Malaysia, through its largest electricity utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), is exploring the potential for offshore floating solar PV (OFS or OFPV) for the country’s renewable energy ambitions and has roped in Netherlands’ SolarDuck to assess technical and economic feasibility of the technology with a 780 kW plant off Tioman island.

Under a letter of intent (LOI) signed, SolarDuck will install the project by 2025 in collaboration with its project partners Hydro Extrusion Norway AS and TNB subsidiaries TNB Renewables Sdn Bhd (TRe) and TNB Research Sdn Bhd (TNBR).

Hydro contributes with engineering and production of the aluminium profiles which the solar plant is constructed from, stated SolarDuck. The former will supply provide deliveries from its Belgium, and Norwegian plants for the OFS project.

For TNB, it is looking at new distributed energy generation methods as OFS to diversify its renewable energy portfolio to achieve net zero especially since land is in short supply in Southeast Asian nations as Malaysia for large scale ground projects and wind scarce.

According to SolarDuck, “Tioman island is the starting point of a renewable future for Malaysia, opening a large potential for OFS in the entire region as OFS is set to become the most affordable marine energy technology by 2030.”

Malaysia is taking its renewable energy potential seriously to achieve 70% renewable energy target in the power mix by 2050. It recently said it will end trade barriers for renewable energy exports which means it can build large scale clean energy capacity and export to nations like Singapore that have a growing appetite for renewable energy (see Malaysia Announces New Renewables Target).