Energy

Renewable energy (RE) comes from the Earth’s natural resources – sunlight, wind, waves, the tides and geothermal heat from deep within our planet.

It has two great advantages:
It will never run out, unlike oil, coal and gas.
It’s clean – it doesn’t pollute the planet or aggravate the climate crisis.

And it’s time we move toward a Just Energy Transition through renewable energy.

Installation of Solar Water Pump in Timbulsloko, Indonesia. © Aji Styawan / Greenpeace

4%

utilisation of renewable energy in 2023 of which solar is just a small percentage.
Source: National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR)

17%

is the government’s projection of how much renewable energy (RE) utilisation in the energy grid will be by 2050.
Source: NETR

30%

is the actual potential Malaysia has to include RE in the form of solar power generation & utilisation into our energy grid mix by 2035.
Source: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report

Clean Air Now Photo Op in Banten. © Rendra Hernawan / Greenpeace

The problem

Our current energy grid heavily relies on the burning of fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. So the more energy we use, the more fossil fuels we burn to generate electricity, which in turn increases carbon emissions.

And yet, while other countries around the world have made huge strides towards renewable energy solutions, Malaysia as a major hub for solar equipment manufacturing, still lags behind on RE adoption.

Understand the issues better

Citizen Lawsuit against Air Pollution in Indonesia.
Activists perform a theatrical act after the advocacy team from Ibukota (Capital) Coalition, which accompanied 32 citizens in the citizen’s lawsuit over Air Pollution in Jakarta, registered a counter-memorandum of appeal at the Central Jakarta District Court (PN Jakpus) as a further legal step against the appeal made by four state official defendants, the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Minister of Home Affairs, and Minister of Health.
Air Pollution
Haze and Human Rights Activity in Malaysia. © Darshen Chelliah / Greenpeace
Ahead of the 2021 International Human Rights Day, a broad alliance of civil society organisations led by Greenpeace Malaysia and local NGO CERAH Anti-Haze Action file a pioneering complaint at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) in Kuala Lumpur as a proactive countermeasure to address the chronic and persistent haze pollution. Representatives from the coalition joined Greenpeace Malaysia volunteers for an offline action in front of the Human Rights Commission building to demand for the recognition of clean, haze-free air as a basic human right.
© Darshen Chelliah / Greenpeace
Our Work with Allies

What we do

Renewable energy such as solar power can supply huge cities on the grid or remote villages unconnected to any mains electricity.

Despite possible drawbacks such as supplying stable energy generation, solar energy is one of the more promising environmentally sustainable options in Malaysia. So we campaign for solutions, calling for greater investments and efforts channeled to improving RE policies, infrastructure and approaches that prioritise energy efficiency.

A ‘just transition’ for energy also must take into account ordinary workers as we make the switch from fossil fuels to RE. For that to happen, workers within fossil fuel industries will need proper training and support to help them make the move into green jobs.

Solar Rooftop at Prapokklao Hospital in Thailand. © Roengchai Kongmuang / Greenpeace

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