TNB’s solar parks are helping Malaysia make the switch to clean energy while also being good to the environment
By Nordin Norazam
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is leading the way in Malaysia’s move to green energy by using solar parks to make the future more sustainable. Photovoltaic (PV) screens on these large-scale solar systems turn sunlight into energy. This helps cut down on our use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Malaysia wants to get 31% of its energy from green sources by 2025, and solar parks are a big part of that plan. But building these facilities needs to be done with great care for the local environments, so that the growth of clean energy doesn’t hurt wildlife.
The government’s dedication to energy freedom and environmental protection is shown by TNB’s solar parks. TNB is not only making clean energy through projects in Sepang and Bukit Selambau, but they are also trying to protect the ecosystems in those areas. This method helps keep Malaysia’s power grid stable by lowering the country’s reliance on importing coal and natural gas. It also helps the country meet its climate responsibilities under international agreements.
Taking care of bird species at Sepang’s LSS Solar Park
The LSS Sepang Solar Park in Selangor is a good example of how TNB manages energy and the environment together. As part of the “Hari Hargai Alam” event on July 3, 2023, TNB Renewables and Sarang, a local environmental group, started a project to identify birds. This project identified 28 types of birds in the solar park. These birds included residents like the White-Throated Kingfisher and visitors like the Pheasant-Tailed Jacana. The fact that the Crested Serpent Eagle and other top bird predators live in the solar park says that the environment there is doing well.
The goal of the project, which is called “Documentation of Avian Species at LSS Sepang” and is being paid for by TNB Sepang Solar Sdn. Bhd., is to find a balance between protecting wildlife and making green energy. It wants to make a model that can be used indefinitely where solar parks work with natural areas to protect both native and migrating bird species.
Dealing with Problems Between People and Animals at Bukit Selambau
TNB’s Bukit Selambau Solar Park in Kedah has problems because it is close to places where long-tailed macaques live. As these monkeys move into more and more human areas, TNB has made a Conflict Management Plan to keep people from getting hurt. This plan includes biological studies on how macaques behave and nutritional research using DNA metabarcoding, which will help TNB figure out where the animals eat and where they go.
With these new insights, TNB can change the park’s surroundings to make it less appealing to macaques while still making sure the solar park runs smoothly. These steps show that TNB is dedicated to running green energy projects in a way that doesn’t harm local wildlife.
Using natural grazing to control weeds
The Bukit Selambau Solar Park also helps sustainable farming by giving a goat herder close a place to graze his animals. Every day, about 30 Boer goats are brought into the park to keep the plants under control, which is something that is being done more and more at solar farms around the world. This eco-friendly method cuts down on the need for chemical pesticides and automatic cutting, which is good for the environment and local farms.
Effects on the environment and how they relate to national goals
Malaysia has promised to cut its greenhouse gas pollution by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030. TNB’s solar parks are a big part of this plan. About 0.585 tons of CO2 are saved for every megawatt-hour of power produced by solar panels. This is a big step toward making the energy sector less carbon-based. Over the course of their lives, these solar parks should stop millions of tons of CO2 from being released into the air, immediately helping Malaysia’s climate promises.
Getting in line with national and international environmental goals
The work at LSS Sepang and Bukit Selambau is in line with Malaysia’s National Policy on Biological variety (2016–2025), which aims to protect the country’s biological variety. TNB’s projects help the Greening Malaysia Program, which is a government effort to restore important ecosystems. These projects help reach the clean Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. Specifically, they help reach SDG 7 for clean energy and SDG 15 for protecting ecosystems.
Malaysia’s energy scene is being changed by TNB’s solar parks, which combine producing clean energy with caring for the environment. TNB shows that the path to a future with green energy can and should be in line with caring for the environment through careful planning and new ideas.
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(Asia News Today (ANT) is an online news outlet with experienced reporters and writers that covers news from Malaysia, ASEAN, and the rest of Asia. The author is the Editor-in-Chief of Asia News Today.The author’s personal thoughts are shown in the piece, not those of Asia News Today. )
