Mapping Malaysia's Resource Centres

06 Green Technology and Environmental Malaysia has earmarked green growth as one of six game changers that would alter the trajectory of the nation’s growth, resulting in the inception of The Green Technology Master Plan (GTMP). Malaysia’s GTMP creates a framework which facilitates the mainstreaming of green technology into the planned developments of four pillars set in the National Green Technology Policy (NGTP): energy, environment, economy and social. Green Technology applications are the most logical step forward and the Malaysian Government has a pivotal role in accelerating this by introducing and implementing breakthrough policies. Sarawak’s considerable hydroelectric potential is being developed as part of the government’s Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) programme. A number of plants have come on stream in recent years, including the 2,400-MW Bakun hydroelectricity plant, which entered operation over 2011-2012, while the 944- MW Murum Dam plant began generating electricity in 2015. Total energy from photovoltaic installations is insignificant in terms of its current contribution to Malaysia’s energy mix. However, the pace of development is starting to pick up, with a number of foreign firms showing interest in the Malaysian solar market. The first phase of what will become Malaysia’s largest solar farm has been commissioned. Located in Selangor and run by Tenaga Nasional Berhad, the solar farm will produce 50 MW once at full capacity. Despite the low domestic utilisation of solar power, Malaysia is a leading manufacturer of solar panels and equipment. It is ranked third globally, behind China and Taiwan, for the manufacture of PV cells and modules. According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, solar manufacturing companies generated around RM11 billion in export earnings. The bulk of biomass in Malaysia comes from palm oil plantations. It is used as an alternative source of fuel in cement factories and as the main fuel source for a small number of biomass power plants. Nearly all of the electricity produced from biomass is used by palm oil millers themselves, but the government is hopeful that the construction of additional biomass-fuelled power plants will boost the supply of electricity to the national grid.