Malaysia lags on renewable energy, threatening climate goals

(Context, 3 Feb 2023) Malaysia is falling behind in Southeast Asia's green energy push, and may miss its own climate targets unless it offers incentives for large-scale renewables projects.

Malaysian Chuan Zhen Ko's passion for clean energy and climate change was first ignited by his university lecturers and watching the 2006 Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", starring former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.

Ko, now 39, launched himself into a career in the renewables industry about 15 years ago, working on green projects in a dozen countries before returning home to the capital Kuala Lumpur.

There he teamed up with two school-friends in 2012 to co-found Plus Xnergy, a company that helps homes, businesses and buildings to develop their own solar power systems or source clean energy supplies from elsewhere.

The entrepreneur - who has worked with the likes of furniture retailer IKEA, logistics giant DHL and entertainment conglomerate Sony and has developed six solar farms across Malaysia - said awareness about renewable energy among his country folk is the highest he has known.

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Context, 3 Feb 2023: Malaysia lags on renewable energy, threatening climate goals