Search

Malaysia's renewable energy policies do not cover production from waste, including the generation of biogas from palm oil mill effluent. This paper combines life cycle cost-benefit analysis (LCCBA) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to provide new insights into costs and benefits of technologies over the life cycles, and on the basis of this information, asks experts to rank different options to enhance policy. The results show that the continuous stirred tank reactor has a higher LCC of 0.63 Million USD/year, compared to a LCC value of 0.55 Million USD/year for the covered lagoon bio-digester. In terms of cost-benefit, the continuous stirred tank reactor has a higher net present value of 0.46 Million USD/year, higher return on investment of 10.11% and a shorter payback period of 9.9 years compared to the covered lagoon bio-digester system, which has a net present value of 0.22 Million USD/year, return on investment of 7.79% and a payback period of 12.8 years. The continuous stirred tank reactor system therefore emerges as more economically feasible compared to the covered lagoon bio-digester system. On providing this information to experts using AHP, the three top ranked policy options emerged as: i) providing detailed environmental guidelines, ii) standardising technical guidelines for biogas installation and iii) covering the open pond wall using lining. Economic insights and policy opportunities based on this research can be used to inform policy decision making in multiple contexts where biogas plant projects are under consideration, in both Malaysia and globally. • Life cycle cost-benefit analysis (LCCBA) on palm oil mill effluent treatment. • Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) ranks policy options. • Combining LCCBA and AHP offers insights linking economic analysis & policy options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High housing prices in Greater Kuala Lumpur have made it difficult for potential first-time homebuyers to own a house. As a result, affordable housing schemes were introduced recently to assist potential homeowners. The Malaysian government has launched many kinds of public low-cost housing schemes; however, many housing projects resulting from these schemes have turned into slums that do not provide a wholesome environment for families. To avoid building more slums and to provide more benefits for young buyers, the goal of this paper is to determine the correct housing attributes required for first-time homebuyers in the urban area. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to young Malaysians in Greater Kuala Lumpur (KL), and 265 questionnaires were returned. The responses to the questionnaire revealed that accessibility and neighborhood environment play a role in the decision to own. It can also be observed that ecologically friendly homes that embrace sustainability are important considerations for prospective homebuyers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper proposes the use of a PV–wind–diesel generator hybrid system in order to determine the optimal configuration of renewable energy in Malaysia and to compare the production cost of solar and wind power with its annual yield relevant to different regions in Malaysia namely, Johor, Sarawak, Penang and Selangor. The configuration of optimal hybrid system is selected based on the best components and sizing with appropriate operating strategy to provide a cheap, efficient, reliable and cost-effective system. The various renewable energy sources and their applicability in terms of cost and performance are analyzed. Moreover, the annual yield and cost of energy production of solar and wind energy are evaluated. The Simulations were carried out using the HOMER program based on data obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Centre. Results show that, for Malaysia, a PV–diesel generator hybrid system is the most suitable solution in terms of economic performance and pollution. However, the cost of production of solar and wind energy proved to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the energy produced from diesel generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The industrial sector is the biggest electricity consumer in Malaysia. Electric motors account for more than 45% of the electricity consumption in the industrial sector in the country. Therefore, it is very important to implement energy efficiency standards for electric motors to reduce energy consumption growth in this sector. This paper attempts to calculate the cost efficiency analysis and emission reduction by implementing energy efficiency standards for electric motor in Malaysia. The energy efficiency standards are proposed based on the efficiency of electric motors from survey data. The study examines the potential energy, economical and environmental impacts of the implementation of energy efficiency standards for electric motors in three scenarios i.e. 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% of standards efficiency improvement. Standards also enable consumers to reduce their electricity bill and contribute to a positive environmental impact. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper is concerned with the relationship between child mortality and the use of health care. We develop a simultaneous model of fetal and postnatal mortality risks and input demand equations for prenatal medical care and institutional delivery. This model is applied to retrospective data from Peninsular Malaysia covering 1950-1988. The results show that prenatal medical care and institutional delivery have strong beneficial effects on child survival probabilities, and that these effects are substantially underestimated when adverse self-selection among users of health care is ignored. The effectiveness of prenatal health care in Malaysia improved until 1980, and then deteriorated. We find that the risk of infant and child mortality is not independent of fetal survival, but show that ignoring selective fetal survival introduces only mild biases in infant and child mortality estimation. Higher infant and child mortality rates among young mothers are partly explained by their lower likelihood of purchasing health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]