CHALLENGES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7i5.859Keywords:
renewable energy, economy, Malaysia, financial, policyAbstract
The purpose of this study is to highlight the challenges faced by the Renewable Energy (RE) industry in Malaysia. This conceptual review examines previous research and articles on renewable energy in Malaysia and internationally, including current statistics, developments, and the status of renewable energy worldwide. The review covers key areas related to renewable energy, including its definitions, purposes, barriers, problems, challenges, principles, policies, strategies, and recommendations. The findings indicate that one of the major challenges faced by the RE industry is the high initial investment cost, which may discourage investors from financing renewable energy projects. Changes and inconsistencies in policies, together with insufficient government initiatives, also present significant challenges to the development of the industry. Therefore, government initiatives and appropriate measures, support from financial institutions and private investors, and cooperation among energy producers are crucial for ensuring the success and sustainable development of RE companies in Malaysia. This study is limited to reviewing and discussing the challenges affecting the RE industry in Malaysia. Future quantitative research is recommended to provide empirical evidence and further strengthen the existing literature. The findings may assist industry participants, including project developers, technology and product innovators, investors, financial institutions, and policymakers, in improving their knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by the industry and the strategies that can be adopted. The study may also encourage greater cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders to improve Malaysia’s existing renewable energy structure and policies and support future policy development. Growing concerns regarding climate change and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have increased global awareness of cleaner energy sources and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts. Consequently, increasing demand for clean energy has strengthened the importance of addressing challenges affecting the RE industry.
References
[1] Basri, N.A., Ramli, A.T., Aliyu, A.S. (2015): Malaysia energy strategy towards sustainability: A panoramic overview of the benefits and challenges. – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 42: 1094-1105.
[2] Bouznit, M., Pablo-Romero, M.D.P., Sánchez-Braza, A. (2020): Measures to promote renewable energy for electricity generation in Algeria. – Sustainability 12(4): 17p.
[3] Christoforidis, G.C., Chrysochos, A., Papagiannis, G., Hatzipanayi, M., Georghiou, G.E. (2013): Promoting PV energy through net metering optimization: The PV-NET project. – Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications (ICRERA), Madrid, Spain 6p.
[4] Curran, G. (2020): Divestment, energy incumbency and the global political economy of energy transition: The case of Adani’s Carmichael mine in Australia. – Climate Policy 20(8): 949-962.
[5] Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (2019): Dam management in Malaysia: Flood risk management case visit by ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM). – Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia, Malaysia 47p.
[6] Eitan, A. (2021): Promoting renewable energy to cope with climate change-Policy discourse in Israel. – Sustainability 13(6): 17p.
[7] Enerdata (2023): Malaysia sets new target to reach 70% of renewables in the power mix by 2050. – Enerdata 5p.
[8] Fisch, M.N., Guigas, M., Dalenbäck, J.O. (1998): A review of large-scale solar heating systems in Europe. – Solar Energy 63(6): 355-366.
[9] Hannan, M.A., Begum, R.A., Abdolrasol, M.G., Hossain Lipu, M.S., Mohamed, A., Rashid, M.M. (2018): Review of baseline studies on energy policies and indicators in Malaysia for future sustainable energy development. – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 94: 551-564.
[10] Islam, S.Z., Othman, M.L., Saufi, M., Omar, R., Toudeshki, A., Islam, S.Z. (2020): Photovoltaic modules evaluation and dry-season energy yield prediction model for NEM in Malaysia. – PLOS ONE 15(11): 25p.
[11] Joshi, D. (2018): Evaluating the performance of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and renewable energy policy in Malaysia. – Penang Institute, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia 48p.
[12] Kandir, S.Y. (2008): Macroeconomic factors and stock returns in Turkey. – Emerging Markets Finance & Trade 44(6): 36-47.
[13] Kardooni, R., Yusoff, S.B., Kari, F.B., Moeenizadeh, L. (2018): Public opinion on renewable energy technologies and climate change in Peninsular Malaysia. – Renewable Energy 116: 659-668.
[14] Luthander, R., Widén, J., Nilsson, D., Palm, J. (2015): Photovoltaic self-consumption in buildings: A review. – Applied Energy 142: 80-94.
[15] Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) (2023): Announcement: GITA Project for Own Consumption is merged with GITA Asset. New applications to be submitted to MGTC. – Malaysian Investment Development Authority 3p.
[16] Nawang, D., Abd Razak, S.F.F., Razak, M.Z.A., Muslim, N.A., Manaf, N.A., Azman, F., Zamri, I.S.M., Arshad, N.S.M. (2021): Challenges and strategies in financing renewable energy projects in Malaysia: A review. – Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal 13(4s): 12p.
[17] Nyholm, E., Goop, J., Odenberger, M., Johnsson, F. (2016): Solar photovoltaic-battery systems in Swedish households-Self-consumption and self-sufficiency. – Applied Energy 183: 148-159.
[18] Oh, T.H., Hasanuzzaman, M., Selvaraj, J., Teo, S.C., Chua, S.C. (2018): Energy policy and alternative energy in Malaysia: Issues and challenges for sustainable growth—An update. – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 81(2): 3021-3031.
[19] Povera, A. (2017): Sarawak Energy completes acquisition of Bakun Dam. – New Straits Times 7p.
[20] Shaikh, P.H., Nor, N.B.M., Sahito, A.A., Nallagownden, P., Elamvazuthi, I., Shaikh, M.S. (2017): Building energy for sustainable development in Malaysia: A review. – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 75: 1392-1403.
[21] Tan, R.H.G., Chow, T.L. (2016): A comparative study of feed in tariff and net metering for UCSI University North Wing Campus with 100 kW solar photovoltaic system. – Energy Procedia 100: 86-91.
[22] Vaka, M., Walvekar, R., Rasheed, A.K., Khalid, M. (2020): A review on Malaysia’s solar energy pathway towards carbon-neutral Malaysia beyond Covid’19 pandemic. – Journal of Cleaner Production 273: 16p.
[23] Wong, S.L., Ngadi, N., Abdullah, T.A.T., Inuwa, I.M. (2015): Recent advances of feed-in tariff in Malaysia. – Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 41: 42-52.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 SENANDRA MARY DAVIDAS, SITI FARA FADILA ABD RAZAK

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.