{"id":64103,"date":"2026-03-31T12:39:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/?p=64103"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:42:41","slug":"renewable-energy-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/story\/64103\/renewable-energy-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewable Energy, Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Renewable energy is a critical tool for tackling climate change. Discover how it works and understand the advantages of wind, solar and water power.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1.jpg\" title=\"Solar Panel in Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta. \u00a9 Yorri \/ Greenpeace\" alt=\"Solar Panel in Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta. \u00a9 Yorri \/ Greenpeace\" class=\"wp-image-62213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-malaysia-stateless\/2025\/07\/67f99a4f-gp1summ1-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is renewable energy?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Renewable energy comes from natural resources like sunlight, wind, water, and heat from inside the Earth. It has two big advantages:<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>It won\u2019t run out<\/strong>, unlike oil, coal, and gas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It\u2019s clean<\/strong>, so it doesn\u2019t pollute or contribute to climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>Renewable energy is flexible. It can power both large cities and remote areas without electricity. Different renewable technologies make it possible to use this energy almost anywhere.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Renewable energy sources<\/h2>\n\n<p>Renewable energy is also known as green energy, clean energy or sustainable energy. The most common sources are:<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wind Power<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Wind power&nbsp;is the energy found in the movement of air. It\u2019s normally captured by turbines on land or out at sea. It\u2019s one of the best-known renewable energy sources because it\u2019s so widely used, and the turbines are easy to recognise on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Solar Power<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Solar power&nbsp;is energy from sunlight. It\u2019s usually captured by&nbsp;solar panels&nbsp;and turned into electricity.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hydropower<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Hydropower takes energy from the movement of water in a river. Hydro power plants use the flow of water to spin a turbine and generate electricity. Large scale hydro power plants can be very harmful to the local environment.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Biomass Energy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Biomass is the stuff that living things are made of \u2013 in this case normally wood or other plants. We can burn biomass in a power station to generate electricity. This can&nbsp;cause air pollution, and be bad for the environment if the biomass isn\u2019t sourced responsibly.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Geothermal Energy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Geothermal energy comes from heat that\u2019s trapped deep underground. We can use this heat directly, or or create electricity with it.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wave Power<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Wave power comes from the movement of water on the surface of the ocean. There are a few different ways to capture it, but none of them are widely used at the moment.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tidal Power<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<p>Tidal power comes from the movement of water as the tides rise and fall. The water can be captured in a giant lagoon then released through a turbine to generate electricity. Tidal power isn\u2019t widely used at the moment.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The rise of renewable energy in Malaysia<\/h2>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tenaga Solar: Selangkah Ke Arah Masa Depan Hijau\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kIELUbsG7EY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>Malaysia is experiencing a significant shift toward renewable energy as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change. With abundant natural resources like sunlight, wind, and water, Malaysia is well-positioned to harness clean energy sources.<\/p>\n\n<p>In recent years, the government has introduced policies and incentives to encourage investments in renewable energy, aiming to increase the share of solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower in the national energy mix. Solar power, in particular, is leading the way, with large-scale solar farms and rooftop solar installations becoming more common across the country.<\/p>\n\n<p>As part of its commitment to sustainability, Malaysia is working toward a more energy-efficient future, with a goal of achieving 31% renewable energy by 2025. This transition not only helps reduce carbon emissions but also boosts economic growth by creating jobs in the green energy sector and ensuring a cleaner, more sustainable future for the next generation.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making the transition fair<\/h2>\n\n<p>As we make the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, it\u2019s important that ordinary workers aren\u2019t left behind. At the moment, lots of people\u2019s livelihoods are tied to polluting industries, and they need a \u2018just transition\u2018, with proper training and support to help them make the move into green jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Renewable energy to tackle climate change? Discover how it works and understand the advantages of wind, solar and water power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":62213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[134,130],"tags":[86,112],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-64103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-educational-resource","category-green-future","tag-energy","tag-solutions","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64103"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64108,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64103\/revisions\/64108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64103"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=64103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}