Abstract

This paper describes the decreasing energy security in Malaysia and the likely impact
on maintaining power supplies to low income groups. The most vulnerable group is
the low-income people in the rural areas, who have limited access to generate their
own power supplies. The paper reviews the potential of distributed generation (DG)
using photovoltaics as a means of mitigating this problem. Examples from other
countries are reviewed and alternative methods of funding PV installations are
discussed. Strategies such as community-based approach and innovative financing
scheme will be introduced and discussed. The main objective is to utilize solar energy
as the main energy resources for generating electricity and places rural people as the
main stakeholder to deploy the strategic model. This model is also ideal to be
integrated with the distributed generation (DG) system as one of the key components
in developing a suitable energy policy that can helps to sustain the energy
development of rural community in the future. The paper concludes that distributed
generation (DG) is feasible and that innovative funding schemes are required based
on local knowledge.