12 COVER STORY
@ green | November-December , 2021
Syed Malik Faisal Syed Mohamad
Steve Peters
Is Malaysia ready ?
Malaysian government looks into hydrogen as a new energy source
Datuk Shamsul
Wan Hashimah
David Turner
THE DISCUSSION on utility decarbonisation is not new . In fact , according to the International corporate climate change specialists , the Science-Based Targets initiative ( SBTi ) in 2019 , utility is the most critical sector which needs to reduce its carbon emissions dramatically . The efforts to decarbonise this sector are usually through the adoption of clean power energy .
In one of its sessions , Clean Power New Energy 2021 invited speakers Syed Malik Faisal Syed Mohamad , Steve Peters , Datuk Shamsul Bahar and Wan Hashimah to speak on this issue .
The panel discussion titled ‘ The Clean Power Plan and the Future-Ready Utility - Where are we now ?’ also discussed the implementation of clean power energy and the advent of future utility . The virtual session was moderated by David Turner , Vice Chairman of IPPF and the Managing Director of TPM Solutions .
“ Malaysia has just announced that by 2025 , we ’ re looking at 31 per cent of the energy mix coming from renewable energy and by 2035 , 40 per cent ,” shared Shamsul , the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre ( MGTC ).
He stated Malaysia focused on solar energy as its renewable energy source , but the storage capability remained a challenge in its deployment . As a result , the government had to look into other new energy means , including the minihydropower that Shamsul said had been quite popular and was best deployed at the river basins .
“ What else do we have ? We have biomass . Gas can be stored . We have ocean thermal energy conversion ( OTEC ). That is a big thing because many countries are very much into it ,” said Shamsul , adding that OTEC is quite expensive at the moment , but the energy that comes from the process is ‘ recyclable ’.
Hydrogen is gaining traction
However , Shamsul revealed the current buzzword , when it comes to renewable energy , was hydrogen .
Following his discussions with several industry players , Shamsul shared : “ We ’ re formulating a grand design to come up with the action plans on what needs to be done . KASA and MOSTI will come up with a Hydrogen Economy Roadmap on how to ensure that the utilisation of hydrogen is being fulfilled .”
Wan , the Director of Green Technology Division at Malaysian Investment Development Authority ( MIDA ), then added : “ Even for MIDA , when we look at the new growth area like hydrogen , we ’ re looking at the complete ecosystem for the industry . Not only manufacturing , but we also look into storage , transportation and application .”
Wan shared that the cost of hydrogen was extremely high . She also stated the safety of its storage and transportation must be the first thing that should be addressed .
“ As long as we can reduce the cost of production and ensure the safety during the storage and transportation , the market will be endless ,” she shared , stating that MIDA was engaging with industry players and public universities to come up with the ecosystem for hydrogen .
What else do we have ? We have biomass . Gas can be stored . We have ocean thermal energy conversion ( OTEC ). That is a big thing because many countries are very much into it ,”
– Datuk Shamsul Bahar
Wind energy and waste-to-energy
The Head of Business Development of PETRONAS , Syed Malik , then shared that the industry had done some assessments concerning wind energy . He said , generally , the wind speed in the country was relatively low , compared to other markets . He stated that it was challenging to deploy wind power , but the study on potential areas for its deployment was still ongoing .
“ Perhaps with a new wind speed technology and some initiatives of Feed-in-Tariff ( FiT ) mechanism for wind , for example , it can be done ,” said Syed Malik .
Peters , the Senior Energy Specialist for Asian Development Bank , then shared the waste-to-energy scenario in Malaysia . He said Malaysia had some interesting structural approaches to waste generation .
“ The key to waste-to-energy is supply contracts ,” Peters highlighted .
“ The challenge with Malaysia is it is not like some of the developing member countries which are very high in organic ( waste ). It is not exceptionally high in cities , but in rural areas and small towns , it is .
“ So , having a one-size-fits-all approach to waste management is probably not a great idea .”
Peters then pointed out the notable failure of the waste-to-energy plant like the one in Langkawi . He said the plant was sitting there doing nothing . He believed that this wasted opportunity was caused by the lack of engagements to carry the project forward and strengthen its enforcement . Peters then opined that Malaysia should focus on green hydrogen .
Wan then shared that MIDA offered some incentives for waste-to-energy to companies . She said MIDA also engaged with the State governments as waste management fell under State jurisdiction regarding its potential deployment .
“ For this year , besides solar , we ’ re going to focus more on waste-to-energy and other non-solar projects ,” she shared .
Turner added : “ It is good to hear that there is a lot more focus on renewables in Malaysia now . Malaysia is blessed with many sources of energy , both fossil fuels and renewables . We have the means to move along the energy transition .” — @ Green