Pilot Hydrogen Gas Station Inaugurated, Hydrogen Bus Launching Soon

The public is planned to be introduced to hydrogen buses in Jakarta no later than August 2024.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in SPBU Hidrogen Percontohan Diresmikan, Bus Hidrogen Segera Meluncur

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Officials inspect hydrogen canisters at the Public Fueling Station for Hydrogen (SPBU) located in the Senayan area of Jakarta on Wednesday (2/21/2024). The Indonesian National Utility Company (PLN) inaugurated Indonesia's first Hydrogen fueling station utilizing green Hydrogen produced by the 21 Green Hydrogen Plants that have been operating since November 2023. The use of green Hydrogen as an alternative energy source to replace fossil fuels is an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — State Electricity Company (Persero) inaugurated the first hydrogen refueling station in Indonesia, in Jakarta, Wednesday (21/2/ 2024). The gas station which is sourced from green hydrogen is still a pilot for further study and in-depth study. For the initial stage, the public will be introduced to hydrogen buses in Jakarta no later than August.

The inauguration of the hydrogen refueling station (HRS) PLN which is located on Jalan Army Student, Jakarta, coincided with the ceremonial inauguration of thegreen hydrogen plant (GHP) Kamojang Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) in West Java. This GHP is the 22nd GHP owned by PLN. Another 21 GHPs are spread across a number of PLN power plants in Indonesia, mainly in Java.

Also read: Competing to Develop Hydrogen Fuel

PT PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said on the sidelines of the inauguration that from the 22 GHP, 203 tons of green hydrogen were produced per year. Meanwhile, only 75 tons are needed to cool PLN power plants per year, so the remaining 128 tons can be used for the transportation sector.

”(HRS) is only a pilot project with the aim of exploring technical, operational and commercial feasibility. Also what the regulations are like. HRS can supply both private vehicles and public transportation. "We are also exploring cooperation with the Provincial Government (DKI Jakarta) and public transportation institutions to procure hydrogen fuel cell-based buses," he said.

KOMPAS/DAHONO FITRIANTO

Hydrogen fuel cell bus, SORA, made by Toyota will become one of the mass transit vehicles in the Tokyo Metropolitan area during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The bus was showcased to journalists at the Tokyo Motor Show on Tuesday (22/10/2019).

For your information, fuel cells have a similar function to batteries, namely providing electrical energy. Fuel cells can break down hydrogen into electrical energy which then powers the vehicle as well as electric vehicles.

Darmawan added that as a comparison, the cost of gasoline and diesel for vehicles is Rp 1,300 per kilometer (km), while for electric vehicles (EV) it is Rp 350 to Rp 550 per km. As for charging with HRS PLN, it's only Rp 270 per km because it utilizes existing supply chains in the PLN system. However, if HRS requires new investment, the charging cost would be around Rp 800 per km.

The development of HRS, according to Darmawan, is part of an effort to support the government's program. "How to reduce the use of imported components in BBM energy and transform it into domestic energy, from high-cost energy to affordable energy, and from greenhouse gas emissions to environmentally friendly ones. We want to align economic growth with environmental sustainability," he explained.

It is hoped that the electricity used is derived from renewable energy sources.

Acting Director General New Energy, Renewables and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Jisman P Hutajulu said that the potential for hydrogen is large. However, to produce hydrogen, electrical energy is needed. Therefore, it is hoped that the electricity used is electricity resulting from the use of renewable energy, one of which is hydroelectric power plants.

“The ultimate goal of hydrogen is not only in transportation (sector), but also power generation. "Hopefully, with the existence of the hydrogen center, studies will be produced that can be implemented to support electricity," said Jisman.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

The President Director of PLN, Darmawan Prasodjo (second from the left in front) and the Acting Director General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jisman P Hutajulu (center front), are seen inspecting a hydrogen-based car engine at the Senayan Hydrogen Fueling Station in Jakarta on Wednesday (21/2/2024). The use of green hydrogen as an alternative energy to replace oil-based fuel is an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector.

Public transportation

Principal Expert Researcher at the Energy Conversion and Conservation Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Eniya Listiani Dewi, who is involved in the PLN Hydrogen Center, said that in the initial stage, the presence of HRS was for a pilot and educational project. The closest thing, at least it is estimated until August 2024, will be the procurement of buses based onhydrogen fuel cells.

"So, first we need to increase the number of buses so that people know and realize that the most non-emission hydrogen is available," said Eniya.

Passenger cars will be tested around October. The trial period is also to see how smoothly the transport of hydrogen from the Muara Karang gas-fired power plant in Jakarta can be carried out.

Also read: Development of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia in Indonesia Begins

Based on the timeline, commercialization is expected to start only in 2027. According to the roadmap available in the government, hydrogen will only be utilized for the transportation sector after the year 2030. This is partly due to the wait for the decrease in renewable energy prices, which are still relatively expensive compared to fossil fuels.

Quoting the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation website of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, hydrogen is a low-carbon new energy source that is abundant in Indonesia. Currently, hydrogen consumption in Indonesia reaches over 1.75 million tons per year. However, its use is still limited to raw materials for fertilizers, ammonia and oil refineries.

One of the directions for the development and utilization of hydrogen in Indonesia is to support the decarbonization efforts and Indonesia's commitment to mitigate global climate change. However, the development of hydrogen as a support for clean energy in Indonesia is still in the research and pilot project stage. Hydrogen is projected to begin to grow after 2030.

Economic energy observer and lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Yayan Satyakti, believes that hydrogen can indeed become a more environmentally friendly energy source. However, in producing hydrogen, electricity is also needed. Meanwhile, the carbon footprint of electricity in Indonesia is still largely dependent on fossil energy.

"So, in the Indonesian context, hydrogen in the future (if used more widely) will not be as green or as blue (low emissions) because after all we still rely on fossil plants for electricity. "It's different, for example, if we have optimally utilized wind farms (wind power plants) or other renewable energy," said Yayan.