Air Selangor Net Zero Energy Vision 2040 initiative at the Sungai Selangor Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant (SSP2) in Bestari Jaya in Dec 2023.—AZMAN GHANI/The Star

Renewable energy a reach for refurbishment 

By Yanika Liew

According to the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Malaysia’s renewable energy has contributed to about 5% to 6% of the country’s energy consumption in the past five years, with the government pushing multiple efforts to promote clean and renewable energy, from solar panel adoption to hydrogen energy.

There has been a significant increase in solar energy adoption in Klang Valley, Johor and Penang among homeowners, but is renewable energy adoption feasible for refurbishment of existing buildings?

“There’s no point in having renewable energy if it’s not sustainable, not just ecologically or environmentally sustainable but financially sustainable,” Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) past president Sarly Adre Sarkum said during the Sustainable Refurbishment of Existing Buildings roundtable.

He pointed out that while renewable energy has been touted in Malaysia for years now, the only renewable energy readily available to the public is solar, due to the lack of wind and yet unproven alternatives.

Sarly noted that as Malaysia’s largest power supplier, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has significant power over the adoption of renewable. The company has a renewable energy scheme, titled the Green Electricity Tariff (GET), which allows homeowners and businesses to subscribe to a low-carbon energy supply on a first-come, first-served basis.

As of July, there have been 1,197 subscriptions. 

“The implementation of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in the UK serves as an excellent case study, demonstrating the significant role regulation plays in driving a holistic sustainability agenda. Establishing standards for building and space energy intensity is an effective starting point for managing and improving the performance of buildings and office spaces,” Knight Frank Malaysia ESG associate director Mohd Hafiz bin Zainuddin said when surveyed.

Knight Frank associate director Shaun Toh agreed that Malaysia should look into integrating advanced energy storage solutions, such as next-generation batteries and thermal storage systems. These technologies can significantly improve the sustainability of refurbished properties, enabling the storage of excess renewable energy generated on-site, such as from solar panels, and its use during peak demand times, reducing reliance on the grid and lowering energy costs.

"Green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy sources, and hydrogen fuel cells can provide a clean energy alternative for heating and powering buildings. Implementing these technologies in refurbished properties can reduce carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be particularly effective for properties where electrification alone may not be sufficient or feasible,” he said.

The Malaysian government aims to be a hydrogen economy nation by 2050, as evidenced by the Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap (HETR), however, as with solar, the technology is still in its early stages.

Malaysia is not there yet in terms of large-scale production, Sarly said.

“Malaysia can only use solar panels, this is a technical constraint… the technology keeps evolving, who is going to spend now, maybe it's not relevant five years down the road. And is it sustainable, sustainable been something long-term, but this technology keeps evolving,” Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) ESG committee chairman Axxu Hoi Jung Wai said.

According to Hoi, another technical issue building owners will face when installing solar panels is the roof only makes up 4% of the gross floor area for buildings over four stories.

“Even if you install the solar panels, it does not bring any impact. The point here is that there is too much greenwashing in projects. Because somehow we want to qualify green tools like the green building index (GBI) or GreenRE, we want to get a point, therefore we just put it there,” Hoi said.

He noted that top-down policies that enforce solar panels without considering the needs on the ground would inevitably fail.

Hoi pointed out that there was always the option to rent a building’s roof area, or any large redundant space, for those who would like to install solar.

“Imagine you can save via energy efficiency 20%, you are already doing better than installing that bit of small solar on your roof, and energy efficiency is usually far, far cheaper to do than installing on the high rise,” Sarly added.

“Nippon has a particular paint that can be put on the walls and that will cool down the building more significantly, and then you will use less aircon. When it comes to the solar panels on the roof… I think they should turn it into green roofs instead because that would be more beneficial than having solar panels up there. After all, at the end of the day, you still have to think of how to dispose of [solar panels],” StarProperty senior content manager and roundtable moderator Joseph Wong said.

It’s a lifestyle

However, with renewable energy a difficulty for most Malaysians, the next alternative moves to energy efficiency. According to a study on energy retrofitting strategies, buildings in Malaysia account for 48% of the country's total electricity consumption.

“Even though I can give you passive design and nice green buildings if your lifestyle doesn't change, you can't achieve energy efficiency. 60% of energy is consumed by the aircon and water heater. In Malaysia, our lifestyle is when we shower, we go for the heater, and when we come out and go to bed, we use aircon,” Hoi said.

He noted that the public needed to track their lifestyle, which can involve ordering from Grab, and buying from online platforms like Shopee, culminating in paper wrap, plastic and increased carbon footprint.

“The lifestyle itself actually consumes a lot of energy despite talking about good products or good design, without changing our lifestyle, there is no way for us to do sustainability,” Hoi said.

“Continuous public awareness education is very important because, at the end of the day, it’s demand-driven. If they push and they want it, then the supply will come, and provide the solution. We must continue to highlight the financial and intangible benefits… in terms of green technology innovation, enhanced productivity, digitalising buildings and net zero carbon. Public awareness too will be a long-term way of talking about renewable energy,” Malaysian Institute of Property & Facility Managers (MIPFM) president Ishak bin Ismail said.

“It is a lot of awareness, but it must start at a very young age. So things like that should be introduced into schools, into their programs, into their activities. In a way, it will build into us over a long time, but it must start from the very young,” Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) past president Datuk Sr Lau Wai Seang agreed.

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