Bekasi, 23 January 2024 – Human life cannot be separated from various types of energy use. Starting from the household scale for cooking, to the utility scale such as power plants with a capacity of hundreds of megawatts. Even though energy utilization activities are carried out every day, understanding and literacy about energy still needs to be built, especially regarding the use of renewable and cleaner energy sources.
The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) actively collaborates with various parties to continue to build understanding and capacity regarding the energy transition, one of which is through the Jelajah Energi program. Jelajah Energi is initiated by IESR, as an effort to document various good practices for using renewable energy in society and in the industrial sector.
Deon Arinaldo, IESR Energy Transformation Program Manager, in the introductory workshop on Jelajah Energi Jawa Barat (Jelajah Energi chapter West Java), stated that a deep understanding of the energy transition and its benefits for the environment as well as socio-economic benefits is the motivation to drive community participation in the energy transition process.
“It is hoped that proper public understanding of the use of renewable energy can provide full support in implementing clean energy-based solutions,” said Deon.
In the same forum, the Head of the West Java Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Office, Ai Saadiyah Dwidaningsih, said that the Jelajah Energi Jawa Barat activity was a relevant relevant to the current situation in West Java which had recorded 23.41% of renewable energy mix by 2023.
“West Java has a renewable energy potential of 192 GW, ranging from solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro and wind. However, of this 192 GW potential, only 3.41 GW or still around 2% has been utilized,” said Ai.
Ai added that the activity will provide an experience to understand and know the development of this energy transition in Indonesia, especially in West Java, so it is hoped that cross-sector collaborative initiatives or input will emerge after.
After the introductory workshop, the Jelajah Energi trip began with a visit to the Bantar Gebang Waste Power Plant (PLTSa) unit. PLTSa Bantar Gebang is located at the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Disposal Site (TPST) and is one of the largest waste disposal sites in the world.
The Bantar Gebang PLTSa unit is a pilot project belonging to the DKI Jakarta Regional Government. Currently PLTSa Bantar Gebang produces around 750 kWh of electricity per day. The electricity produced is used for the operations of PLTSa and Bantar Gebang TPST, and uses around 300-450 kWh.
Harun Al Rasyid, Deputy Operations Manager for PLTSa Bantar Gebang, stated that there is a lot of excess power so it is necessary to think about options for using this excess power.
“Because we are not connected to the grid, now excess power is wasted,” explained Harun.
Apart from being used as PLTSa fuel, waste from the Bantar Gebang TPST is also used as refuse derived fuel (RDF). Ari Prihantono from the Nathabumi PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk team, said that RDF is a cost-effective alternative fuel.
“Waste sorting is the biggest challenge in the RDF supply chain process. Improving this sorting process is the key to improving the RDF supply chain. If we can sort from the start, we can cut the costs of centralized sorting,” said Ari.
PLTSa Bantar Gebang also produces paving blocks from Fly Ash Bottom Ash (FABA), the combustion residue from PLTSa. From 100 tons of waste per day, 10 tons of usable FABA can be produced.
