Development of biomass power plant technologies in Malaysia

This thesis was positioned within in a broader research field addressing the topic of the transfer and diffusion of low-carbon technologies to developing countries. This specific focus was on the development of biomass power plant technologies in Malaysia, and the main research question guiding the analysis was:

• What have been the main factors influencing the transfer and diffusion of biomass power plant technologies in Malaysia?

In order to answer this main research question, the issues of technology transfer and diffusion separately in a number of sub-research questions. These included:

• What role did Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects played in the transfer of new technology to Malaysia?
• To what extent did was innovative technological capability developed in the Malaysian biomass boiler and power plant equipment industry?
• What role did different learning mechanisms play in the development of technological capability?

Secondly, to explore the topic of the diffusion of biomass power plant technologies in Malaysia, the following two sub-research questions were answered:

• What were the critical factors in the development of a palm oil biomass waste-to energy niche in Malaysia?
• What role did donor interventions play in the development of a viable niche in Malaysia?