Malaysia Set To Record Over 2,000 Megawatts Of Re By 2020

By Rosemarie Khoo Mohd Sani KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is set to record over 2,000 megawatts (MW) of energy from the renewable energy (RE) sources by 2020 following two new mechanisms approved by the government, namely net-metering and utility scale solar (USS). Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) chief operating officer Ali Askar Sher Mohamad said the developments surrounding RE had been encouraging since the introduction of the feed-in-tariff (FiT) in 2011, with 400 MW or 40 per cent having been connected to the solar power grid, out of the targeted 1,000 MW in 2015. "With support from the government, we foresee overshooting the 2,000 MW target with these two mechanisms and the existing FiT for energy security in place. "We cannot depend on coal energy which we fully import mainly from Indonesia. Furthermore, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) is fixed, so we have to bring in RE soon, as it is predicted that government subsidies would be reviewed and reduced," he told Bernama. He said this on the sidelines of the ASEAN Busines Forum 2015 session on "Renewable Energy: Sharing of Technologies and Best Practices" here Tuesday. He said the level of interest in investing in RE, particularly on solar PVs, has been encouraging from financial institutions due to proven results. "However, RE sources from the small hydro and biomass sectors are still lacking as there were not many successful stories to spur more investments. "We are working to improve the technology for other RE sources and will engage with various industry players such as oil mills, plantation owners and interested foreign funds, to see how investments can be made to generate more RE resources in Malaysia," said Ali. Meanwhile, SEDA's Chief Executive Officer Catherine Ridu said the net metering which allows consumers to install solar PV panels on the rooftop of premises, will benefit them, as they can net off their electricity bills in generating more electricity during daylight hours. "This is a good mechanism which is likely to start next year and once we have discussed with the relevant stakeholders, namely the Energy Commision and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), on the framework and policies that will be made," she added. She said solar energy now has become the most popular approach of RE usage as it is the easiest variation, compared with biomass, biogas and hydro. "We would like to see the FiT available more for the small time players and individuals. For the bigger players who want to set up more than 1 MW of solar energy, then we suggest they to go for the USS," she said. Ridu said SEDA will continue to look into different possibilities of RE sources, including from solid waste, with many landfills in the country not having been tapped, and with the potential of generating wealth using the right technology. In the process she added, it will reducing carbon dioxide emission and create a cleaner environment for future generations. --BERNAMA