Power from the people: the empowerment of distributed generation of solar electricity for ruraludcommunities in Malaysia

摘要

This paper describes the decreasing energy security in Malaysia and the likely impactudon maintaining power supplies to low income groups. The most vulnerable group isudthe low-income people in the rural areas, who have limited access to generate theirudown power supplies. The paper reviews the potential of distributed generation (DG)udusing photovoltaics as a means of mitigating this problem. Examples from otherudcountries are reviewed and alternative methods of funding PV installations areuddiscussed. Strategies such as community-based approach and innovative financingudscheme will be introduced and discussed. The main objective is to utilize solar energyudas the main energy resources for generating electricity and places rural people as theudmain stakeholder to deploy the strategic model. This model is also ideal to beudintegrated with the distributed generation (DG) system as one of the key componentsudin developing a suitable energy policy that can helps to sustain the energyuddevelopment of rural community in the future. The paper concludes that distributedudgeneration (DG) is feasible and that innovative funding schemes are required basedudon local knowledge.