Government Combines Renewable and Fossil Energy to Provide Electricity in Rural Areas

Improving the quality of electricity supply in Indonesia is not less important than increasing the ratio of national electrification. Many regions can only enjoy electricity for few hours a day.

DOKUMENTASI PLN DISTRIBUSI LAMPUNG

Employees repair the electricity network built by state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) in the Dipasena shrimp center area, Rawajitu Timur district, Tulang Bawang regency, Bandar Lampung city.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- The government aims to electrify 433 villages across Indonesia who do not have access to power this year. Apart from prioritizing the use of local renewable energy sources, diesel-fueled power plants are also an option.

Around Rp 1.2 trillion (US$81.43 million) is needed to electrify hundreds of these villages. In an official statement quoted by Kompas on Thursday (20/8/2020), the director general of electricity at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Rida Mulyana, said the utilization of renewable energy sources, such as micro hydro, wind energy and solar energy available in the villages, will be the first choice. The next choice is to electrify those villages with a communal diesel-fueled power plant (PLTD). Another way is by procuring a Talis or portable power source.

"The funds needed to electrify these 433 villages is around Rp 1.2 trillion, including the Rp 525.5 billion budget for the procurement of portable power sources, which is allocated in the 2021 budget of the New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Directorate General," Rida said.

The funds needed to electrify these 433 villages is around Rp 1.2 trillion.

Talis is a device capable of storing electricity power and is easy to carry or move (portable). Talis comes with three different capacities, namely 300 watt hours (Wh), 500 Wh and 1,000 Wh, which are able to power multiple bulbs and televisions and to charge cellphones. A Talis sources its power from a solar-panel power plant or from electricity charging stations.

As of June 2020, the electrification ratio of villages in Indonesia has reached 99.51 percent or higher than the national electrification ratio of 99.09 percent. The majority of the villages without electricity are in Papua and West Papua provinces. In addition, around 3,058 villages in Indonesia enjoy electricity from energy-efficient solar-powered lamps (LTSHE).

Also read : Electricity Not Just for Light

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Solar panels are installed at the top of the hill in Banyumeneng hamlet, Giriharjo village, Panggang district, Gunung Kidul regency, Yogyakarta, to generate electricity to power a water pump engine, Thursday (31/8/2018). The solar powered water pump enables hundreds of families in the hamlet to get water from the springs, even during the dry season.

The director for Commerce and Customer Management at state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), Bob Saril, said PLN was committed to providing electricity to the entire archipelago. Not only increasing the electrification ratio, PLN also continues to improve customer satisfaction.

"The efforts to increase the national electrification ratio have continued to materialize rapidly since 2014, from 84.35 percent to 99.09 percent since the first quarter of 2020. So, there is an increase of more than 14 percentage points," he said.

Electricity quality

According to data from the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), the quality of electricity supply in Indonesia is not evenly distributed even though the electrification ratio continues to increase. The quality of this electricity supply relates to the ability to supply the power capacity, which varies from one region to another. Optimizing potential renewable energy sources in each region can be a way out.

"Although Indonesia\'s electrification ratio is almost 100 percent, the quality of electricity is still a big concern for us. Not all people have access to electricity with standard quality," said IESR executive director Fabby Tumiwa.

According to Fabby, the electrification program launched by the government generally still provides access to electricity with Tier 1 quality, such as in the distribution of solar-powered lamps. This category is the category of access to electricity with a very low power level, which is below 50 watts.

Also read : A Long Dream of State Electricity

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

The brightly lit skyscrapers on Jl. Jendral Sudirman rise above the darkened area of Senayan in Central Jakarta during the blackout on Sunday (4/8/2019). The massive power outage disrupted transportation services and economic activities for millions of residents in Jakarta and surrounding areas.

Tier 1 is only sufficient for lighting up bulbs or for charging mobile phone devices. Meanwhile, the people who enjoy electricity from PLN power generators mostly get access to Tier 4 quality electricity (800-2,000 watts), even Tier 5 (at over 2,000 watts).

"This difference can affect the benefits and effectiveness of the electricity enjoyed by the people in terms of economic productivity," said Fabby.

One of the efforts to increase electricity supply and to improve the quality of electricity access in Indonesia is to optimize renewable energy sources in each region. This renewable energy source is, among other sources, solar, wind or micro-hydro power. Although the potential for renewable energy in Indonesia is large, the utilization is not yet optimal.

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Data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry shows the potential for geothermal power in Indonesia is 25,400 megawatts (MW), with current utilization only at 2,000 MW. Meanwhile, the potential for hydropower is 75,000 MW with a utilization of less than 6,000 MW.

Meanwhile, the potential for wind power reaches 60,000 MW and solar power at 207,000 MW. The utilization of the last two types of renewable energy sources is still very minimal.