KUALA LUMPUR: The introduction of the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme, which is now entering its sixth year, has succeeded in encouraging the use of renewable energy (RE) in residential, commercial and industrial premises.

       NEM, which was started in 2016, continued to be implemented this year with the introduction of NEM 3.0, with a capacity of 800 megawatts (MW) that showed a take-up rate of about 40% involving three categories – NEM Rakyat, NEM Gomen and NEM Nova.

       Energy Commission chief executive officer Abdul Razib Dawood said the capacity allocated through NEM 3.0 was 600 MW for NEM Nova and 100 MW each for NEM Rakyat and NEM Gomen.

       He said the NEM intake rate is now very encouraging and it still has many quotas that can be taken up by customers on a “first come, first served” basis.

       “The latest take-up rates for domestic users – we have received customers for the 25% quota and the remaining 75%, for NEM Gomen for government buildings and government agencies of 18%.

       “While for the NEM Nova, 50% from 600 MW has been subscribed. This programme is on a first come, first served basis and will end in 2023,” he said in the Awani Agenda programme titled “Smart Energy Consumers”.

       Abdul Razib said that through NEM, consumers can install solar panels on their roofs and generate energy from photovoltaic solar for their own use and the rest can be exported to the grid under the supervision of Tenaga Nasional Bhd to be credited into their monthly bills.

       For NEM Nova, he said the target customers were commercial and industrial users.

       Meanwhile, he said the Energy Commission had launched the Green Electricity Tariff initiative in December last year aimed at reducing the carbon footprint in daily electricity consumption. — Bernama