The rapid growth of Malaysia's solar industry is increasingly competing with land needed for food production. According to Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohammad Effendy Yaacob from the Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the annual quotas set under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) have driven investors to acquire agricultural land for large-scale solar farm development — a trend that, if left unmonitored, risks undermining the nation's food security.

The solution is not to reject solar investment, but to make land use dual-purpose through agrivoltaics — an approach that allows solar power generation and agricultural activity to take place on the same plot of land simultaneously. Photovoltaic (PV) panel structures also serve to protect crops from extreme weather effects such as drought and heavy rain.

At UPM, this concept has been demonstrated through the Hybrid AgriVoltaic System (HAVs) project since 2015, with several innovations including:

• A crop-drying rack that harvests heat dissipated from solar panels
• The Agrivoltaic Sheep Sanctuary — combining sheep farming with solar power generation
• Vertical mushroom farming on floating solar platforms
• Agrivoltaic chicken farming designed for urban communities

The initiative has been supported by industry collaboration (Pekat Solar Sdn Bhd) and has received recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records, while also attracting international partnerships, including a visit from a research team at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.

For Dr. Effendy, the solar industry brings important investment that should not be turned away — but land use must be dual-functional to ensure the nation's food security remains protected. This reflects UPM's role in bridging two national agendas — the clean energy transition and food security — without sacrificing either.

Source: Statements and research by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohammad Effendy Yaacob, Faculty of Engineering, UPM; reporting by Media Selangor and UPM news portal.

Date of Input: 04/08/2026 | Updated: 04/08/2026 | norasiah