IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/apjors/v9y2025i2d10.1007_s41685-025-00382-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rural electrification model for remote communities: a study in Sarawak

Author

Listed:
  • Wei Hown Tee

    (Taylor’s University)

  • Mohammadmahdi Ariannejad

    (Xiamen University Malaysia)

  • Jayson Boon Teik Lim

    (Xiamen University Malaysia)

  • Chia Chao Kang

    (Xiamen University Malaysia)

  • Jian Ding Tan

    (Xiamen University Malaysia)

  • Zi-Neng Ng

    (Xiamen University Malaysia)

  • Mohamad Razif Mohamad Ismail

    (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Pagoh Branch)

Abstract

Ensuring reliable and sustainable electricity access in remote rural communities remains a significant challenge, particularly in regions like Sarawak, Malaysia, where grid extension is often economically unfeasible due to difficult terrain and low population density. This study developed and optimized a hybrid PV/Hydro/DG/Battery energy system as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution for rural electrification. Using HOMER software, the research evaluated multiple system configurations based on technical, economic, and environmental criteria to determine the most optimal setup. The results indicate that the PV/Hydro/DG/Battery system achieved an 86.7% renewable fraction, with a net present cost (NPC) of $43,688.91 and a cost of energy (COE) of $0.849/kWh, making it financially viable. The system significantly reduced diesel consumption to 2283 L/year, leading to an 87.37% reduction in carbon emissions compared to standalone diesel generators. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis revealed that streamflow variations have the greatest impact on system performance, requiring a minimum of 28.57 L/s for moderate loads and 34.07 L/s for higher loads to maintain cost efficiency and reliability. This research provides a scalable and replicable framework for off-grid electrification, offering valuable insights for policymakers, energy planners, and researchers aiming to develop sustainable rural energy solutions in Sarawak.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Hown Tee & Mohammadmahdi Ariannejad & Jayson Boon Teik Lim & Chia Chao Kang & Jian Ding Tan & Zi-Neng Ng & Mohamad Razif Mohamad Ismail, 2025. "Rural electrification model for remote communities: a study in Sarawak," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 513-543, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:apjors:v:9:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41685-025-00382-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s41685-025-00382-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41685-025-00382-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s41685-025-00382-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cyril Anak John & Lian See Tan & Jully Tan & Peck Loo Kiew & Azmi Mohd Shariff & Hairul Nazirah Abdul Halim, 2021. "Selection of Renewable Energy in Rural Area Via Life Cycle Assessment-Analytical Hierarchy Process (LCA-AHP): A Case Study of Tatau, Sarawak," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
    2. Dalia Streimikiene & Tomas Baležentis & Artiom Volkov & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Agnė Žičkienė & Justas Streimikis, 2021. "Barriers and Drivers of Renewable Energy Penetration in Rural Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-28, October.
    3. Sanni, Shereefdeen Oladapo & Oricha, Joseph Yakubu & Oyewole, Taoheed Oluwafemi & Bawonda, Femi Ikotoni, 2021. "Analysis of backup power supply for unreliable grid using hybrid solar PV/diesel/biogas system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    4. Li, Chong & Zhou, Dequn & Wang, Hui & Cheng, Huanbo & Li, Dongdong, 2019. "Feasibility assessment of a hybrid PV/diesel/battery power system for a housing estate in the severe cold zone—A case study of Harbin, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 671-681.
    5. Awopone, Albert K. & Zobaa, Ahmed F. & Banuenumah, Walter, 2017. "Techno-economic and environmental analysis of power generation expansion plan of Ghana," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 13-22.
    6. Mohammed, Y.S. & Mustafa, M.W. & Bashir, N., 2014. "Hybrid renewable energy systems for off-grid electric power: Review of substantial issues," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 527-539.
    7. Poudel, B. & Maley, J. & Parton, K. & Morrison, M., 2021. "Factors influencing the sustainability of micro-hydro schemes in Nepal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    8. Shaban R. S. Aldhshan & Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud & Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar & Othman A. Karim & Biswajeet Pradhan, 2021. "Energy Consumption and Spatial Assessment of Renewable Energy Penetration and Building Energy Efficiency in Malaysia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-26, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pal, Ankit & Ilango, G. Saravana, 2024. "Design and techno-economic analysis of an off-grid integrated PV-biogas system with a constant temperature digester for a cost-effective rural application," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    2. Li, Yingjie & Liu, Fang & Chen, Ke & Liu, Yinghui, 2024. "Technical and economic analysis of a hybrid PV/wind energy system for hydrogen refueling stations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    3. Iolanda Saviuc & Herbert Peremans & Steven Van Passel & Kevin Milis, 2019. "Economic Performance of Using Batteries in European Residential Microgrids under the Net-Metering Scheme," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-28, January.
    4. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    5. Nicolas Martinez & Youssef Benchaabane & Rosa Elvira Silva & Adrian Ilinca & Hussein Ibrahim & Ambrish Chandra & Daniel R. Rousse, 2019. "Computer Model for a Wind–Diesel Hybrid System with Compressed Air Energy Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Younessi, Hiva Seyed & Bahramara, Salah & Adabi, Farid & Golpîra, Hêmin, 2023. "Modeling the optimal sizing problem of the biogas-based electrical generator in a livestock farm considering a gas storage tank and the anaerobic digester process under the uncertainty of cow dung," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    7. Silinto, Berino Francisco & van der Laag Yamu, Claudia & Zuidema, Christian & Faaij, André P.C., 2025. "Hybrid renewable energy systems for rural electrification in developing countries: A review on energy system models and spatial explicit modelling tools," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    8. Dioha, Michael O. & Kumar, Atul, 2020. "Exploring the energy system impacts of Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contributions and low-carbon transition to mid-century," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    9. Qin, Hu & Moriakin, Anton & Xu, Gangyan & Li, Jiliu, 2024. "The generator distribution problem for base stations during emergency power outage: A branch-and-price-and-cut approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 318(3), pages 752-767.
    10. Murshed, Muntasir, 2019. "Trade Liberalization Policies and Renewable Energy Transition in Low and Middle-Income Countries? An Instrumental Variable Approach," MPRA Paper 97075, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Paliwal, Priyanka & Patidar, N.P. & Nema, R.K., 2014. "Planning of grid integrated distributed generators: A review of technology, objectives and techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 557-570.
    12. Shreya Shree Das & Arup Das & Subhojit Dawn & Sadhan Gope & Taha Selim Ustun, 2022. "A Joint Scheduling Strategy for Wind and Solar Photovoltaic Systems to Grasp Imbalance Cost in Competitive Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-22, April.
    13. Liu, Jia & Chen, Xi & Yang, Hongxing & Li, Yutong, 2020. "Energy storage and management system design optimization for a photovoltaic integrated low-energy building," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    14. Gonçalves Rigueira Pinheiro Castro, Pedro Henrique & Filho, Delly Oliveira & Rosa, André Pereira & Navas Gracia, Luis Manuel & Almeida Silva, Thais Cristina, 2024. "Comparison of externalities of biogas and photovoltaic solar energy for energy planning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    15. Mousavi, Seyed Ali & Toopshekan, Ashkan & Mehrpooya, Mehdi & Delpisheh, Mostafa, 2023. "Comprehensive exergetic performance assessment and techno-financial optimization of off-grid hybrid renewable configurations with various dispatch strategies and solar tracking systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 40-63.
    16. Yang Li & Jingjing Pei & Fang Zhang, 2023. "Comprehensive Ecological Planning and Evaluation of Towns from the Perspective of Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.
    17. Abdul Munim Rehmani & Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi & Abdullah Altamimi & Zafar A. Khan & Muhammad Awais, 2023. "Techno-Economic-Environmental Assessment of an Isolated Rural Micro-Grid from a Mid-Career Repowering Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-35, January.
    18. Ahmad, Munir & Wu, Yiyun, 2022. "Household-based factors affecting uptake of biogas plants in Bangladesh: Implications for sustainable development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 858-867.
    19. Rahmat Khezri & Amin Mahmoudi & Hirohisa Aki & S. M. Muyeen, 2021. "Optimal Planning of Remote Area Electricity Supply Systems: Comprehensive Review, Recent Developments and Future Scopes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-29, September.
    20. Seyed Mahdi Miraftabzadeh & Cristian Giovanni Colombo & Michela Longo & Federica Foiadelli, 2023. "A Day-Ahead Photovoltaic Power Prediction via Transfer Learning and Deep Neural Networks," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-16, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:apjors:v:9:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41685-025-00382-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.