KUALA LUMPUR: The telecommunications industry is grappling with challengesin securing renewable energy (RE) supply, largely due to the limited availability of sustainable green energy sources.
Edotco Group Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Adlan Ahmad Tajudin emphasised that having a sufficient supply of RE is crucial to support a smooth transition to the green economy.
One of the major challenges in RE supply is the lack of supporting infrastructure, noting that some South Asian countries – including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar – are facing power grid issues.
“Some of them have an unstable power grid system while some areas to not even have a power grid,” he said.
“While some countries offer mechanisms to ensure that power drawn from the grid is renewable, the supply remains limited,” said Mohamed Adlan.
In Malaysia, businesses can subscribe to Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), benefit from Feed-In Tariff (FIT) schemes, or install solar panels under the Net Energy Metering mechanism.
“However, the supply of RE is still limited at this time and it is on a first-come-first-serve basis,” he said, adding that generating clean energy can be a costly endeavour, leading to premium pricing.
Given Malaysia’s sunny disposition, solar energy has become a key player in the nation’s green energy transition, helping to reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
“In some of our (foreign) markets where we operate, solarisation helped Edotco to cut fuel consumption by about 50% and reduce carbon emissions by 49% annually, in addition to lowering our operating expenditure,” he said.
He also highlighted customer readiness to adopt sustainable energy as another challenge, underscoring the importance of close collaboration and transparent communication for successful outcomes.
“It is crucial to work closely with our customers throughout this journey, ensuring transparency and open discussions on all matters,” he added.
— BERNAMA
