V o l u m e

Abstract

M a y

2 0 0 5

( 3 0 - 3 6 )

Future Directions in
Malaysian Environment
Friendly Renewable Energy
Technologies Research and
Development

dies nation wide has to be

studied. Research and deveMalaysia's viable renelopment in the field of renewable energy resources
wable energy have been
are biomass, solar, wind and
conducted by various instituhydro. The agricultural sections of higher learning and
tor generated substantial
research
institutions.
amount of agro-industrial
Funding for such activities
waste. Others biomass
are given by the government.
resources include wood
Funding for research and
waste, biofuel and municipal
K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim,
development in this field of
solid waste. Biomass geneand W.R.W. Daud
renewable energy should be
rating plants are presently
allocated with the objectives
being considered for grid
of solving fundamental proUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
connections. The tropical cliblems and product develop43600 Bangi Selangor
mate and adequate sunshine
ment. Centers of excellence
MALAYSIA
make solar energy as a
in solar, biomass and fuel cell
potential energy resources.
will serve as a platform for
However, due to the predominately diffuse nature of the globringing together government, university, and industry researbal radiation certain technologies are not viable. Solar enerchers to foster the exchange of ideas and to build collaboratigy has great potential to be used in drying of agricultural
ve relationships. A national center for renewable energy
produce and medium temperature industrial process heat.
resources database should be setup since it is important for
Stand alone photovoltaic systems are technically and econodesigners, engineers, architects and policy makers to use the
mically feasible. Grid connected photovoltaic system have
correct data for implementing renewable energy projects.
been demonstrated for its technical feasibility, however, more
Keywords : Research & Development, Solar energy, wind
incentives have to be formulated for its economical feasibilienergy, hydrogen energy, biomass
ty. Wind energy conversion systems have great potential in
tourist resort islands. However, wind energy assessment stu-

1. Introduction

reduce the use of depletable conventional energy sources.

Their combustion products produce pollution, acid rain and
global warming. Conversion to clean and environment
friendly energy sources such as solar energy would enable the
world to improve the quality of life throughout the planet
Earth, not only for humans, but also for its flora and fauna as
well.

The total population for Malaysia is expected to be 28

million by the year 2010. Population is expected to grow at
rate of 2%. Hence, the energy demand is also expected to
increase in Malaysia since energy has become an integral part
of the development for Malaysia. Energy is required in
almost all aspect of every day life including agricultural,
drinking water, lighting health care, telecommunication, and
industrial activities. Presently, the demand of energy is met
by fossil fuels (i.e. coal petroleum and natural gas). However,
the world fossil fuel production, beginning with petroleum
and natural gas, will soon start to decline. In the seventies,
the oil crisis forced many to look for alternative renewable
energy sources and in the nineties, the global environmental
concerns created the awareness to use clean energy.
Moreover, the use of fossil fuels have many side effects. The
last thirty years has catapulted the search for a clean and renewable energy in order to keep the environment clean and to

Renewable energy sources, such as biomass, solar, ocean

thermal, wind, currents, tides, waves, geothermal etc., are
being considered as possible sources of energy to meet these
challenges. Biomass, solar energy and wind energy for instants are the worlds most abundant permanent source of
energy and are also an important and environmentally compatible sources of renewable energy. The paper presents the
future direction in renewable energy research and development in Malaysia. The present status of renewable energy
research and proposed projects and centers of excellence in
renewable energy are presented.

30

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)

2. Status of Research and Development in

Renewable Energy

project between UTM and UKM amounting to RM 4 million.

A project on the development of high voltage rechargeable
lithium-ion battery for electric vehicle application has been
approved to SIRIM amounting to RM712,000. A project
amounting to RM909,000 for the development of the solar
car have been approved for UTM. In addition, a project for
the fabrication of high efficiency solar cell has been approved
for USM amounting to RM 851,000. However, in the 8th
Malaysia Plan only the PEMFC and the advanced battery
projects have been considered for approval to an undisclosed
amount under the prioritized research (PR) of the IRPA
grant.. The other projects have not been successful in obtaining further research grants. The main reason for this is that
energy has not been seen to be is an important area in the
IRPA strategic research (SR) and prioritized research (PR).
Most energy related areas are listed under the experimental
and applied (EA) research areas.

Overview of National Research and

Development
Research and development promote and support the production of high quality, up-to-date and relevant output, products and services for citizens, business companies and other
organizations. Research and development also play an important role in understanding, explaining, predicting social and
economic changes, generating new concepts and frames of
interpretation. It also has a crucial and important part in the on
going efforts to further improve production processes, to raise
the quality standards of products and services and to cut costs
through the introduction of new and innovative methods.
The sources of funding for R&D in Malaysia are (a) IRPA
(Intensification of Research in Priority Areas) Funds, (b)
Industrial Research and Development Grant Schemed (IGS),
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Research and Development
Grant Scheme (MGS), Demonstrator Application Grant
Scheme (DAGS), MTDC (Malaysia Technology Development
Corporation) CRDF (Commercialization of Research and
Development Fund) and TAF (Technology Acquisition Fund),
Human Resource Development Scheme (HRDS) and ITAF
(Industrial Technical Assistance Fund). The main areas of
research are agricultural sciences, marine sciences, biological
sciences, social sciences, engineering sciences, physical
sciences, applied sciences and technologies, medical and health
sciences, information, computer and communication technologies, earth sciences, material sciences and chemical sciences.

Figure 1 shows the allocation of research funding for

various research institutions in the field of renewable energy.
Leading he way is UTM with a total of RM6.98 million followed by UKM, UPM, and USM with total funding of RM3.7
million, RM 1.7 million and RM1.3 million respectively.
Table 1 shows the detail allocation of funding for the renewable energy projects. The projects have been further subdivided into various renewable energy resources. Research in
the use of solar energy technologies can be divided into solar
thermal and solar photovoltaics. Development in solar thermal technologies include fabrication and testing of solar thermal system for high temperature applications, peripheral daylighting, core daylighting using fibre optics, and innovative
solar assisted drying system for agricultural produce and
medical herbs. Others include alternative low cost materials
for the absorber plates for solar hot water heaters and innovative design in solar collector with integrated storage system.

The IRPA programme supports R&D activities in the

public sector on areas that address the need of Malaysia
industry for the enhancement of the national socio-economic
position. Under the 7th Malaysia Plan (1996 2000) the allocation for R&D was RM1 billion. RM100 has been allocated
to IGS where 16 projects amounting to RM 30 million were
approved, RM100million for MGS where a sum of RM5.5
million was approved for four projects and RM50 million for
DAGS. The allocation for R&D has been increased to 1.5 billion in the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001 2005).

Research and development in photovoltaic include simulation studies, solar cell fabrication, inverter design and performance of grid-connected systems. Some of the work for
example the grid-connected system has been the pioneer in
studying the performance under the Malaysian climate conditions. The system is located in the Solar Energy Research
Park, UKM. Presently, there are six experimental grid
connected photovoltaic systems in Malaysia.
IRPA Funding (RM)

Research and Development in Renewable Energy

under the IRPA Energy Sector
A total number of 102 energy R & D projects amounting
to RM 31.83 million under the IRPA in the 7th Malaysia Plan
have been approved from 1996 up to cycle 1 year 1999. Out
of the 102 energy projects, a total of 33 renewable energy
projects amounting to RM 15.8 million have granted during
the same period. In terms of funding almost half of the funds
has been allocated to renewable energy projects. However, in
terms of number of projects it represented only a third of the
approved energy projects. The reason for this has been that
the funding for some renewable energy projects cost more
than RM 1 million. The pioneering solar bowl project of
UPM cost more than RM 1.2 million. The cost of the solar
furnace projects in UTM cost more than RM 1.9 million.
Another pioneering work was the development of the proton
exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was a joint research

8,000,000

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0
UPM

UKM

UTM

SIRIM

FRIM

USM

Universities and Research Institutions

Figure 1 Allocation of IRPA funding for R&D in

Renewable Energy (IRPA RM7)

31

UM

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)
5,000,000

IRPA Funding (RM)

Research in the utilization of biomass includes development of incinerator technologies such as fluidized bed combustion system, pyrolysis and gasification. Most of the
research in biomass concentrated on the oil palm solid wastes
as alternative fuels. The research on wind energy technology
focuses on a new design for low wind speed. Hydrogen is the
future fuel and research on hydrogen production concentrated
on the production of hydrogen using the photoelectrochemical cell. Figure 2 shows the specific renewable energy field
of research with the amount of IRPA funding.

1,000,000

0
Fuel Cell and
Hydrogen
Production

Biomass

Solar Thermal Solar Thermal

(High
(Low
temperature)
Temperature)

Solar
Photovoltaic

Biomass

Advanced
Batteries

Wind Energy
Conversion

Figure 2 Allocation of IRPA funding for specific renewable

R&D projects (IRPA RM7)

The term "biomass" means any plant derived organic matter available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood wastes and residues,
aquatic plants, animal wastes, municipal wastes, and other
waste materials. There are five major sectors that wastes
contribute to biomass energy in Malaysia; Oil palm cultivation, forestry (wood), rubber cultivation, paddy cultivation,
animal farming and urban wastes. In addition to that, several
sectors have been studied in the same reference. They are
coconut cultivation, cocoa cultivation and sugarcane cultivation. Table 1 shows the estimation of the energy productivity
and biomass production and utilisation.

Oil Palms

3,000,000

2,000,000

3. Future Directions in Research and

Development

Crops/
Activities

4,000,000

There are strong reasons for selecting biomass as the first

of the renewable energy sources to be developed for largescale application. Some of these are : (i) availability of biomass resources in abundant supply, especially in the palm oil
industry; (ii) availability of clean technology for power generation from biomass; (iii) availability of working experience
in using biomass for heat and power generation in the country. The palm oil industry has had more than forty years of
experience in operating biomass cogeneration systems; (iv)
application of biomass power generating system contributes
zero net carbon loading to the atmosphere. This is because the
mass of biomass used in power generation must be balanced
by the mass of new biomass growth in
Table 1. Estimation of the energy productivity
order to sustain the system. Looked at
and biomass production and utilisation [1]
from another angle, the mass of carbon
released to the atmosphere will be comEnergy
Current Annual Amount
Current Annual Energy
pletely absorbed by new plant growth
Productivity Used for Energy Purposes
Potential of Unutilised
which will be needed for fuel in the
(boe/ha/yr)
(million boe)
Biomass (million boe)
future. Hence biomass power generation system is in principle environmen23.609 Pruned fronds
77.665
88.7
Fruit shells
tally benign. Moreover, handling tech13.630 EFB
11.444
Fruit fibres
nologies, collection logistics and infra0.022 Effluents
2.928
Effluents
structure are important aspects of the
12.94
Replanting wastes
biomass resource supply chain.

Rubber trees

29.5

Paddy plants

11.54

Coconut trees

28.21

Cocoa trees

80.33

Sugarcane

54.9

Wood

4.967 Wood
Effluents
- Risk husks
Rice straws

Fronds
Shells

1.578 Fronds
0.785
Pruning wastes
Pod husks
Replanting wastes

Bagasse

Logging

Timber
processing

Sawdust
& waste

3.707
0.210
1.025
2.541
0.164

16.850
0.085
0.630

0.421 Leaves and tops

0.298

Residues

19.060

Tree bark &

3.733 Sawdust

32

1.0

Among the renewable energy

resources available in the country, biomass is perhaps the most understood. In
the palm oil industry the use of biomass
for heat and power generation is widespread. In the wood and furniture industry demonstration projects have been
successfully applied under the ASEANEC COGEN Programme. Feasibility
studies have been carried out on municipal solid wastes and land fill gas.
These demonstration projects and feasibility studies have shown positive
results. Hence there is no doubt that biomass as a renewable energy source
should be given top priority.

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)

Table 2: Livestock waste production in 1994 [2]

Biopower technologies are proven electricity generation options. All of today's capacity is
based on mature direct-combustion technology.
Animal
Population
Weight of
Waste (kg) Waste produced
animal
per kg of
Future efficiency improvements will include co(kg)
body weight
firing of biomass in existing coal fired boilers
Tons/day %
and the introduction of high-efficiency gasifica11 192 39.0
Cattle/beef
595 319
200
0.094
tion combined-cycle systems, fuel cell systems,
1 052
3.7
Dairy
76 227
300
0.046
and modular systems. A variety of fuels can be
3
023
10.5
made from biomass resources, including the
Buffalo
107 181
300
0.094
liquid fuels ethanol, methanol, biodiesel,
232
0.8
Goat
258 239
25
0.036
Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and gaseous fuels such
205
0.7
Sheep
227 866
25
0.036
as hydrogen and methane. Biofuels research and
10 364 36.1
Swine/pig
2 517 959
49
0.084
development is composed of three main areas:
1 246
4.3
Poultry : broiler
45 143 590
1.2
0.023
producing the fuels, finding applications and
1 019
3.6
Layer
17 719 029
2.5
0.023
uses of the fuels, and creating a distribution
75
0.3
infrastructure. Biobased chemicals and mateBreeder
1 302 896
2.5
0.023
rials are commercial or industrial products,
104
0.4
Rural fowl
3 783 891
1.2
0.023
other than food and feed, derived from biomass
183
0.6
Duck
3 184 455
2.5
0.023
feedstocks. Biobased products include green
chemicals, renewable plastics, natural fibers,
and the heat content is 13.5 MJ/kg manure, then the total
and natural structural materials. Many of these products can
amount of energy produce by the poultry are in the last
replace products and materials traditionally derived from
column in Table 3.
petrochemicals, but new and improved processing technologies will be required.
Table 3: Production of poultry and the expected energy
produced by its manure in Malaysia [3]

Research and development on models for integrated bioenergy systems and its assessments must be carried out. The
economic, social, environmental, and ecological consequences in growing and using biomass are important to
understand and consider when addressing technological, market, and policy issues associated with bioenergy systems.

Animal Wastes
Animal wastes in large amount can cause hazard to the
environment and health if not properly managed. Animal farming areas are places where high concentration of this waste
accumulated. Some of these animals are concentrated over a
small area such as poultry and pig can create mount of
wastes. In Malaysia, animal farming forms five major categories: 1. Cattle, 2. Goat, 3. Poultry and 4. Pigs. Among all
the animals, pig farming has caused quite a problem to the
country due to its most hazardous waste and sensitive-toMuslim-population trouble. The wastes from other animal
have not became so a problem and they are being managed
properly. Efforts were being made to convert pig wastes into
biogas through anaerobic digestion. As far as it concerns,
only little has been done along line with this matter. In this
section we will explore some experience of biogas production
from pig wastes in the country. Table 2 below lists down the
relative amount of waste produced by the animal farming in
the country in 1994.

Year

Broiler
x1000
(tonne)

Poultry
eggs
no x 106

Energy
from
broiler
(MW)

Energy
from
layer
(kW)

Energy
from
chicken
dung
(MW)

1985

221.4

3076

1.404

197.5

1.601

1986

248.8

3270

1.578

210.0

1.788

1987

277.2

3450

1.758

221.5

1.980

1988

301.0

3800

1.909

247.9

2.157

1989

361.0

3900

2.289

250.4

2.539

1990

348.5

5029

2.210

322.9

2.533

1991

391.0

5030

2.480

323.0

2.803

1992

497.3

5780

3.154

371.1

3.525

1993

560.7

5788

3.556

365.2

3.921

1994

594.4

5921

3.769

380.2

4.149

Solar Energy
Solar photovoltaic stand-alone systems of course have
been introduced in the rural electrification programmes, as
described in a previous chapter. However, this application is
considered only as a stop-gap measure. These stand alone
systems as applied in rural electrification is a social programme and fully financed by the government. Recent developments world wide is towards what is termed grid connected
photovoltaic systems. Experience with the grid connected
system is substantial in other countries such as Switzerland,
U.S.A., Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. In this country
there are several installations on trial. Six 3kW systems have
been installed and operated by Tenaga Nasional Research and
Development Sdn. Bhd. One of the earliest is the 5.6kW,

A study by Othman et al [3] shows that there is potential to

use chicken dung as a source of energy in Malaysia. Table 3
shows the amount of broiler and poultry in Malaysia since
1985 until 1994. Average weight for each broiler is 1.35 kg
while each layer produces on average 200 eggs. If the average amount of manure (air-dry basis) produced by broiler and
layer are 0.02 kg/bird/day and 0.03 kg/bird/day respectively,

33

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)

single phase installation operated by the Solar Energy

Research Group in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia funded
by IRPA. Others include two 8 kW systems at BP petrol pumping stations. Experience gained from these trial systems
will be used in planning for wider application in future.

large commercial, industrial facilities and other manufacturing facilities [4].

Traditionally all the agricultural crops were dried in the
sun. Consequently, it was believed that the harnessing of
solar energy using the appropriate technology for the drying
process could be achieved without much difficulty. However,
this has not materialised. The present status of post harvest
drying technology for selected Malaysian agricultural produce is shown in Table 4 [4]. Small scale trial solar drying experiments have been carried out by various agencies. The
Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute
(MARDI) has carried out trial on many commodities and products. The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) has
carried out technical and economic analysis on solar assisted
rubber smoke house. Some universities have carried out trial
on solar drying of various products. Nevertheless the penetration of solar drying technology is not significant so far.

There are many advantages of the photovoltaic energy

system. The most important of which is that it is a clean energy source. The most important disadvantage of the photovoltaic system is its cost. Photovoltaic generated electricity costs
as much as twenty times the cost of electricity generated by
conventional plants. Furthermore, photovoltaic systems cannot match conventional systems in capacity. The worlds current total production of photovoltaic modules is only about
150 200 MW per year. Closer to home, the Projass-BP Solar
photovoltaic module fabrication plant in Glenmarie, near
Kuala Lumpur, has a capacity of 5 MW per year. So it would
take a very long time to build up the megawatts using photovoltaic technology.

Solar resource information provides data on how much

solar energy is available to a collector and how it might vary
On the other hand photovoltaic generated electricity, whether standalone or grid connected, is electricity generated at
from month to month, year to year, and location to location
point of use. So one megawatt of photovoltaic generated elec[5, 6] Collecting this information requires a national network
tricity is equivalent in fuel saving to about four megawatts of
of solar radiation monitoring sites. Hence, a comprehensive
conventional electricity once generation and transmission
solar resource database can be developed and the use of the
losses of the conventional system are factored in. Another
latest techniques in satellite imagery can be use to accompliadvantage of using the photovoltaic system is that in diversish it. Studies on the diffuse nature of the global solar radiafying energy sources, it slows down the rate of increase of
tion in Malaysia must be carried out. The spectral distribuconventional fuels usage. This would, perhaps defer putting
tions of the global solar radiation must be conducted. This
up of new conventional plants. Taking into consideration the
will also contributed to the studies on air pollution studies in
above discussion it seems to be quite feasible to set a target
the atmosphere.
of about 10 MW of grid connected
photovoltaic system for Malaysia.
Table 4 : The present status of post harvest drying technology
Another area of interest would
be the use of passive solar designs
to enhance natural ventilation for
cooling. The basic knowledge of
using these features would be very
attractive to architects and landscape architects. In addition, landscaping can improve a building's energy performance. Trees and bushes
can provide shading or block a prevailing wind.
A typical solar hot water system
will reduce the need for conventional water heating by about twothirds. Medium-temperature solar
water heaters can provide energyefficient hot water and hot water
heat for large commercial and
industrial facilities. There are huge
potential for the use solar hot water
heating in hotels where 24.62% of
the total energy consumption is for
water heating. Other promising
application is the use of solar industrial process heat in textile factories

for Malaysian agricultural produces [4]

Produce

Present Drying System

Energy Source

Drying Time

Paddy

(a) Open drying

(b) Fixed bed dryer
(c) Moisture extraction unit

Sun
Diesel
Diesel/Electric

5 6 hours
4 5 hours
2 3 hours

Cocoa

(a) Sundry on cement/tray

(b) Kerosene drying
(c) Burner blower
(d) Rotary drying

Sun
Kerosene
Kerosene/Diesel
Diesel

6 days
35 40 hours
36 hours
45 48 hours

Coffee

Sundry

Sun

14 days

Pepper

Sundry

Sun

7 days (black pepper)

3 days (white pepper)

Tobacco

Conventional curing

Rubber wood
LNG

100 hours
100 hours

Tea

Drying chamber

Diesel

25 min at 95C

Banana

Sundry

Sun and wood for smoking

1 day

Anchovies

(a) Sundry
(b) Fixed bed dryer

Sun
Diesel

7 days
5 7 hours

Rubber

(a) Sundry

Sun and wood for smoking

1 day

34

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)

Minihydro

IRPA [9]. However, this need not be a hindrance. As they say

there is no need to rediscover the wheel. We can adopt and
adapt. So this calls for demonstration projects that could be
used for training and building expertise and experience in this
future technology. A demonstration project of 100 to 150 kW
capacity should be targeted for Malaysia.

The minihydro potential of the country has been assessed

and viable sites have been identified [7]. Some of these sites
have been implemented with government funding under the
rural electrification programme. These are based on run-ofthe-river systems ranging from 500 kW to 1000 kW capacity.
Currently there are thirty nine units with total capacity of
16.185 MW in Peninsular Malaysia, seven units of total capacity of 2.35 MW in Sabah and five units of total capacity 5
MW in Sarawak. There is substantial experience in building,
operating and maintaining minihydro plants. It is expected
that similar plants can be built as and when required.
Minihydro is a mature technology based on proven equipment. The area of R and D is the creation and dynamic use of
detailed hydrodynamic and computer models. The models
can be used to predict and forestall problems caused by
extremes conditions of weather or power demands.

Hydrogen is produced from sources such as natural gas,

coal, gasoline, methanol, or biomass through the application
of heat; from bacteria or algae through photosynthesis; or by
using electricity or sunlight to split water into hydrogen and
oxygen. The use of hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier will
require an infrastructure for safe and cost-effective hydrogen
transport and storage.
Hydrogen has an excellent safety record, and is as safe for
transport, storage and use as many other fuels. Nevertheless,
safety remains a top priority in all aspects of hydrogen energy. The hydrogen community addresses safety through stringent design and testing of storage and transport concepts, and
by developing codes and standards for all types of hydrogenrelated equipment.

Wind Energy
A 150 kW wind turbine in the Terumbu Layang Layang
has been demonstrated with some success. However, the
availability of wind resource varies with location. It is necessary to first carry out a general assessment of the wind energy potential nationwide [8] This can then be followed with
detailed assessment in promising locations. These assessments must be completed before further action can be decided on. Understanding the wind resource is a crucial step in
planning a wind energy project. Detailed knowledge of the
wind at a site is needed to estimate the performance of a wind
energy project.

The vision of building an energy infrastructure that uses

hydrogen as an energy carrier a concept called the "hydrogen economy" is considered the most likely path toward a
full commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies.

Daylighting
The breakdown of energy used for lighting and air conditioning is shown in Table 5 [10]. More than half of the total
energy used in commercial buildings is for lighting and air
conditioning. If daylighting is used, less electricity is needed
to light the lamps and to run the air conditioners to cool the
buildings, as part of the thermal load is caused by the heat
dissipated by the lamps. Innovative daylighting systems can
also reduce heat gains and glare. The energy saved through
the use of such daylighting systems could be in the order of
20 - 40% of the total energy consumption. In Europe, it has
been estimated that half of the energy used in non-domestic
buildings goes to artificial lighting. In Southeast Asia, studies
have shown that the use of daylighting can reduce overall
energy consumption by 20% and also reduce the sensible heat
load on air-conditioning. The energy consumption for lighting in Malaysia is about 25 - 35% of the total energy supplied to buildings.

Wind energy is considered a green power technology

because it has only minor impacts on the environment. Wind
energy plants produce no air pollutants or greenhouse gases.
However, any means of energy production impacts the environment in some way, and wind energy is no different.

Hydrogen Energy
Scientists have dreamed of the ultimate source of energy
that will power the world forever. This ultimate source is
hydrogen. Hydrogen can be produced by the electrolysis of
water from the sea and when burned in oxygen produces only
energy and water, without any of the green house gases.
However, when hydrogen is burnt in air oxides of nitrogen,
the old green house gases will be produced also.

Table 5: Energy consumption by building type in

Malaysia (%)

A cleaner way to get energy from hydrogen is through the

fuel cell. The fuel cell is an electrochemical cell, which produces electricity directly from hydrogen and air, without the
production of green house gases.
Research and development on the fuel cell is intensively
carried out in the U.S.A., Europe and Japan. Some have claimed to be able to produce fuel cells of 25 kW capacity at the
cost of less than US$300 per kilowatt. This price is much
reduced from those used in the space shuttle, which was
US$500,000 per kilowatt.
In this country research and development on the fuel cell
is only beginning with the experimental PEMFC funded by

35

Residential

Hotels

Shopping
Complexes

Offices

Lighting

25.3

18.0

51.9

42.5

Air
Conditioning

8.3

38.5

44.9

51.8

Total

33.6

56.5

96.8

94.3

K. Sopian, M.Y.Othman, B. Yatim, and W.R.W. Daud /ISESCO Science and Technology Vision - Volume 1 (May 2005) (30-36)

Daylighting can be achieved, conventionally through

window openings and fenestrations while innovative techniques require the use of daylighting technologies such as
light pipes and light tunnels. Daylight is desirable over artificial light because the quality and colour rendering produced
by daylight is far superior. Human vision is adaptable and
respond to the effects of colour, texture and light in architectural space. The human eye can then help the mind to orderly shape the environment in accordance to how it is perceived. As a result, daylighting can produce architecture of great
beauty besides reducing the need for artificial lighting which
generate heat and increase the cooling loads of buildings.

Research and development in this field should see a

synergy between the architects and engineers. The systems
and technologies that will be developed must help us to make
better use of what is being provided for free which is the sun.
The future of daylighting as a renewable energy resource
applied in buildings is therefore, very promising. There are
plenty of avenues for research and development in this area
and in particular, daylighting systems design and daylighting
in architecture [11].

5. Conclusions
The energy sector is one of the most important sectors in the nation. The sector has contributed to the development and
economic well being of the country. Education and training should emphasized on effective public awareness on energy
issues such energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. Research and development should lead towards understanding of fundamental sciences and commercialization of research products. Commercialization of the technology is being driven by four major challenges namely that the world will rely even more heavily on a few energy rich nations for primary
energy. Secondly, security and price will be threatened as countries scramble to ensure supply. When fossil fuels burn they
leave by-products that damage both the environment and health, causing misery for millions of people. Fourthly, build-up of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is leading to global warming with unpredictable but potentially catastrophic
consequences and finally deregulation of the electricity supply industry is changing the market. New companies are entering the market offering energy services based on distributed on-site power generation. This segment of the energy market is
likely to grow rapidly and utilities will have to adapt to the opportunity and challenge.

References
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Renewable Energy Initiatives. Proc. Of the World Renewable Energy
Congress 99, Malaysia.

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Energy Productivity of some Plantation Crops in Malaysia and the status of
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Malaysia

[8] Sopian K., M.Y Othman and A. Wirsat, 1995. The Wind Energy Potential of
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[2] Singh K.S., and Boon F.H. 1996. Blowing in the Wind: Malaysias Renewable
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[9] Mohamad A.B., W.R.W. Daud, A. H. Kadum, K. Sopian and J. Sahari, 2000.
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[3] Othman, M.Y.H., Yatim B. and Salleh. M.M., 1996. Chicken Dung Biogas
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[10] Ramatha, L. 1994. Energy in buildings in Malaysia. Proc. of AEEMTRCs

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[5] Sopian K. and Othman M.Y., 1992. Estimates of Monthly Average Daily
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[11] Azni Zain Ahmed, Kamaruzzaman Sopian and Zulkhairi Zainol Abidin,
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[6] Othman M.Y., Sopian K., Yatim B., and Dalimin M.N., 1993. Diurnal Patterns
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