The world needs a sustainable energy transition. The combustion of fossil fuels – which accounts for 82 percent of global energy supply – releases 41 Gigatonnes of greenhouse gas annually into the atmosphere. This has to stop. A combination of renewable energy resources, storage assets, energy efficiency, capture and removal technologies, and other resources, tools, and strategies must be deployed at scale, worldwide, in response.
Given the pervasive roles that energy plays in global life – providing mobility, heating and cooling, lighting, communications, industrial and other services – it is perhaps not surprising to hear that there is no single answer. Instead, the solution will be different in different places: what works in a dense urban area will not necessarily work in the countryside, and vice-versa.
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Thus, an effective global response strategy is necessarily a portfolio of actions: some will focus on the demand side, others on the supply side; moreover, some will target emission reductions that are within relatively easy reach (so-called ‘low regrets options’), while others require long-term thinking to discover a sustainable path forward (the so-called ‘hard-to-abate sectors’). All are critical in order to reach the 40% reductions we need this decade and to meet the 2050 net-zero timeline as well.
We aim to make a contribution to this portfolio by investigating hydrogen as a potential decarbonization strategy for remote communities in Canada and Malaysia. We review the two countries’ respective situations before presenting a value proposition for continued work – both separately and collaboratively.
Hydrogen in national debates
Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy is central to the country’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Published in 2020, it envisions hydrogen supplying up to 30% of end-use energy and reducing emissions by 45 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent (Mt-CO₂e) annually by 2030, with reductions potentially reaching 190 Mt-CO₂e in 2050. The strategy follows a phased approach: initial domestic adoption, then market growth and diversification in the mid-term, and finally rapid expansion by 2050. Key end-use sectors include petrochemicals, long-haul transport (trucks, ships, trains, and buses), fuel-cell electric vehicles, and heating, with adoption catalyzed through finance mobilization, regulations, standards, certifications, skills policies, and knowledge creation.
Hydrogen has been part of Malaysia’s national plans for more than 20 years. Continued attention in the 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans (2016-2020 and 2021-2025, respectively) paved the way for the development of the country’s first Hydrogen Technology and Economy Roadmap, released in December 2023. With the vision ‘to be a leading hydrogen economy country by 2050 while achieving the world’s decarbonization targets’, hydrogen production volume should reach 16 Mt by 2050 in one scenario. Agriculture, iron and steel, transportation, and power generation are some of the key sectors for deployment. Also noteworthy in Malaysia are the roles that a number of the country’s 13 states are playing – Sarawak, for example, has its own hydrogen ambitions.
Remote communities and sustainable energy
Remote communities in Canada are defined as having fewer than 10,000 people, with no residents commuting to urban areas for work; many are located in Canada’s north and have a majority Indigenous population. Approximately 178 of Canada’s remote communities lack grid electricity and natural gas infrastructure. Instead, these communities primarily use diesel for electricity and heating, leading to high costs, local air pollution, and environmental hazards from leaks or spills. To reduce fossil fuel dependence, renewable energy projects – utilizing, for instance, solar power, hybrid systems, and heat pumps – have been launched in a number of remote communities. The Canadian government supports these efforts through efforts like the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program.
Malaysia has over 800 islands – with almost half of these (395) located within the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo – and they are home to the majority of the country’s remote communities. These remote communities are either weakly connected to grid electricity or rely entirely on standalone diesel generators. Various efforts have been put forward to electrify remote communities using renewable and hybrid systems. In 2015, for instance, Sarawak’s government initiated a Rural Power Master Plan (or Rural Power Supply Scheme), which has met its goal of electrifying all households by 2025. However, the share of net zero energy sources in new electrification is very low due to high battery costs, maintenance challenges, and harsh seaside weather conditions (i.e., high moisture, high corrosion rates, hot weather, and a complex transportation system of numerous small boats).
Hydrogen as a contributor to sustainable energy transition in remote communities
Hydrogen could be a promising tool for advancing the sustainable energy transition in remote communities in Canada. A small demonstration project (2009–2013) in Bella Coola, British Columbia, for example, illuminated the potential of hydrogen and fuel cell systems to reduce diesel consumption by integrating hydrogen production via electrolysis powered by renewable energy, storing the hydrogen for later use, and employing a microgrid control system to balance the electrical load between the renewable source, diesel generation, and fuel cells. Moreover, a recently published report argues that positive impacts could be broad, demonstrating how incorporating hydrogen into the energy mix of remote off-grid communities could serve to eliminate diesel use altogether. Specific designs and energy planning efforts to achieve this are being put forward.
Hydrogen has become a strategic fuel to achieve energy diversity in Malaysia, with the Sarawak government, for instance, keen to develop a hydrogen-based economy. Attractive to remote communities, in particular, is the fact that hydrogen can play a vital role in addressing not only electric demand, but also thermal, agricultural, and mobility demands – namely, hydrogen can supplement or altogether replace natural gas for cooking and heating, as well as being an effective fuel for farming equipment and transport. Recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded a project in Malaysia in which hydrogen will be employed as fuel for green waste management in Pulau Gaya. Led by the University of Malaya, 100 households will be benefiting through environmentally-friendly waste management systems, expected to reduce costs by more than 80%.
Opportunities for complementarities and synergies
From this brief review, a few things are clear:
- The energy transition is underway in both Canada and Malaysia.
- Remote communities in both countries have their own particular opportunities and challenges.
- Work on how hydrogen could serve to advance sustainability is ongoing.
While hydrogen appears to have lost some of its popular lustre recently, it must continue to be part of the response portfolio going forward. Exploring its potential contribution to Canada’s and Malaysia’s remote communities is work worth pursuing.
In addition to encouraging action in the two countries, individually, there are also good reasons to connect Canada and Malaysia in energy transition research and activity as well.
Canada and Malaysia are both parliamentary federations, and both are working to plot prosperous paths forward in respective regions that are feeling increasingly tense and turbulent. Moreover, they are both often characterized as ‘middle powers’, seeking to exercise influence upon the global order. Similarities like these suggest they could benefit from shared reflection.
And, indeed, Canada and Malaysia have had vibrant bilateral relations for almost seven decades. In fora like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum – which has recently intensified cooperation in hydrogen – the two countries work side-by-side.
So, not only we should focus work on sustainable energy development in remote communities in these two countries continue, but so too should it be connected internationally. We think that universities are in a unique position to lead this charge.
Investigating how hydrogen might be part of a sustainable energy transition for remote communities is – as we argue above with slightly different words – a ‘long game’. It requires imagination, experimentation, connections, ‘safe spaces’ to investigate, and genuine partnerships. Universities are, of course, global leaders in discovering new avenues forward, and they are also increasingly recognized as being particularly well-positioned to be impactful convening agents in society. Add to that the fact that international bonds unite academic researchers of all kinds, the potential for shared learning across borders rises.
We need to accelerate the energy transition to advance multiple societal goals. Local and national work on one part of the response portfolio – enriched by international collaboration – can make meaningful contributions.
Authors: Ian H. Rowlands, Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad and Münür Herdem
Ian H. Rowlands is a Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has research, teaching, and community interests in sustainable energy transitions and climate change governance. He is the author or co-author of over 65 articles published in international journals, including Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad has completed his PhD with thesis distinction from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, He is currently serving as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya. Previously he also served as an Assistant Professor at UET, Peshawar, Pakistan. His research interest is focused on renewable energy integration, and materials with green hydrogen as a priority energy carrier.
Münür Herdem is a Balsillie School of International Affairs scholar and project coordinator of Affordable Energy for Humanity at the University of Waterloo in Canada. His research focuses on clean energy technologies, hydrogen governance, and global energy transitions. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on energy access, policy, and technology innovation.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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