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Malaysia is one of the leading producers and exporters of oil palm, and the industry contributes significantly to the growth of the national economy. Nonetheless, the consequential oil palm biomass (OPB) with a potential yield of ∼97 million tonnes annually presents both challenges and opportunities, demanding innovative waste management solutions. This paper explores the feasibility of converting OPB into valuable commodities by employing concentrated solar-driven pyrolysis. A detailed overview of the biomass produced from oil palm plantations and mills is provided, along with a discussion of the industry stakeholders and associated biomass management challenges. The pyrolysis of OPB is explored, emphasizing benefits, potential barriers, and techniques. The focus then shifts to Malaysia's solar potential, which ranges from 1470 to 1900 kWh/m2 annually. The potentials of solar pyrolysis are explored, encompassing discussions on solar concentrator types, reactors, and the distribution of solar and OPB resources throughout Malaysia. The paper then recommends Tawau in Sabah, as an ideal location for OPB solar pyrolysis, due to its solar availability (up to 1873 kWh/m2), potential OPB resources from 19 mills and 241 plantations, and supportive infrastructure. The paper proposes solar-driven pyrolysis as a sustainable solution for Malaysia's OPB management, offers insights for policy initiatives and technological innovations in optimizing OPB and solar energy utilization. • Analyzes oil palm biomass potential for solar pyrolysis in Malaysia. • Explores solar resources in Malaysia for solar-driven pyrolysis. • Examines solar concentrators and reactors for pyrolysis. • Identifies potential city, as the optimal location for solar pyrolysis. • Discusses commercialization challenges of solar-driven pyrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global depletion of fossil fuels, growing awareness on the effects of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases and, the need for renewable energy, has increased the attention towards biocoke research and active engagement with various research groups and industrial players. Biocoke production and utilisation is crucial as it contributes to the efficient management of agricultural residue and municipal solid waste. The technologies involved in the biocoke production and the viability of Malaysia's agricultural waste as a feedstock was described in this paper. In addition, the paper provided background information about the biocoke characteristics and the feedstocks that dictate quality. Comparisons of commercial coal coke and biocoke production technologies that may be applicable to Malaysia were also addressed. Moreover, the paper demonstrated the challenges towards Malaysia's biocoke commercialisation despite its viability from biomass feedstocks characteristics, availability, and evidence of calorific value estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of solar energy in Malaysia has been started in 1998. This country has a large potential of solar energy due to its location at equatorial region. The current energy consumption and demand in Malaysia is describes in this paper. The potential of solar energy in Malaysia is described together with the suitable photovoltaic construction. It also explains the plans conducted by Malaysia involving solar energy that covers investments and also projects involved such as Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV). Simulation of grid-connected photovoltaic system in this study is performed using HOMER software. Finally, the potential of having a grid-connected PV system in a residential area is analyzed. The positive and negative findings in terms of cost and suitability of the system are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing sector constitutes a cornerstone of Malaysia's economic landscape, significantly contributing to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This pivotal role, however, is accompanied by substantial energy requirements, placing the manufacturing sector among the highest energy consumers across various industries in the country. This study primarily focuses on assessing the solar energy potential within the manufacturing sector. The objectives encompass two key facets: firstly, simulating the attainable energy yield from a photovoltaic (PV) system integrated into manufacturing industry facilities, and secondly, evaluating whether the PV system's generated electricity aligns with the energy requirements of selected manufacturing sectors, namely chemical and metal manufacturing plants. Sixteen companies have been selected from the chemical and metallurgical sectors for this study. The design process for the solar photovoltaic systems within these facilities necessitates determining the factory's location and rooftop area. Additionally, assessing the total savings is imperative to gauge the viability of the solar energy generated by these manufacturing plants. Among the 16 companies analyzed, intriguingly, 5 companies have demonstrated the capacity to fully transition to solar energy to cater to their energy needs. Notably, one of these companies can harness solar power to meet an impressive 179.91% of their energy demand by optimizing available space for solar power generation. This transition could potentially translate into substantial savings exceeding RM1 million in electricity costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Solar is one of the many sources of renewable energy, and Concentrating Solar Tower (CST) is one of the most potential technologies in extracting solar energy. Thermal efficiency of CST is high and suitable to be implemented in a tropical climate country such as Malaysia which is located between at 10 to 70 North latitude and 1000 to 1200 east longitude. Further, Malaysia's direct normal irradiation (DNI) in tropical climate is almost constant throughout a year with the irradiation around 1500 to 2000 kWh/m2. Therefore the aim of this paper is to mathematically calculate the CST field layout in Malaysia in term of thermal efficiency based on cosine efficiency, atmosphere efficiency and mirror efficiency. The preliminary result from this paper shows Malaysia is a suitable location to develop CST with average of atmospheric transmittance efficiency and cosine efficiency of 94% and 63% respectively and the overall optical field efficiency is 52%. In addition, the atmospheric transmittance and cosine efficiency has high value but the efficiency gradually decreases whenever the distance increases. Nevertheless further investigation in term of solar irradiation and raining pattern in Malaysia is needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Malaysia has an abundance of energy resources, both renewable and non-renewable. The largest non-renewable energy resource found in Malaysia is oil, and second, is natural gas, primarily liquefied natural gas. The production and consumption of oil, gas and coal in Malaysia are given in this paper. The energy demand and supply by source are also shown in relation to the country’s fuel diversification policy. In order to reduce the overall dependence on a single source of energy, efforts were undertaken to encourage the utilization of renewable resources. Forest residue and oil palm biomass are found to be potentially of highest energy value and considered as the main renewable energy option for Malaysia. Palm oil and related products represent the second largest export of Malaysia. The total oil palm planted area in Malaysia has increased significantly in recent years. This paper gives a detailed representation of oil palm planted and produced together with its yield from the year 1976 onwards. The large amounts of available forest and palm oil residues resulting from the harvest can be utilized for energy generation and other by-products in a manner that also addresses environmental concerns related to current waste disposal methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Malaysia's framework for energy development was established in the early 1970s. Henceforth, many successive policies were introduced as potential resources for electricity generation and utilization. Currently, as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Malaysia is sparing a number of effort to comply with the policy to meet the challenges of mitigating over-dependence on fossil fuels, reducing carbon levels, and achieving sustainable national development. This paper reviews the baseline studies on electrical energy policies and the measurement indicators used in Malaysia's electric power system. This research involves a comprehensive survey of electrical energy policies in Malaysia that focus on issues pertaining to energy supply, utilization, its environmental impact and considerations, renewable energy (RE) policies, production and consumption, energy efficiency, and feed-in tariffs. Fourteen energy indicators for sustainable development in Malaysia were investigated through the identification of energy policies in significant areas, such as reliability, safety, adequacy and cost-effectiveness of energy supply; increasing energy efficiency; minimizing environmental impact; and enhancing quality of life in terms of social well-being. The policies and the indicators are classified into different sustainable dimensions and summarized in tables along with the corresponding key references. In this study, future energy planning and options, especially in nuclear and RE programs, as well as the conflict between them, are illustrated through the overall performance relative to targets and benchmarks for past and future projections up to the year 2030. This review seeks to examine the past, present, and future policies and indicators to provide a sufficient overview of Malaysian energy policies for optimizing sustainable development. The goal is for this review to lead to increased efforts to accommodate the increasing demand for the management and utilization of RE, promote energy efficiency, and improve performance in achieving sustainable national development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The limited availability of fossil energy carriers and environmental impact of energy consumption demand mid- and long-term strategies both for the rational use of energy and for increased renewable energy utilization. Despite the establishment of the National Energy Policy, there is still an obstacle in reaching those objectives and targets. In the 7th Malaysia Plan for instance, the government has highlighted that a third of the Government''s total allocation of RM469 million for rural electrification programmes under the has been allocated for the provision of solar powered installations for rural and remote communities. This paper outlines a detailed description of various existing solar technologies, the understanding of each technology and its associated challenges, which will provide a suitable basis to recognize advantages and drawbacks in its implementation in Malaysia. The paper finally justifies some of the barriers in promoting the full scale utilization for the solar energy in Malaysia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the energy demand keeps growing with the world's increasing population, concerns have arisen about the carbon emissions that contribute to critical environmental issues. These environmental concerns drive many nations to commit themselves in pursuing sustainable energy resources. Different process integration techniques have been developed to achieve a viable energy planning sector. In reference to the literature review, the use of time-sliced based models in optimization problems is still sparse. Hence, this paper aims to develop a time-sliced based optimization model that can be integrated into energy integration models. With that, a multi-period pinch-based methodology (targeting, scheduling, and optimization) for electric power systems with the hybridization of renewables and fossil-based energy is proposed. The prospective framework is designed to meet the emissions limit, fulfil energy demand, and minimize the electricity bill. An illustrative case study in Malaysia incorporated with an actual billing system is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The results show that it is capable of reducing the total electricity bill by 35% and achieving a 71% reduction of emissions by using solar PV as the renewables. • Three-step multi-period pinch-based methodology for energy planning is presented. • The model incorporates an actual billing system. • Time-sliced based optimization model is developed in the proposed framework. • Optimal emission reduction ratio and storage size are identified as 0.71 and 236 kWh. • The total electricity bill can be further reduced by 35%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The need for renewable energy is a global demand due to both the economic factors and the environmental concerns. Malaysian government has been supportive on the research and development in the renewable energies. Renewable Energy Act (2011) and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act (2011) have been enacted to boost the industry of renewable energy. This paper presents the current status and future prospects of renewable energy in Malaysia with particular focus on the ocean renewable energy. Five types of ocean renewable energy were reviewed including tidal barrage, tidal current energy, wave energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and salinity gradient power. The comparison of various types of ocean renewable energy has been made to present their recent technologies in electricity generation. Tidal current energy is identified as a preferable option particularly in the Straits of Malacca. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to present a review on Malaysia''s national energy developments by looking at various angles in terms of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Energy demand and consumption by sectors are presented as well as the fuel mix in electricity generation. Key energy policies implemented from the incorporation of Malaysia''s national oil company, Petronas in 1974 until the National Green Technology Policy 2009 and a future policy will be addressed. The roles of key players as well as important agencies in energy development are briefly presented. Key programmes in energy development such as Malaysian Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Project, Small Renewable Energy Power Programme and Building Energy Efficiency Programme are discussed as well as successful initiatives from the programmes. Malaysia''s international involvements towards reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions especially Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol are highlighted. As a conclusion, Malaysia is aware of its role in formulating its national energy development policies, sensitive towards the country''s development towards the environment and utilization of energy resources as well as conscientious and responsive towards the call for sustainable development in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy is essential to the way we live. Whether it is in the form of oil, gasoline or electricity, a country''s prosperity and welfare depends on having access to reliable and secure supplies of energy at affordable prices. However, it is also one of the benefits taken for granted by many people, knowing little about the impact of electricity on their lives. Having dependent mainly on oil and gas for half a century, Malaysia has started to realize the importance to adopt renewable energy in the energy mix and continuously reviewed its energy policy to ensure sustainable energy supply and security. This paper examines and discusses the intricacy of the existing and new energy policies, issues and challenges in Malaysia. The overall approach in addressing the energy issues and challenges will continue to focus on adequacy, quality, security and sustainability of both non-renewable and renewable energy supply in the country''s development and the promotion and implementation of its energy efficiency programs. The recently launched National Green Technology Policy is also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: The urge for Electrical Power is escalating regularly at an increased rate due to the internationalization and progression of civilization. However, proper economic consumption of additional energy produced from the Islanded Hybrid Microgrid System (IHMS) that has not been consumed by the load is a major challenge globally. To overcome the above mentioned summon, this research focuses on a multi‐optimal combination of stand‐alone IHMS for Tioman Motel located at Tioman Island, Malaysia with an efficient exertion of redundant energy. To avail of this excess energy efficiently, an electrical heater along with a storage tank has been designed concerning diversion load having proper energy management. Furthermore, the system design has adopted the improved hybrid optimization by genetic algorithms (IHOGA) software for profitable and practical analysis of the designated configuration. Moreover, the optimal size of every module has been tested and analyzed through MATLAB Simulink and stabilized the whole system by representing the values of 1297 and 15 096 kW have been determined as the approximated peak and average load per day for the Motel, respectively. Moreover, the optimized IHMS is comprehended of Photovoltaic (PV) cells, Diesel Generator, Wind Turbine, Battery, and Converter. Adjacent to this, the optimized system ensued in having a net present cost (NPC) of $19.77 million, Renewable Fraction (RF) of 23%, cost of energy (COE) of $0.175/kWh, CO2 of 1 726 825 kg/year and excess energy of 532.26MWh per annum. Whereas, the system involved with the diesel generator lead a COE of $0.315/kWh, CO2 of 6 213 353 kg/year and NPC of $22.12 million. Additionally, this design alone with diesel generator has a higher CO2 emission rate, COE and NPC compared to optimized IHMS. On the other hand, the amount of excess energy is effectively utilized with an electrical heater as a diversion load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]