Malaysia is rapidly advancing its solar energy sector, transitioning from traditional rooftop installations to expansive solar farms, aligning with its National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) to achieve 40% renewable energy capacity by 2035 . For more information please visit solarvest

Rooftop Solar: Empowering Communities

The government has introduced several initiatives to promote rooftop solar adoption:

  • Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0: Extended until June 2025, this program allows households, government buildings, and commercial entities to offset their electricity consumption with solar generation on a one-to-one basis. The NEM Rakyat category for households recently received a 50MW quota expansion due to high demand .
  • Solar For Rakyat Incentives Scheme (SolaRIS): Provides rebates up to RM4,000 for new NEM applications, leading to increased daily installations from 100 to 150 as of July 2024 .
  • Rooftop Solar Aggregation Scheme: Launched in May 2025, this initiative enables energy companies to lease residential rooftops, aggregating them into virtual solar farms to supply clean energy to the grid .
  • Solar Leasing Programs: These programs allow homeowners to install solar panels with zero upfront costs, earning passive income by leasing their rooftops to energy providers .

Malaysia’s rooftop spaces, especially in educational institutions, offer significant potential, with an estimated 4.4GW capacity, 90% of which is attributed to schools and universities .

Scaling Up: Solar Farms and Innovative Projects

Beyond rooftops, Malaysia is investing in large-scale solar projects:

  • Utility-Scale Solar Farms: The Kedah Solar Farm, with a 100MW capacity, exemplifies Malaysia’s commitment to utility-scale solar energy .
  • Floating Solar Arrays: Sarawak Energy’s Batang Ai Floating Solar Farm, set for commissioning by October 2024, will be the country’s largest floating solar project, showcasing innovative use of water bodies for energy generation .
  • Corporate Initiatives: Companies like AirTrunk are integrating solar solutions into their operations, such as installing a 1MW rooftop solar system at their Johor Bahru data center and securing a virtual power purchase agreement for a 30MW solar farm