Indonesia's transition plan to move from fossil-based sources towards
renewable energy generation, is on track.
By 2025, renewables will account for 23 per cent of its energy mix.
As of June this year, about 13 per cent of Indonesia’s overall electricity generation comes from renewables.
That’s over half of the target it wants to achieve.
As the world's fourth-most populous country
and the eighth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the goal to cut carbon emissions is
in line with its commitment in the Paris Agreement. In the spotlight at the recent UN climate
change conference in Glasgow, Indonesia’s President said the country is ready to work
on concrete implementation. One of the key drivers to decarbonise could
be its efforts to boost the use of solar energy. The archipelago's solar market is ripe for
growth with its abundant and untapped potential for solar power
Due to technological advancements in photovoltaics, solar energy is much cheaper than a decade
ago and comparable with the price of coal power.
A 145-megawatt floating solar power plant, the largest in South-east Asia, and the first
of its kind in Indonesia, is being constructed in West Java's Cirata dam.
The joint venture is driven by PJBI, an investment arm of the subsidiary of state
power company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and its United Arab Emirates partner, Masdar.
PJBI says the new floating facility will power
around 50,000 houses when completed in 2022,
and reduce 214,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
In major cities like Jakarta, more households
are switching to solar energy, too. Despite the costly initial investment, rooftop
solar panels are cheaper and greener in the long run.
Apart from solar energy, Indonesia is leveraging
other natural resources to generate electricity. Lake Toba, the world’s largest volcanic
lake, is connected to the Asahan River. It is where the 174-megawatt Asahan III hydropower
plant is being built, along with the development of a 8-kilometer underground tunnel to channel
water from the Asahan river to the plant's turbine.
Operated by PLN, the plant is jointly developed by Japan's Shimizu Corp and Indonesia's state-owned
construction company Adhi Karya. When the project completes in 2024, the electricity
generated will supply to the local Sumatera grid.
Unlike the Asahan I and Asahan II hydro power plants, which use a dam to store river water
in a reservoir, the Asahan III plant applies a run-of-river system.
It relies on river flows, and works with a limited amount of storage called pondage -- water
released from which flows through a turbine, and in turn activating a generator to produce
electricity. Such renewable initiatives instil pride in
local residents who are reaping gains from the project.
A good indication of things to come, with the adoption of renewable energy sources just
as important as generation in Indonesia's clean energy transition.