By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: A renewable energy project benefiting more than 20 households and shared community facilities in a remote Ranau village has earned Sabah-based Indigenous-led social enterprise Tonibung a national award.
Tonibung founder Adrian Banie Lasimbang said the project's success was driven not only by technology but also by strong community involvement in managing the system.
"For Tonibung , a successful renewable energy project is 20 per cent technology and 80 per cent community organising.
"The technology must work, but long-term sustainability comes from participation, local governance, technical training and care for the watershed that supports the system," he said.
On Tuesday, Tonibung 's Walou Micro Hydro-Solar Hybrid Project in Kampung Walou, Ranau, was named the winner of Category 3: Renewable Energy - On-Grid (Local) at the National Energy Awards (NEA) 2026 ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
The NEA is a national programme under the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra), recognising outstanding energy management, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Malaysia.
Under the NEA framework, winners in the main award categories represent Malaysia at the Asean Energy Awards, a regional recognition programme led by the ASEAN Centre for Energy.
Adrian, who is also Tonibung's technical director, said the project was jointly developed with Matahio Energy and the community.
The project began in 2024 and combines an upgraded 3kW micro-hydro plant with 20kWp of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels, 40kWh of lithium iron phosphate battery storage, smart hybrid inverters and digital monitoring supported by satellite internet.
The hybrid system provides 24-hour electricity, with micro-hydro supplying power when river flow is sufficient, while solar energy and battery storage maintain the supply during dry periods and periods of higher demand.
Previously, the community depended on diesel generators for electricity.
The project is expected to avoid about 7,300 litres of diesel use and 19.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, while reducing household energy costs and the risks associated with transporting and storing fuel in the remote area.
The project is also centred around the Matahio Community Hall, whose rooftop was adapted for the solar panels after the community identified the need for a shared space.
The hall now provides internet access and serves as a venue for meetings, a monthly tamu, women vendors and small community businesses.
Community members also contributed through gotong-royong, established a village energy committee, appointed and trained local operators, and introduced metered electricity and tariff collection to support maintenance.
Tonibung director Alice Jipius said the award belonged to the Kampung Walou community, which contributed its time, labour and local knowledge and now manages the system itself.
"Walou shows that rural communities are not merely beneficiaries of renewable energy - they can be owners, operators and leaders of their own energy future," she said.
The Walou project marks Tonibung's fourth recognition at the awards.
In 2021, Tonibung won the Renewable Energy - On-Grid (Local Grid) category for the 5kW Kampung Tiku Micro Hydro Project in Ulu Papar, while its Kobulu Micro Hydro Project in Kampung Buayan was named runner-up in the same category in 2023.
In 2025, the Puneng Trusan Micro Hydro Project won the national category and later achieved first runner-up.
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