Malaysia's power grid is straining under both data center growth and renewable energy
Data centers already consume nearly a tenth of Malaysia's electricity, and grid operators say integrating more solar power while meeting that demand will require major new investment by 2035.
Data centers now consume 9.28% of Malaysia's total electricity, and the strain on the national grid is compounding as the country simultaneously pushes to add more renewable energy, according to national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad, known as TNB. Malaysia has set a target of 40% renewable energy by 2035 and 70% of installed capacity from renewables by 2050.
"Data centre is not just this big load that consumes the electricity grid, but the way it behaves is actually different," said Tan Siew Hwa, TNB's head of asset management. Rooftop solar is adding its own complications: a TNB survey of 400 households recorded more than 6,000 solar inverter tripping incidents in April and May alone, out of roughly 100,000 rooftop solar connections to the utility's low-voltage network.
"We have to prepare a grid that is very robust and strong, so it can withstand any variation from renewable energy," said Norhasbi Abdul Wahab, TNB's head of grid planning. Grid operators say better visibility into who is connected to the system is also critical. "We cannot manage what we cannot see," said Rofidah Mohamad of Malaysia's Grid System Operator. Mohd Khairun Nizam, a grid integration expert at Huawei, said technology alone won't solve the problem: "We can solve things with AI, but not everything is going to be solved by AI."
Based on reporting by Siva Selan for Eco-Business. Read the original: https://www.eco-business.com/news/malaysias-power-grid-strains-under-data-centre-boom-and-renewables-growth/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
