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Towards zero emission round the clock

Renewable Energy (RE) was first introduced as the 'fifth fuel' and an alternative source for the country's power generation in 1999.

The government has introduced and implemented various initiatives, programmes and strategies to support the growth of RE technologies throughout 2001–2020.

Malaysia aims to achieve a higher RE growth from the existing 23 per cent or 8.45 gigawatts (GW) RE in its power installed capacity. Malaysia Renewable Energy Roadmap (MyRER) is projected to increase the share of RE to 31 per cent or 12.9 GW in 2025 and 40 per cent or 18.0 GW in 2035.

The RE initiatives are expected to support Malaysia's commitment to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction under the Paris Agreement led by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Malaysia's global climate commitment is to reduce its economy-wide carbon intensity (against GDP) of 45 per cent in 2030 compared with the 2005 level. Realisation of the government's vision is crucial to support the nation in achieving its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets.

A large mass of GHGs are generated through energy production by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat. Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global climate change (75 per cent of global GHG emissions and 90 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions).

The share of RE in Malaysia remained below the global and regional average.

As at end of 2021, RE accounted for 23 per cent of the national power installed capacity compared with the global average and Southeast Asia regional average of 37 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, gas emissions need to be reduced by almost half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

According to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report, Malaysia's total capacity energy usage attributed only about 18 per cent to renewable and alternative energy consumption as at 2021.

Therefore, considering that the nation's energy needs are growing and will eventually outpace supply, expediting the transition to RE is crucial.

It is a positive sign that the government has recently revised the National Renewable Energy Policy target to 31 per cent from an initial target of 20 per cent RE share in the nation's power capacity mix by 2025.

Moving away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy — wind and solar — comes with their own set of problems.

Based on a study by DNV-GL, Peninsular Malaysia's grid system can technically accommodate until 30 per cent solar penetration during peak demand.

The New Capacity Target scenario involves solar penetration well below the 30 per cent limit within the 2025-time horizon. However, concerns are mounting about some mitigation measures needed when solar penetration exceeds 24 per cent of peak demand.

The system may become unstable in case solar generation reaches maximum levels in very low demand days, thereby requiring measures, such as energy storage.

To overcome this issue, energy storage should be seriously considered. It can smoothen the delivery of variable or intermittent resources, such as wind and solar.

However, storage also supports the efficient delivery of electricity for inflexible, baseload resources.

When demand changes quickly and flexibility is required, energy storage can inject or extract electricity as needed to exactly match the load. Energy storage is an enabling technology, e.g., when demand shifts and baseload resources cannot react promptly, energy storage can be there.

The most recent improvements in global grid scale electric storage are made possible by lithium-ion batteries.

Research firm, IHS Markit, recently conducted a study on new lithium-based technologies and their findings revealed that batteries are unable to store the electricity needed to handle the supply and demand imbalances that are anticipated to arise as renewable energy penetration increases in the future.

Long-term storage problems can only be solved via new methods.

In line with this year's earth day theme "Invest in our planet" and Malaysia's aspiration to be carbon neutral by 2050, it is best for Malaysia to turn around the whole notion of renewable energy and venture into the most transformative technology to date.

Chemical storage is an inception by an Italian startup, known as Energy Dome.

The method stores energy in hydrogen form and is the first step in producing complex fuels that is environmentally friendly and can later be utilised in a generator or engine. Moreover, chemicals are easily stored in comparison with batteries that may also require disposal in the long-term

With more companies joining the RE 100 group and Nestle Malaysia being one of them, perhaps it's time for us to start thinking and modelling the most cost-effective path to a world with net-zero emission.

MyRER by SEDA (Strategic Pillar 4) supports the roll-out of new RE resources post 2025 and explores solutions to maintain system stability under high VRE penetration. Perhaps, chemical storage can be one interesting subject for future research.


* The writer is senior training consultant at Public policy, Project Management and Governance Studies Centre, National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN)

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