A state-led solar programme in Sarawak is bringing electricity, skills and opportunity to villages once left in the dark.
SARAWAK, Malaysia — For much of their childhood, Unjam Anak Makam and Maja Anak Mabang studied by the dim light of kerosene lamps. Electricity in their rural villages in eastern Malaysia was unreliable or nonexistent, limiting daily life long after sunset.
Today, the two young men help install and maintain solar power systems that provide round-the-clock electricity to their communities — a transformation driven not by outside contractors alone, but by local hands trained for a new energy economy.
Their journey reflects a broader shift underway in Sarawak, where rural electrification is being paired with workforce development under the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme, or SARES.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
A People-Centred Electrification Programme
SARES is an initiative of the Sarawak government, implemented by the state-owned utility Sarawak Energy Berhad. Its goal is to bring renewable electricity to remote communities while actively involving local residents in building and sustaining the systems.
Under the programme, solar projects are awarded to private contractors who are encouraged to hire from nearby villages. One such company, Ecogreen Solar Engineering, employed Unjam and Maja during the construction of solar plants in their home areas.
Neither had prior experience with solar energy. Their first exposure came on the job, carrying materials, laying cables and assisting technicians as panels were installed.
From Project Workers to Certified Technicians
Both men had completed secondary school and graduated from government certification schemes. Maja studied construction through a programme run by Malaysia’s Construction Industry Development Board, while Unjam also completed vocational training.
After joining the solar project as general workers, their supervisors noticed their performance and gradually introduced them to more technical tasks — electrical wiring, system installation and battery technology.
“I am grateful to be involved in the project,” Maja said. “This is my first job experience after finishing my construction education. They provided training for new technicians like me, so I gained a lot of new skills and knowledge with this job.”
The on-the-job training aligned with the Malaysian government’s push for a people-centric energy transition, which emphasises workforce planning, green skills, community resilience and energy literacy.
Both men are now permanent staff at Ecogreen, certified in solar system installation, and have worked on multiple SARES projects across Sarawak. They also help deliver basic maintenance training to villagers, enabling communities to care for their own energy systems.
Lighting Homes and Creating Livelihoods
The solar installations in Unjam’s and Maja’s villages have capacities of about 12.5 kilowatt peak (kWp) and 13.8 kWp, supplying electricity to roughly 25 households in total.
For residents, the change is tangible. Children can study at night, families can refrigerate food, and households no longer need to buy fuel for diesel generators or kerosene lamps.
“Back in my school days, we used to study in the dark,” Maja said. “Today, I am happy to see villagers experience lasting electricity.”
Unjam hopes the model spreads. “I hope to see more solar systems in other rural areas, creating jobs for villagers and improving their lives,” he said.
Malaysia’s Growing Solar Workforce
The experience of Unjam and Maja mirrors a national challenge. Government estimates suggest Malaysia will need about 62,000 skilled workers to meet its target of up to 70 per cent renewable energy by 2050, yet the supply of trained personnel remains limited.
To avoid a green skills gap, experts say technical and vocational education must integrate renewable energy competencies more deeply into curricula.
According to a 2025 review by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Malaysia is already a significant player in the global solar photovoltaic supply chain. In 2024, it ranked as the third-largest supplier of solar modules to the United States, shipping about 7.6 gigawatts, behind Vietnam and Thailand.
By that year, Malaysia’s solar PV sector employed 45,900 people.
IRENA projects that Malaysia’s renewable energy workforce could reach 223,000 jobs by 2030 and 396,000 by 2050, far surpassing fossil fuel-related employment, which is expected to stand at about 91,000 jobs by mid-century. Solar energy alone could account for roughly 57 per cent of all renewable energy jobs by 2050.
Yet despite an estimated 337 gigawatts of solar potential, Malaysia had installed only 2.3 gigawatts cumulatively by 2024.
Programmes like SARES are seen as a way to bridge that gap — not only by expanding clean energy capacity, but by ensuring the social and economic benefits reach rural communities.
Lead image courtesy of IRENA.ORG
