CALL 5 -RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERY STORAGE

THEME: ENERGY / ADVANCED MATERIALS / ELECTRICALL AND ELECTRONICS

CALL

Malaysia stands at a critical juncture in its energy transition, with ambitious targets to increase renewable energy capacity and reduce carbon emissions. National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) main objective is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 while ensuring energy security and economic growth. NETR aims to attain 70% renewable energy (RE) share in power generation by 2050. 

However, the nation's progress is hindered by significant technological gaps in solar, wind, hydrogen, and energy storage systems that must be overcome to achieve a reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy future. Malaysia's renewable energy transition faces critical research and technology gaps across solar, hydrogen, wind and energy storage sectors that must be addressed to achieve its clean energy goals.

In solar energy, key challenges include the lack of photovoltaic technologies optimized for tropical conditions, where high temperatures and humidity reduce panel efficiency and lifespan, while floating solar systems face durability issues in marine environments. The hydrogen economy is hindered by inefficient electrolysis systems unsuitable for local climate conditions, high production costs, and underdevelopment is constrained by the absence of turbine designs tailored to Malaysia's low wind speeds and monsoon patterns, with offshore wind potential remaining largely unexplored.

Energy  storage systems face significant limitations, particularly battery degradation in high temperatures and the lack of cost-effective, long-duration storage solutions for grid-scale applications. Cross-cutting challenges include inadequate smart grid technologies for managing renewable intermittency, insufficient circular economy approaches for recycling renewable components, and policy frameworks that haven't kept pace with technological advancements.

These gaps present crucial opportunities for research into heat-resistant solar materials, advanced electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, adaptive wind turbine designs, and innovative storage solutions like supercapacitor-battery hybrids and thermal storage systems. Addressing these technological barriers through targeted R & D will be essential for Malaysia to harness its abundant renewable resources effectively, ensure grid stability, and meet its ambitious energy transition targets while maintaining economic competitiveness in the regional clean energy landscape.

We invite researchers to submit proposals that tackle these critical challenges through advancements in (not limited to):

• Tropical-optimized solar technologies and hybrid systems
• Low-wind-speed turbine designs and offshore wind solutions 
• Cost-effective green hydrogen production and storage 
• Next-generation energy storage, including batteries, supercapacitors and thermal systems
• Smart grid integration and AI-driven energy management

Priority will be given to projects that foster multi-stakeholders collaboration, propose scalable solutions, and align with Malaysia's National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and global climate goals.

KEY RESEARCH AREA

• The programme requires a collaboration between those involve in research including (but not limited to) advanced materials development, device development, prototype development, artificial intelligence, and/or social impact of the technology.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

1. Transdisciplinary research that leads to innovative solutions of renewable energy and energy storage 
2. A working prototype that can be tested on field
3. Possible wealth creation in terms of value-added products or business opportunities from the effective solution developed
4. Local approach to effectively address the problem with international relevance

TARGETED STAKEHOLDES

Targeted stakeholders that can benefit from the Outcome/Impact throughout this program

1. Energy companies 
2. Manufacturing & Tech Firms

2025-06-28 9:02:01 PM

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