**2. Malaysia solar energy information**

#### **2.1 Introduction to solar energy**

Sun is the ultimate resource on earth as it is responsible for all the weather conditions and ESs on earth. Sun emits Solar Energy due to the nuclear fusion reactions in the sun's core and subsequently produces a tremendous amount of energy. However, small portion of it is directed towards earth in the form of light and heat. Solar energy, which correlates to the sunlight's photons has an abundant potential that can fill our global needs if it is harnessed in the right way.

Generally, there are two main ways to harness Solar Energy, which is using either photovoltaics or solar thermal collectors. Photovoltaic (PV) or commonly known as solar cells, comes in various shapes and are made from electricity producing materials such monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and thin film solar cells. When sunlight gets in contact with the solar cells'semiconductor material, they get absorbed and consequently, generate electricity [1]. This conversion is mainly due to the photovoltaic effect. When this effect occurs, the photons from the sun's radiation knocks electrons loose, causing them to flow and thus generate electricity. The initial generated current is the direct current (DC). In order for, this can be stored in the battery and used for DC appliances. To make it useable for regular households, it is first converted to alternating current (AC) using an

*A Comprehensive Review on Available/Existing Renewable Energy Systems in Malaysia… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96586*

inverter. If the system is connected to the grid, then additional electricity is fed to the main supply. The other way of tapping the sun's energy is by capturing the heat produced by the solar radiation. This form of harnessing is usually done in a large scale in such a fashion that power stations are built. These power stations are called Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. The term concentrated comes from a large number of mirrors in the plant which are used to focus the sun's rays on tubes containing molten fluid that can store heat well. The molten fluid then is used to convert water into steam. Subsequently, the steam produced rotates a turbine and thus, generate electricity [2].

In Malaysia, solar cells are commonly used to generate electricity. In 2018 alone, 467344.2 MWh of power was generated based on Malaysia's Feed-in Tariff (FiT) system. Comparing this figure to the other RE, harnessing solar energy comes up on top. Although the nation is exposed to long hours of sunlight daily, the average maximum amount of energy produced per solar cell has an efficiency of 15–20 percent. This efficiency poses an issue whereby not many investors would invest in the technology. A way to overcome this situation in Malaysia is by constructing Large Scale Solar (LSS) power plants. This way, the amount of electricity generated can be maximized. The LSS power plants are not to be mistaken with CSP plants. The main difference between the two is that LSS captures light via solar cells and converting them into electricity whereas CSP captures heat which is transformed into mechanical energy that rotates a turbine and subsequently produces electricity. In Malaysia, CSPs are not developed yet. Having the minimal Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) within the range of 1900 to 2000 kWh/m2/year, is the main requirement to start a CSP project. However, the DNI for Malaysia is below this threshold and it is due to the geographical position of the country which is not situated in high solar insolation zones [2].

#### **2.2 Solar energy in Malaysia**

### *2.2.1 Pajam, Negeri Sembilan*

On 20th March 2012, an 8 MW large scale solar PV plant, developed by Cypark Resources Berhad, was officially launched and operational. **Figure 1** shows the aerial view of the solar power plant. This project is the first-ever completed LSS above 1 MW and operational under the Sustainable Energy Development Authority's (SEDA) Feed-In-Tariff Mechanism (FiT) in Malaysia. The LSS has received two accolades by the Malaysia Book of Records as it is recognized as one of the largest grids connected solar parks in the nation. The land coverage by the LSS is approximately 41.73 acres and it is equipped with 31, 824 solar panels [3]. Being the first of its kind in the country, the RM150 million project has the ability to power

#### **Figure 1.**

*Aerial view of three major Solar Energy Projects in Malaysia. (a) An aerial view of the 8 MW large scale solar photovoltaic plant [8], (b) An aerial view of Mukim Tanjung 12 Solar Photovoltaic Plant [9] and (c) An aerial view of Sungai Siput solar photovoltaic power plant [13].*

over 17,000 households annually. In 21 years from its initiation, it is expected to generate up to RM500 million worth of electricity. This is equivalent to the power generated by 9, 300 tons of coal each year. For the environment, it is capable of reducing 14, 335 tons of carbon emissions and 664 tons of methane gas annually [3, 4].

#### *2.2.2 Mukim Tanjung 12, Kuala Selangat, Selangor*

As of November 2018, the nation's largest LSS has started its operation. The project won in competitive bidding by Tenaga Nasional Berhard (TNB) and subsequently, the project started its development in July 2017. The 10 km of 132 kV power and fiber optic underground cables were connected to 230, 000 solar panels in this plant. This LSS is capable of producing 50 MW of electricity to the national grid. The total cost of this project is approximately RM339 million. The total land size used is up to 242.16 acres. Due to the success of TNB, this project serves as a booster and aspiration in further developing more RE projects in Malaysia. Consequently, by 2030, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry has set a goal to increase the country's electricity usage powered by 20% based on Res [5] Also, TNB's success in this project has led the company to secure RM144 million in developing a second large scale solar project for the country [5, 6] **Figure 1** shows the aerial view of the LSS.

#### *2.2.3 Sungai Siput, Perak*

On 27 November 2018, one of Malaysia's advance solar PV power plant has started its operation. This project began on 16 March 2017 when Sinar Kamiri Sdn Bhd signed a power purchase agreement with Tenaga Nasional Berhad to develop and operate a 49 MW large scale solar photovoltaic power plant which cost around RM270 million [6]. This LSS is situated in Sungai Siput Perak over a land size of 150 acres and is equipped with 170, 961 panels. In this land, the complex mountain topography has posed many challenges for the developers as this would often cause shadows, string mismatches as well as high temperature and humidity. However, the land offers a long duration of sunshine and high solar irradiance throughout the year. To overcome this topographical situation, the developers have integrated Huawei Fusion Solar Smart PV Solution into the grid [7]. This includes the smart PV string inverter SUN2000-42KTL to troubleshoot the string mismatch issues faced in Sungai Siput as well as a PLC technology which helps to deliver a simpler system with safer and more reliable data transmission. As a consequence of using these PV systems, this LSS has obtained 2% higher energy yields and a 50% increase in efficiency compared to other LSS of the same scale. **Figure 1** illustrates the aerial view of the LSS.

#### *2.2.4 Kudat, Sabah*

In July 2017, RM250 million green socially responsible investment (SRI) sukuk has been issued to Tadau Energy Berhad to further develop the current state of RE usage in Malaysia. Also, this green SRI sukuk receives funds for the projects due to its international endorsement and potential tax benefits via deduction of issuing expenses against the taxable income of the issuer [8]. In other words, it helps companies to achieve their corporate social responsibilities. With this cash in hand, the company started to develop a 50 MW solar power plant in Kudat, Sabah which covers up to 189 acres. This LSS is equipped with 188, 512 solar panels. 2 MW out of 50 MW of the available power channels the local Kudat electricity grid while the

*A Comprehensive Review on Available/Existing Renewable Energy Systems in Malaysia… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96586*

remaining 48 MW is channeled into 132 kV transmission line which is distributed through Sabah [9].

## **2.3 Comparing the projects**

Based on the information in **Table 1**, the selected 4 LSS projects can be arranged and compared between one another in terms of generation capacity, number of solar panels, generation capacity per solar panel, land area and project cost.

First, among the projects, the LSS which has the highest generation capacities are Mukim Tanjung 12, Sungai Siput and Kudat. Each of these LSS has a generation capacity of around 50 MW. Subsequently, this is followed by Pajam at 8 MW. The difference in the capacities is based on the purpose of the project. For example, the reason why Kudat's generation capacity is high is that the power generated is used to supply the local villages as the remaining is supplied to the power grid, which is then distributed throughout Sabah [9]. A smaller LSS may not have the same purpose and the demand for electricity in the area may not be as high as areas with more population or activities. Alongside this reasoning, it corresponds as well with the total number of panels. Although Mukim Tanjung 12, Sungai Siput and Kudat have similar generation capacity and project motives, the number of panels used at each plant is different. As seen in the table, Mukim Tanjung 12 uses 230, 000 panels, Sungai Siput uses 170, 961 panels and Kudat uses 188, 512 panels. Coinciding with this information, it can be inferred that the panels which are used in each power plant have different efficiencies. For instance, although Sungai Siput uses fewer solar panels compared to Mukim Tanjung 12 nad Kudat, it is still having a similar power output as the other two. This is because the panels which the LSS has, uses Huawei's Fusion Solar Smart PV Solution panels. These panels have the potential to increase energy yields, maximize the return of investments (ROI) and helps customers optimize initial investments. Also, DC combiners are not needed in these plants [7, 8]. The reasoning in the paragraph is also backed up by the amount of each that each panel can generate. From the table based on the third row, the highest yielding panel to lowest is Sungai Siput at 286.61 W/panel, Kudat at 265.23 W/panel, Pajam at 251.31 W/panel then Mukim Tanjung 12 at 217.39 W/ panel. From here, the quality of the panels used in both Sungai Siput and Kudat are of higher efficiency. Next, the amount of land size used from highest to lowest is in an order of Mukim Tanjung 12 at242.16 acres, Kudat at189 acres, Sungai Siput at 150 acres and lastly Pajam at 41.73 acres. The land coverage is closely dependent on the required generation capacity as well as the yield per panel. If the required generation capacity is low, the land size will not cover over a large area as seen in Pajam.


#### **Table 1.**

*Summary of information of the four selected LSS.*

Also, if the yield per panel is high, the land size needed is small. The last aspect that can be compared is the project cost. This correlates with the land size, efficiency of the panels and ease of installation. Generally, it would cost more for a land of a bigger size. This goes the same for a higher quality panel. In terms of ease of installation, it depends on the safety factors that are given to each component in the power plant based on the land's topography and weather. Some areas could be flat land while some are covered by hills. In Mukim Tanjung 12, since its land size is large, it accounts for the high cost of the project. Subsequently, Sungai Siput's project cost is relatively high as well and this is due to the hilly area which the LSS is built on as well as the quality of the solar panels.

#### **2.4 Comparing solar energy in Malaysia to the World**

In Malaysia, the country's first LSS was developed in 2012. However, it does a gradual impact on the awareness of people on using RESs. Ever since then, more and more LSS projects have been developed and the country has started to see this RE's advantages. Consequently, in the current years, the country has new policies such as the Renewable Energy Transition Roadmap (RETR) 2035 which aims to further explore the possible strategies and action plans to reach the country's renewable target of 20% in the national power mic by 2025. In **Table 2**, the new addition in the panels is around the same value for each year. This is due to the country's reliance on coal and fuel which has also been one of the main sources of the country's economy. As a result, transitioning to another form of ES requires confidence built up by the country. Nonetheless, this issue is slowly alleviated as the awareness of using more RESs has increased every year.

Among these four countries, in terms of annual production in 2018 (**Figure 2**), China has produced the most energy of a figure close to 80 GW. This is followed by Malaysia with an annual production of approximately 15 GW. Subsequently, Japan produced around 5 GW in that year and lastly, the USA has produced half of Japan's [12].

#### **2.5 Section conclusion**

Based on the trends, the number of solar PV additions by each of the countries has plateaued in recent years due to hurdles faced within the country. Considering this, some other countries have been growing in this field including Malaysia. Ever since the first LSS was developed, the country has been developing more projects that is able to harness the sun's energy. Due to the country's accumulative efforts, Malaysia has the potential to become one of the leading countries in solar PV generation given that further research and development is given into this field.
