established risk management schemes and models as compared to the chemical, aviation, nuclear and the petroleum industry. Incidents of battery storage facility fires and explosions are reported every year since 2018, resulting in human injuries, and millions of US dollars in loss of asset and operation. Traditional risk assessment practices such as ETA, FTA, FMEA, HAZOP and STPA are becoming inadequate for accident prevention and mitigation of complex energy power systems. This work describes an improved risk assessment approach for analyzing safety designs in the battery energy storage system incorporated in large-scale solar to improve accident prevention and mitigation, via incorporating probabilistic event tree and systems theoretic analysis. The causal factors and mitigation measures are presented. The risk assessment framework presented is expected to benefit the Energy Commission and Sustainable Energy Development Authority, and Department of Standards in determining safety engineering guidelines and protocols for future large-scale renewable energy projects. Stakeholders and Utility companies will benefit from improved safety and reliability by avoiding high-cost asset damages and downtimes due to accident events.

The Economic Assessment of Small PV Rooftop Residential Installations in Malaysia Under Net Energy Metering Scheme

Under the Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2.0 Scheme which was introduced by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) of Malaysia in January 2019 consumers could benefit more from installing solar PV on the rooftops of their homes which allow the excess of the generated energy to be exported to the grid on a one-on-one offset basis, instead of at the Displaced Cost as previously implemented under the NEM 1.0. The period of the return on investment (ROI) of the PV installations would depend on both, the energy consumption patterns and the PV system configurations, in addition to the external factors such as weather fluctuation, roof orientations and inclination angles. Generally, a significant saving could be achieved from the solar PV installation in individual homes with high energy consumption and with a big capacity of solar PV systems installations. This study evaluated the economic benefits of small PV rooftop systems in homes that consume less than 600 kWh monthly with PV installation of less than 4 kWp. The period of ROI was evaluated based on the electricity consumption pattern, the electricity tariff billing structure, and the actual generation from a selected PV installation. The ROI payback period of 6.5 to 8.0 years could be realized with the correct sizing of the PV systems. This information could inspire small homeowners to install a rooftop PV system under the currently available NEM 3.0, first to reduce their electricity bills and to contribute to the Nation’s inspiration of the Net Carbon Zero target by 2050.

Prospects and Challenges of Malaysia's Distributed Energy Resources in Business Models Towards Zero – Carbon Emission and Energy Security

For a decade, distributed energy resources in Malaysia have growth as one of the paths in battling with sustainable energy crisis and environmental pollution. Several intriguing initiatives and incentives have been established to encourage the use and sales-side of renewable energy at the distribution consumers. However, Malaysia's distributed energy resources penetration is still at its slow pace, with only 7.6% (excluding large hydropower) shared in energy mix generation. Therefore, innovation in power systems is required to drive the uptake of distributed energy resources. This paper reviews the business model innovation that allows distributed energy resources to participate in national grid services and the wholesale electricity market. Different technical and non-technical challenges with high shares of variable renewable energy in power systems are highlighted, and the current update on compensation scheme, Net-Energy-Metering 3.0 is also discussed. Along with these challenges, stance the prospect of adopting distributed energy resources innovation projects such as peer-to-peer energy trading and virtual power plant in the electricity market. It could further furnish the benefits to a better environmental and power system in terms of carbon dioxide avoidance, grid flexibility and increase revenue for distributed energy resources owners respectively. Through the review, it led to observation that policy and regulatory in Malaysia are the main factors in accelerating the distributed energy resources deployment. Therefore, the abilities and roles of Malaysia Energy Commission and Sustainable Energy Development Authority as a regulator and implementing agencies are crucial in determining the present and future distributed energy resources business model.

DETERMINATION OF SPECIAL PERMIT RATE FOR LARGESCALE SOLAR DEVELOPMENT IN JOHOR BASED ON PLANNER PERSPECTIVE

Over the past decade, the Malaysian government has put its effort into various programmes to promote solar energy in the country. As for now, Large Scale Solar (LSS) is the biggest programme conducted by Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and permitted by Energy Commission (EC). As the large-scale solar does not have any proper guideline, especially in development approval consideration, Johor land administrators have put telecommunication tower development as a benchmark in approving large-scale solar developments that use the Special Permit method. However, the Special Permit fee appears unfitting for the development. Thus, this paper aims to determine the Special Permit rate for large-scale solar development which are profitable to the stakeholders. Its drawback is particularly related to solar radiance, which is the key criterion of site selection to develop the most profitablesite. Selected respondents have been interviewed and the findings have led to a direction to standardise a legal framework for large-scale solar, especially in Johor.

Relationship between installed capacity with total installation cost on solar PV among prosumer NEM 2.0 in Malaysia

Generate energy by Solar PV installation among prosumer, i.e; domestic, commercial, industrial as well as agriculture for self-consumption under Net Energy Metering (NEM) system become more popular in Malaysia. One, if not the only reason, is that day-to-day installation costs are kept at a decreasing rate and this is one of the reasonable ones for future investments and energy savings. By considering this issue, this study is motivated to investigate the relationship between installed capacity with the total installation costs as represented by equipment costs, installed costs, and operating costs. Secondary data was utilized provided by Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia and retrieved from Malaysian Energy Information Hub (MEIH). The data is then run by multivariate regression, which is focused on the random and fixed-effect model. Overall, the findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between installed capacities with total installation costs among all categories of the prosumer in Malaysia. It would be recommended that the policymaker can increase the quota capacity allocation to the prosumer since the costs are at a diminishing rate that led to the take-up rate increase.

Lightning performance analysis of a rooftop grid-connected solar photovoltaic without external lightning protection system.

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority of Malaysia (SEDA) regularly receives complaints about damaged components and distribution boards of PV systems due to lightning strikes. Permanent and momentary interruptions of distribution circuits may also occur from the disturbance. In this paper, a solar PV Rooftop system (3.91 kWp) provided by SEDA was modelled in the PSCAD/EMTDC. The Heidler function was used as a lightning current waveform model to analyse the transient current and voltage at two different points susceptible to the influence of lightning events such as different lightning current wave shape, standard lightning current and non-standard lightning current. This study examines the effect on the system components when lightning directly strikes at two different points of the installation. The two points lie between the inverter and the solar PV array and between inverter and grid. Exceptionally high current and voltage due to the direct lightning strike on a certain point of a PV Rooftop system was also studied. The result of this case study is observed with and without the inclusion of surge protective devices (SPDs). The parameters used were 31 kA of peak current, 10 metres cable length and lightning impulse current wave shape of 8/20μs. The high current and voltage at P1 striking point were 31 kA and 2397 kV, respectively. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 5.97 kA and 5392 kV, respectively.Therefore, SPDs with suitable rating provided by SEDA were deployed. Results showed that high transient current voltage is expected to clamp sharply at the values of 1.915 kV and 0 A at the P1 striking point. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 0 kA and 0.751 V, respectively. Varying lightning impulse current wave shapes at striking point P2 showed that the highest voltage was obtained at waveshape 10/350 μs at 11277 kV followed by wave shapes of 2/70 μs, 8/20 μs and 0.7/6 μs. The high value of transient voltage was clamped at a lower level of 2.029 kV. Different lightning amplitudes were also applied, ranging from 2–200 kA selected based on the CIGRE distribution. It showed that the current and voltage at P1 and P2 were directly proportional. Therefore, the SPD will be designed at an acceptable rating and proper position of SPD installation at solar PV Rooftop will be proposed. The results obtained in this study can then be utilised to appropriately assign a SPD to protect the PV systems that are connected to the grid. Installing SPDs without considering the needs of lightning protection zones would expose the expensive equipment to potential damage even though the proper energy coordination of SPDs is in place. As such, the simulation results provide a basis for controlling the impacts of direct lightning strikes on electrical equipment and power grids and thus justify SPD coordination to ensure the reliability of the system.

Motivations and Communication Effectiveness of Solar Energy Adoption among Malaysian Household Consumers

Objective - This paper aims to explain the motivational drives underlying the use of solar energy and to examine the effectiveness of integrated marketing communication tools in the dissemination of solar PV information among household consumers in Malaysia. Methodology/Technique - Data was collected using in-depth interviews, participant observations, and on-site visits to participants' homes. Sixteen private household consumers who were registered with the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA), and who were located in different regions of several states in Malaysia, were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. The data was then transcribed and analyzed by identifying the themes and commonalities of the respondents. Findings - The findings indicate that there are 4 motivating factors that lead to solar PV adoption. Those are: economic, societal well-being, environmental well-being, and knowledge/cognition. The integrated marketing communication tools found to be most effective include mass media (television), electronic media (including social media and websites) and interpersonal sources. Novelty - The study elaborates on the motivations underlying the adoption of solar energy based on the real experiences of solar PV users. The study also assesses the effectiveness of integrated marketing communication tools used by various stakeholders in promoting solar PV systems based on user feedback. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Integrated Marketing Communication; Motivation; Residential; Solar Photovoltaic System; Sustainable Marketing. JEL Classification: M31, O33

Renewable, local electricity generation from palm oil mill residues : a case study from Peninsular Malaysia.

The potential for generating renewable electricity from palm oil mill residues (POMR) has received policy support from the Malaysian Government for almost two decades. However, uptake of the technology is still relatively low. A significant issue dominating the discussion for many years is how to translate the renewable electricity generation potential from POMR into actual implementation. The research seeks to understand the opportunities and barriers for the use of POMR for a Renewable Electricity System (POMR-RES) in Peninsular Malaysia by assessing the technical, techno-economic and environmental feasibility of generating renewable electricity from palm oil mill residues focusing mainly on empty fruit bunches (EFB) and biogas. A combination of mathematical analysis and simulation using Aspen PlusTM software was employed to assess the technical feasibility of the system. Techno-economic analysis was combined with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to integrate the environmental impact perspective into the POMR-RES evaluation. The results show that EFB has better technical and techno-economic performance than the biogas. Furthermore, the on-site POMR-RES with an installed capacity of 5.70 MW or greater is technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally favourable. The electricity generated from a POMR-RES of this scale is sufficient to meet a mill’s operational electricity demand, the parasitic load of the POMR-RES and provide surplus electricity to the national grid. An economically feasible size POMR-RES are expected to provide: 1. a 20% return on investment (ROI) with five to seven-year payback period (PP). 2. a positive net present value (NPV) with break-even point (BEP) of five to seven-year. The electricity generated in POMR-RES emits 95% less GHG emissions compared with current Malaysian electricity grid average when the emission from LUC is excluded from the electricity generation process. Thirty-five mills in Peninsular Malaysia were identified as having sufficient EFB supply to operate at or above this economically feasible size with the total accumulated generation capacity of 200 MW. This accumulated capacity would account for 25% of the 2020 target for palm oil biomass under National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan. This research provides a positive case for generating local, renewable electricity from EFB that can be used as evidence and practical recommendations for various actors such as prospective investors, analysts, stakeholders, mill owners and policymakers and government agencies such as the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) for efficient and sustainable utilization of POMR. This study also makes a positive contribution towards achieving the national renewable energy target for additional renewable power supplies and as a contribution towards improved global sustainability.

Renewable, local electricity generation from palm oil mills: a case study from Peninsular Malaysia

The potential for generating renewable electricity from palm oil mill residues (POMR) has received policy support from the Malaysian Government for almost two decades. However, uptake of the technology is still relatively low. A significant issue dominating the discussion for many years is how to translate the renewable electricity generation potential from POMR into actual implementation. The research seeks to understand the opportunities and barriers for the use of POMR for a Renewable Electricity System (POMR-RES) in Peninsular Malaysia by assessing the technical, techno-economic and environmental feasibility of generating renewable electricity from palm oil mill residues focusing mainly on empty fruit bunches (EFB) and biogas. A combination of mathematical analysis and simulation using Aspen PlusTM software was employed to assess the technical feasibility of the system. Techno-economic analysis was combined with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to integrate the environmental impact perspective into the POMR-RES evaluation. The results show that EFB has better technical and techno-economic performance than the biogas. Furthermore, the on-site POMR-RES with an installed capacity of 5.70 MW or greater is technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally favourable. The electricity generated from a POMR-RES of this scale is sufficient to meet a mill’s operational electricity demand, the parasitic load of the POMR-RES and provide surplus electricity to the national grid. An economically feasible size POMR-RES are expected to provide: 1. a 20% return on investment (ROI) with five to seven-year payback period (PP). 2. a positive net present value (NPV) with break-even point (BEP) of five to seven-year. The electricity generated in POMR-RES emits 95% less GHG emissions compared with current Malaysian electricity grid average when the emission from LUC is excluded from the electricity generation process. Thirty-five mills in Peninsular Malaysia were identified as having sufficient EFB supply to operate at or above this economically feasible size with the total accumulated generation capacity of 200 MW. This accumulated capacity would account for 25% of the 2020 target for palm oil biomass under National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan. This research provides a positive case for generating local, renewable electricity from EFB that can be used as evidence and practical recommendations for various actors such as prospective investors, analysts, stakeholders, mill owners and policymakers and government agencies such as the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) for efficient and sustainable utilization of POMR. This study also makes a positive contribution towards achieving the national renewable energy target for additional renewable power supplies and as a contribution towards improved global sustainability.

PRIORITIZING OCCUPANTS UNDERSTANDING LEVEL ON RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

The building sector is widely known for its greenhouse gas and carbon emission which is very significant to the global warming as observed in recent years. Many research works highlighted that buildings has a negative impact on the society as it consumes up to 80% of the total energy used during operation stage. In Malaysia, electricity energy consumption in buildings is 63,354GWh out of the total 116,353GWh of total energy consumed in the country in the year 2012. This paper consider the understanding level of the residential owners in their building energy usage at their various residential buildings. Energy use by household varies widely, this is due to the living standard of a country, type of buildings and climate condition of the region. The study is based on the tips and guides to energy efficiency at home of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey form and was analyzed using regression analysis, the results indicates that the occupants have little or no proper understanding of Air-condition, Home appliance and Lighting appliances.

Progress of feed-in tariff in Malaysia: A year after

Malaysia enacted the Renewable Energy Act in April 2011. One of its important components is the feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme—launched in December 2011. The scheme is managed and administered by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) of Malaysia. This paper analyses the impact of the FiT mechanism in Malaysia a year after its implementation; particularly on the installation and economical aspects. First, the history of the scheme is presented before summarising the application process for the scheme. Next, a detailed evaluation on the implication of the scheme is discussed. Some of the key findings from the analysis include: (i) the uptake for renewable energy installations has been extremely high, particularly for solar photovoltaic installation; (ii) the foreign and domestic direct investment related to renewable sectors have increased significantly; (iii) more ‘green’ jobs have been created, particularly in the manufacturing and installation sectors, and (iv) there are plans to include wind and thermal energy in the FiT scheme. It can be concluded that the FiT scheme in Malaysia has produced significant impact during the first year of its implementation. With a proper monitoring by SEDA and more awareness among the people, renewable energy will most likely flourish in Malaysia.