Malaysia has become the fourth Asian nation to establish a feed-in tariff system for renewable energy after its parliament approved new legislation in April.
The new programme is designed to boost levels of renewable energy within the country and will apply to solar photovoltaics, biomass, biogas and small hydropower schemes.
Japan, Taiwan and Thailand already have feed-in tariff schemes in operation. The Malaysian government says that the new system will be operational by the third quarter of 2011.
Malaysia’s new policy includes specific annual targets for each technology as well as different tariff levels. Annual targets for solar photovoltaics start at 29 MW in 2011 and reach 580 MW in 2030.
By 2020, Malaysia expects to have installed more than 3000 MW of new renewable energy capacity of which 1250 MW will be from solar photovoltaics, and another 1065 MW from biomass.
Malaysia’s Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said that the government had studied similar policies in other countries
