A Decade of Transitioning Malaysia toward a High-Solar PV Energy Penetration Nation

Abstract

In the last 10 years, Malaysia has aggressively moved towards a higher penetration of 20% of renewable energy (RE) in the Malaysian energy mix by 2025. Several incentives and initiatives have taken place with the aim of achieving the goals in terms of installed capacity and catching up with the leading countries in these sectors. Since 2011, Malaysia started the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) before introducing Net Energy Metering (NEM) in 2017, and recently, another initiative known as NEM 3.0 has been introduced. This paper reviews all policies undertaken by the Malaysian government from 2011 to 2021 in spearheading the country to be on par with others, especially those in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region. The effectiveness of each policy on the growth of photovoltaic PV energy installation is highlighted, and the latest update on the NEM 3.0 policy is also discussed. A comparison of each approach in terms of installed capacity and system connection setup to the grid is also considered for the benefit and sharing of knowledge from one of the fastest-developing countries in the region.

A bibliometric review of grid parity, energy transition and electricity cost research for sustainable development

“…Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia opted for a net metering framework, while Thailand adopted a self-consumption policy [ 127 ]. Malaysia is an example of a country sticking with the long-term solar energy implementation plan despite policy revisions and is poised to attain grid parity [ 128 ]. Spain also introduced a FiT policy in 2005 [ 117 , 129 ] but discontinued the policy in 2013 [ 130 ] following a successful renewable energy investment by the private sector and a USD 26 billion energy tariff debt.…”

A Lesson of Solar Energy Development in Malaysia and Indonesia

“…As an alternative for the NEM plan, Husain et al, (2021) and Sreenath et al, (2022) informed that the Malaysian government unveiled the self-consumption (SELCO) scheme in 2017. Customers that install PV systems and utilize the generated power for their own needs are covered by this.…”

Survey on solar photovoltaic (PV) technology utilization at residential area at Kampar, Perak

“…The practice of sustainable construction would significantly change if people's awareness and acceptance of it were to increase [28]. To ensure that project activities have the least possible negative effects on the environment, all participants for instance, developers, consultants, contractors, municipal authorities, manufacturers, and buyers have to take part in this program [29]. The government can update the current standards, establish appropriate guidelines for green practices, or enact new regulations to promote sustainable practices like the installation of solar PV technology [30,31].…”