There’s presently nothing extra damaging to our planet’s local weather in the present day than the constant burning of coal, oil and gasoline worldwide. Fossil fuels are by far the biggest contributor to world local weather change, accounting for over 75 per cent of world greenhouse gasoline emissions and practically 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions, in accordance with figures from the United Nations.
The important thing to addressing local weather change is to scale back our reliance on power from fossil fuels and embrace renewable power sources.
The worldwide consensus for the power transition has grown – fueled by the more and more devastating impression of local weather change as seen in floods and excessive climate occasions worldwide, particularly in Asia. The area is warming quicker than the worldwide common, with the imply temperature in 2022 being the second or third warmest on document – about 0.72°C levels above the 1991–2020 common – in accordance with statistics from The World Meteorological Organisation.
Malaysia – a rustic identified for its year-round tropical local weather, which brings excessive temperatures, heavy rainfall and excessive ranges of humidity – is particularly affected by local weather change. Floor temperatures in Peninsular Malaysia have elevated by 0.14 to 0.25°C levels per decade since 1970, in accordance with a 2021 research by the World Financial institution and Asian Growth Financial institution. Such excessive temperatures have a much bigger impression in city cities like Kuala Lumpur, that are already 4 to six°C levels hotter than surrounding areas.
There are, nonetheless, developments within the works. In August 2023, the Malaysian authorities launched the Nationwide Power Transition Roadmap (NETR), which outlines the pathway required to rework Malaysia’s power system by accelerating its shift to renewable power.
The NETR goals to extend the nation’s put in renewable power capability to 40 per cent by 2035 and to 70 per cent by 2050, however progress have to be made. In keeping with the Worldwide Renewable Power Company (IRENA), Malaysia’s renewable power stood at 23 per cent of the nationwide put in capability in 2022.
These plans are arguably vital when one considers Malaysia’s present reliance on fossil fuels – coal makes up 21 per cent of the nation’s main power combine, with oil and pure gasoline accounting for simply over 34 and 35 per cent, respectively. This quantities to a 91 per cent dependence on fossil fuels, in accordance with figures from the Asia Pure Gasoline and Power Affiliation, an organisation that represents power producers, consumers, suppliers, and firms within the Asia Pacific area.
The nation must transition to cleaner types of power to satisfy its purpose of reaching web zero greenhouse gasoline (GHG) emissions as early as 2050 and to scale back the depth of greenhouse gasoline emissions because of financial progress by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to 2005 ranges.
Along with steering Malaysia in direction of its web zero goal, the NETR may additionally bolster Malaysia’s economic system by producing inexperienced companies and merchandise, creating new jobs, and facilitating the stream of investments.
“For the economic system, we predict a ten to fifteen per cent uplift in GDP worth from market-creating merchandise which can be high-growth and high-value,” stated Malaysian minister of economic system Rafizi Ramli, on the launch of the NETR at an inaugural Power Transition Convention organised by TNB.
The NETR can even create 350,000 new jobs within the high-growth high-value sector, Rafizi added, and 70 per cent of revenue beneficial properties will stream to low- and medium-income households. That is very important in guaranteeing extra Malaysians profit from the financial beneficial properties of the power transition.
The NETR additionally units out six power transition levers that can allow a simply, inclusive and cost-effective power transition: carbon seize, utilisation and storage; inexperienced mobility; bioenergy; hydrogen; power effectivity; and renewable power. Mixed, they permit the nation to wean itself off its dependence on fossil fuels for electrical energy era and financial progress.
Spurring Malaysia’s power transition
The NETR recognized 10 flagship tasks that intention to catalyse Malaysia’s power transition and exhibit the sorts of know-how and options which can be required to attain it, with TNB to guide three flagship tasks.
One, referred to as “Hybrid Hydro-Floating Photo voltaic” will see TNB intention to generate as much as 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of energy from hybrid floating photo voltaic crops at hydro dam reservoirs. It is going to be developed in 4 phases from 2023 to 2040, with photo voltaic tasks at TNB’s Temenggor and Chenderoh hydro crops anticipated to be accomplished by 2025.
Hybrid floating photo voltaic crops might be put in on the floor of water our bodies comparable to reservoirs, lakes, and dams, and may act as power storage methods by conserving water within the reservoirs throughout peak hours and discharging it throughout non-peak hours. The system goals to generate energy from renewable power across the clock, addressing the difficulty arising from the mismatch between electrical energy demand and the quantity of obtainable photo voltaic power all through the day.
A floating photo voltaic set up at TNB’s Manjung energy plant within the Malaysian state of Perak. Hybrid floating photo voltaic crops have been recognized as a flagship catalyst mission underneath Malaysia’s NETR. Picture: TNB
Trendy applied sciences may also help enhance the effectivity of photo voltaic tasks, famous the APAC managing director of Power Institute, Peter Godfrey.
“There’s excessive potential for hybrid floating photo voltaic crops in Malaysia,” stated Godfrey, including that apart from reservoirs, giant water our bodies additionally exist in lots of components of Malaysia, which may doubtlessly home photo voltaic tasks.
“Linking floating photo voltaic to energy crops can create a 24-hour resolution, for instance by co-firing,” he stated, referring to the method of mixing photo voltaic power with different power sources to generate electrical energy.
One other flagship mission led by TNB underneath the NETR will see it work with Petronas to use hydrogen and ammonia at TNB’s coal energy crops. When hydrogen and ammonia are utilized at energy plant amenities, they may also help cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions and enhance the share of renewable power within the electrical energy combine, as each hydrogen and ammonia might be “co-fired” or used alongside different fuels to generate electrical energy.
“Integrating low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia into Malaysia’s power panorama has the potential to considerably curtail the nation’s reliance on coal,” stated the president of The Electrical and Electronics Affiliation of Malaysia (TEEAM), Ir Chang Yew Cheong.
The third TNB-led mission will see the corporate work with cooperatives, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and state financial improvement companies to collectively develop large-scale photo voltaic (LSS) parks, every deploying 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable power in 5 websites throughout a number of states.“The photo voltaic parks may create the start of a utility-sized mission that may then be linked to the grid,” stated Godfrey.
Long run impacts
The flagship tasks led by TNB ought to ideally be scalable, cautions Godfrey, as this might add a lot wanted impetus to drive Malaysia’s power transition over the long run.
How these options may impression rules and be certain that they transcend being pilot tasks must also be studied, he added.
“If we’re critical about transferring ahead with the power transition, we have to create regulatory change and redesign how our power methods work,” added Godfrey.
The NETR, coupled with TNB’s Power Transition Plan to attain web zero carbon emissions by 2050, may even see the decarbonisation of energy era sources, the event of a versatile and cross-border grid, and the empowerment of cross-sector electrification and prosumers.
To fulfill its web zero purpose, Malaysia should additionally repower coal crops with pure gasoline, leverage hydrogen co-firing when potential, and ultimately retire its coal crops.
However how can Malaysia decarbonise its energy era whereas assembly the nation’s present and future power wants?
As a primary step, subsidies for fossil fuels have to be eliminated, and as an alternative go in direction of a decarbonisation fund, steered Godfrey. “You additionally want the goodwill of governments and insurance policies that encourage buyers from the non-public sector, and for buyers to anticipate an inexpensive return on funding for decarbonisation,” he stated.
Chang of TEEAM added that investments must also be channelled in direction of battery storage methods. “To make sure a dependable energy provide regardless of the intermittent nature of renewables, investments in superior power storage options and grid modernisation are crucial,” he stated.
In his closing remarks, TNB president and chief govt officer Dato’ Seri Ir Baharin Din concluded that TNB will attempt to proceed taking part in a pivotal position in driving Malaysia’s power transition.
“At TNB, what’s necessary for us is balancing the power trilemma, whereas enabling the nation’s financial progress,” he stated. “There stay many challenges in determining the know-how, insurance policies and funding required to speed up this transition. Due to this fact, it is vitally necessary to convey collectively [industry] gamers and policymakers to debate how we are able to ship an accelerated and accountable power transition.”
