Annual solar radiations in different cities in Malaysia

Two places where you'd get the best solar radiation in Malaysia are Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Bayan Lepas (Penang), with the former as the best spot.

It's a shame we do not have the SEDA Feed-in Tariff (FiT) in place in Sabah and Sarawak.

Table 1: Annual solar radiation in different cities/town in Malaysia
* Source - Sustainable Energy and Environment Forum

Table 1 shows that every square meter of solar panel produces a sum of 1,900 kWh of energy per year on average in Kota Kinabalu, compared to only 1,571 kWh in Kuala Lumpur.

Annual average value per square metre of solar cell.

Kota Kinabalu which receives a sum of 1900 kWh/m2 per year can be said to have received 1900 hours of sun per year at 1 kW/m2; or 5.2 hours of sun per day at 1 kW/m2

This means that for every square meter of solar panel you get around 5.2kWh of energy per day.

For a 1.48m x 0.67m panel with 15% efficiency, you get 0.78kWh of energy per panel per day. A 12-panel residential solar PV system will generate 280kWh/month*

In comparison, similar panel installed in Kuala Lumpur would give 232kWh/month*

*Some system integrators insist that PV panels continue to generate energy beyond the "5.2 peak sun hours", thus giving income of more than the estimated figures.

Income generated at both locations

Take the above installation size, and take the current FiT for solar PV of RM1.37/kWh, you generate and sell electricity to TNB from the roof of your home or car garage at:

K.Kinabalu     : RM383.60 per month or RM4,603 annually

K.Lumpur       : RM317.80 per month or RM3,814  annually

Note: With the current technology, more energy can be squeezed out of a 1 m2 than before; therefore, you use less area on your rooftop to generate similar amount of energy.

As you can see, location makes a lot of difference. Folks in Sabah and Penang are primely located, which makes you wonder why the Sabah state government is not willing to contribute to the Renewable Energy Fund to get the people to enjoy the same benefit as of those in West Malaysia.

The levy is just 1% of the the monthly electricity bills and it affects only the bigger energy users, i.e, those paying more than RM77 per month.

Alternatively, the state government can set aside an annual budget and pay to the fund holders at SEDA Malaysia for the first, say, 3 years. Thereafter, let the consumers pay the 1% levy just like those in peninsula.

Best spots to generate renewable energy through solar - the northern states. Image credit: SEE Forum

TheGreenMechanics: Again, it's a shame Renewable Energy FiT is not applicable in Sabah.

Author's note: This article was edited for correction on 3 December 2019.