Low-carbon Development Strategies in Commercial Sector In recent years, the global community has increasingly recognized the urgent need to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate its adverse impacts. As a signatory to international climate agreements, Malaysia is actively working towards transitioning to a low-carbon economy, aligning its development goals with sustainable environmental practices. One pivotal area of focus is the commercial sector, which plays a significant role in the country's economic growth and emissions profile. The commercial sector encompasses a wide range of activities, including retail, hospitality, office spaces, and various services. It stands as a critical pillar of Malaysia's economy, contributing significantly to employment, revenue generation, and technological innovation. However, the sector's substantial energy consumption and carbon emissions have raised concerns about its sustainability in the face of climate change. A recent study has examined the potential of renewable-based alternative fuels with zero-carbon emissions in Malaysia, focusing on their production, transportation, storage, and utilization within thermal power plants. Although Malaysia is yet to witness widespread commercialization of zero-carbon alternative fuels derived from renewable sources like green hydrogen and green ammonia, substantial prospects exist for establishing a market for zerocarbon power generation in the country. Global advancements related to green hydrogen and green ammonia have been explored to provide additional context and support the potential opportunities in Malaysia. The country's significant natural gas resources have contributed to the development of a well-established natural gas infrastructure, particularly in the Peninsular region. Exploiting Malaysia's extensive natural gas pipeline network, it is feasible to utilize it for delivering green hydrogen to numerous thermal power plants across the nation. Furthermore, the strategic placement of the natural gas pipelines, including the PGU pipeline located near many of Malaysia's solar power plants, presents the possibility of streamlining the transportation of green hydrogen to these thermal power facilities. This method can help reduction of the carbon footprint in the power generation industry. [1] This research offers analytical recommendations for enhancing the energy efficiency of existing green buildings by addressing cooling and lighting loads through a benefit transfer methodology. Among the various approaches considered, incorporating vegetated green envelope elements emerges as a particularly promising strategy for achieving substantial energy conservation. The findings underscore that the integration of green roofs and green walls into residential structures produce superior results in terms of both ecological preservation and economic gains when compared to the implementation of solar photovoltaic systems. This suggests that commercial enterprises might save energy without paying extravagant costs, in line with their financial objectives. [2] Since Malaysia signed the Paris Agreement, they agreed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by seeking sustainable and renewable energy sources. One potential candidate is biodiesel made from the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. Therefore, this paper examines the economic feasibility of the Malaysian agricultural sector to provide biodiesel from algae and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Malaysia. This study recommends the Malaysian government to subsidize and develop the algal industry. First, algae biodiesel will replace palm biodiesel. The Malaysian government already subsidizes palm biodiesel and is expected to extend this subsidy to algae biodiesel. Second, algae farms isolate two sources of CO2 emissions: Emissions from vehicles and power plants. Third, algal farms can sell algal slurry to the market, which will partially offset imported feed for chickens, cattle and pigs. In conclusion, the flourishing biodiesel industry will help expand job opportunities in agriculture. [3] Conclusion In conclusion, adopting low-carbon development strategies in Malaysia's commercial sector is crucial for a sustainable future. These strategies help businesses reduce their impact on the environment while also improving efficiency and saving energy costs. By working together to implement these strategies, we can create a greener and more prosperous Malaysia for generations to come. References [1] Mohammad Nurizat Rahman, Mazlan Abdul Wahid, Renewable-based zero-carbon fuels for the use of power generation: A case study in Malaysia supported by updated developments worldwide, Energy Reports, Volume 7, 2021, Pages 1986-2020, ISSN 2352-4847, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2021.04.005. [2] Shazmin Shareena Ab. Azis, Improving present-day energy savings among green building sector in Malaysia using benefit transfer approach: Cooling and lighting loads, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 137, 2021, 110570, ISSN 1364-0321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110570. [3] Kenneth R. Szulczyk, Muhammad A. Cheema, Sayyed Mahdi Ziaei, The economic feasibility of microalga to produce commercial biodiesel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Malaysia, Algal Research, Volume 68, 2022, 102871, ISSN 2211-9264, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2022.102871.
