ANTICIPATING LOCAL ACCEPTANCE OF SOLAR FARM DEVELOPMENT IN BATANG KALI, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS

Authors

  • Siti Isma Hani Ismail Civil Engineering Studies, College of Engineering, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, PENANG BRANCH, PERMATANG PAUH CAMPUS, 13500 BUKIT MERTAJAM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
  • Suraiyati Rahman School of Housing, Building, and Planning, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA, 11800 USM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
  • Wan Mohammad Fazil Asli School of Housing, Building, and Planning, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA, 11800 USM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
  • Zulfairul Zakaria Civil Engineering Studies, College of Engineering, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, PENANG BRANCH, PERMATANG PAUH CAMPUS, 13500 BUKIT MERTAJAM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
  • Loh Yong Seng School of Housing, Building, and Planning, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA, 11800 USM, PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i35.1663

Abstract

To restructure the country's economy towards a high-value economy, the government has placed the transition to a green economy as one of the main targets of its economic restructuring efforts. This transition will create a significant positive impact on every level of society, in addition to guaranteeing the continuity of the country's energy. Nonetheless, every planned development must minimise its impacts on the communities that it will affect. The main objective of this study is to explore the impact of solar farm development on a local community in the dimension of sustainability. This study employed a quantitative research methodology to evaluate the level of impact that the community may experience. The study's primary findings revealed that the community involved in the proposed development project would be significantly affected, both positively and negatively, across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. The community anticipated that the solar renewable energy generation would have a significant positive impact, and the establishment of a solar-based community would improve the quality of life. The implications of this study will facilitate policy makers, decision makers and practitioners in developing solar farms in a sustainable manner while safeguarding the interests of local communities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abu-Goukh, M. E., Ibraheem, G. M., & Goukh, H. M. (2013). Engineering education for sustainability and economic growth in developing countries (the Sudanese case). Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 102, 421-431. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.757

Bishoge, O. K., Kombe, G. G., & Mvile, N. B. (2020). Community participation in the renewable energy sector in Tanzania. International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management, 28, 121–134. https://doi.org/10.5278/Ijsepm.4477

Gupta, A. (2001). Criteria and indicators of sustainability in rural development. August, 1–424.

Hamed, T. A., & Alshare, A. (2022). Environmental impact of solar and wind energy-a review. Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, 10(2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.13044/j.sdewes.d9.0387 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13044/j.sdewes.d9.0387

Lassio, J. G., Magrini, A., & Branco, D. C. (2021). Life cycle-based sustainability indicators for electricity generation: A systematic review and a proposal for assessments in Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production, 311, 127568. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127568

Lennon, B., Dunphy, N. P., & Sanvicente, E. (2019). Community acceptability and the energy transition: A citizens’ perspective. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 9(1), 1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-019-0218-z

Modotti, M., Meo, I. D., Paletto, A., & Grilli, G. (2015). Sustainability impact assessment (SIA) of renewable energy systems: Overview of indicators and needs for future developments. Forestry Ideas, 21(2), 347-357.

Mutatkar, N. (2017). Sustainability assessment of decentralised solar projects: Introducing a multi-criteria approach.

Ozili, P. K. (2022). Sustainability and sustainable development research around the world. Managing Global Transitions. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26493/1854-6935.20.259-293

PLANMalaysia, Selangor (2017). Selangor State Structure Plan 2035. https://www.planmalaysia.gov.my/documents/penerbitan_planmalaysia/rancangan-struktur/RSN_Selangor_2035.pdf

PLANMalaysia (2023). Panduan Pelaksanaan Penilaian Impak Sosial Bagi Projek Pembangunan. https://www.planmalaysia.gov.my

Roddis, P., Carver, S., Dallimer, M., Norman, P., & Ziv, G. (2018). The role of community acceptance in planning outcomes for onshore wind and solar farms: An energy justice analysis. Applied Energy, 226, 353-364. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.087

Sahid, M. S., Suratman, R., & Ali, H. M. (2021). Acquiring elements of solar farm development’s approval consideration in Johor. Planning Malaysia, 19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i18.1034

Scovell, M., Mccrea, R., Walton, A., & Poruschi, L. (2024). Local acceptance of solar farms: The impact of energy narratives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 189(PB), 114029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114029

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (SEDA) MALAYSIA. (2021). Malaysia Renewal Energy Roadmap. http://www.seda.gov.my/

Taiwo, O. M., Samsudin, S., & Ayodele, O. M. (2021). Integration of sustainability indicators in urban formation: A gap analysis. Planning Malaysia, 19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i18.1040

Tsoeu-Ntokoane, S., Mosabala, T. D., Kali, M., & Lemaire, X. (2024). Community imaginaries, participation and acceptance of renewable energy projects–Substituting the quicksand of development with rocky fundamentals. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2292755. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2292755

United Nations (2021). The high-level political forum goals energy action. Leveraging Energy Action For Advancing The Sustainable Development Goals, 223, 67–68.

Vaka, M., Walvekar, R., Rasheed, A. K., & Khalid, M. (2020). A review on Malaysia’s solar energy pathway towards carbon-neutral Malaysia beyond Covid’19 pandemic. Journal of Cleaner Production, 273, 122834. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122834

Wanamaker, C. (2022). The environmental, economic, and social components of sustainability. Retrieved from https://soapboxie.com/Social-Issues/The-Environmental-Economic-And-Social-Components-Of-Sustainability

Yiridoe, E. K. (2014). Social acceptance of wind energy development and planning in rural communities of Australia: A consumer analysis. Energy Policy, 74, 262-270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.08.035

Downloads

Published

2025-02-05

How to Cite

Ismail, S. I. H., Rahman, S., Asli, W. M. F., Zakaria, Z., & Seng, L. Y. (2025). ANTICIPATING LOCAL ACCEPTANCE OF SOLAR FARM DEVELOPMENT IN BATANG KALI, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS. PLANNING MALAYSIA, 23(35). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i35.1663

Issue

Vol. 23 (2025): PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL : Volume 23, Issue 1, 2025

Section

Article

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

Copyright & Creative Commons Licence

eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysia Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>