IESR Encouraging Community Capacity Building Through the Energy Transition Academy

Fabby Tumiwa

Jakarta, June  23, 2023 – The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) encourages community capacity building towards an emission-free Indonesia by launching the Energy Transition Academy platform, accessed via the academy.transisienergi.id website. The platform serves as a forum for learning about energy transition and climate change issues connecting with the growing popularity and frequent use of the phrase “energy transition” in public spaces.

The Executive Director of IESR, Fabby Tumiwa explained that the Government of Indonesia had launched a gradual energy transition and would achieve net zero emission (NZE) in 2060 or earlier. Howeverd, based on the IESR study entitled “Deep decarbonization of Indonesia’s energy system: A pathway to zero emissions by 2050” shows that technologically and economically, Indonesia’s energy sector can achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. The transformation of energy supply and utilization across all energy sectors is crucial to attaining NZE.

“By achieving NZE by2050, Indonesia can generate 3.2 million new jobs in the renewable energy sector. This presents opportunities for economic growth and job growth. Therefore, there is a need to build new capacities, expertise, and skills, considering that the energy transition must bring social and economic benefits. Reflecting on this, the energy transition academy can serve as a means for the community to participate in the energy transition by enhancing insight and capacities,” explained Fabby Tumiwa.

Panel discussion on energy transition platform launching

Irwan Sarifudin, Coordinator of the Clean Energy Hub, IESR, highlighted that through the Energy Transition Academy platform, it is expected that the general public can apply knowledge about energy transition in their daily work. Particularly for Non-Governmental Organizations, by gaining knowledge about the energy transition, can enable them to initiate renewable energy projects, without solely relying on assistance from the central government.

“The Energy Transition Academy platform offers several features that  facilitate learning, distinguishing it from other platforms, such as Synchronous and Asynchronous, Continue Later, As Fast as Your Understanding, Ask Anywhere, Data Sources & Reference, and Tutor Guidance,” said Irwan.

Raditya Wiranegara, IESR Senior Researcher, mentioned the Energy Transition Academy collaborated with various well-known universities and institutions in three phases of module development. In the first phase of the Energy Transition Academy partnered  with ITB, UNS, and ATW Solar, the second phase was collaborated with UI, Swiss German University, ITS, Mongabay, and Tempo, and the third phase was collaborated with UGM, Mataram University, PEC, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and so on.

“There are several energy transition academy classes with guaranteed quality, including the basics of the energy transition, an introduction to the energy transition roadmap in Indonesia, and rooftop solar power training,” said Raditya.

The launch of the Energy Transition Academy has received positive feedback from various sectors. Khoiria Oktaviani, GERIYA Program Manager at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explained that the existence of the Energy Transition Academy is expected to provide insight and knowledge related to the energy transition.

“We think there is a gap where college students primarily acquire theoretical knowledge, so after graduation, they often feel a lack of  practical experiences in the field. The limitation of GERILYA lies in the selection, which sometimes results in an even distribution of participants across Indonesia,” said Khoiria.

Irvan S. Kartawiria, Deputy Chancellor of the Swiss German University (SGU), emphasized that the Z and alpha generations are highly concerned about the social impact of the work to be carried out, how work impacts others, and environmental sustainability. For this reason, several universities (including SGU, red) prepare their students to meet these needs.

On the other hand, Efri Ritonga, a TEMPO journalist, stated that this energy transition is highly complex process, not only the change in the energy system from fossil-based energy to clean energy, but is closely related to other sectors,such ass of energy, electricity, battery-based transportation.

“From the journalist’s point of view, it is not easy to understand the issue of the energy transition. The easiest things that directly affect people, such as home energy consumption, electric vehicles, the issue of coal-fired power plants (CFPP) pollution, our need is to understand issues directly grounded in society,” said Efri.

Hadi Priyanto, Climate & Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace, assessed that the government’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) commitment is increasingly focused on the energy transition. However, to mainstream the energy transition to society, broader and more massive awareness and more stable regulations from the government are needed.

Muhammad Arman, Legal Consultant Advocate & AMAN Mediator, said the practice of clean energy has long been carried out with local wisdom by indigenous peoples. For example, several villages have implemented energy independence in Sorong, West Papua.

“The principle of the energy transition is inclusive, equitable, and fair. Do not let the energy transition create injustice and lots of piracy. For that, we need an Indigenous Peoples Law to ensure that Indigenous peoples protect the environment,” said Arman.

 

The Energy Transition Academy launch event was held on Friday (23/6/2023) with two sessions, namely the launch and workshop of the Energy Transition Academy platform. Several students and the general public participated in trying out the Energy Transition Academy platform in the workshop.

 

Initial Steps to Nurture Renewable Energy Ecosystem ASEAN

Jakarta, 13 June 2023 – Southeast Asia is a region with the largest economic growth and energy demand. Economic growth followed by increase in energy demand in the region is projected to continue in the coming years. If the use of environmentally friendly energy sources is not anticipated, this economic growth and energy demand will become the main problem of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the ASEAN region.

In a webinar titled Towards a Decarbonized ASEAN: Unlocking the Potential of Renewables to Advance ASEAN Interconnectivity Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform stated that ASEAN has the opportunity to encourage the creation of a renewable energy industry ecosystem through the cooperation of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) regional interconnection network.

“ASEAN power grid can be one of the supporting infrastructures to accelerate the use of renewable energy in ASEAN countries while waiting for its market share to grow. ASEAN countries can encourage supply chain cooperation in renewable energy technology, especially solar module cell technology,” he said.

Fabby added that Indonesia, as the holder of the ASEAN Chair this year, has the opportunity to encourage this initiative and encourage the transition of fossil fuel-based industries towards renewable energy. A greener industrial transformation is believed to have a multiplier effect in the form of creating green jobs in the future.

In line with Fabby, Yeni Gusrini, Sub Coordinator of the Gatrik Program at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources stated that in the first phase of development, the ASEAN Power Grid had succeeded in transferring 100 MW of electricity from Lao PDR to Singapore.

“The first phase of APG development succeeded in connecting Lao PDR – Thailand – Malaysia – Singapore. Moreover, APG will be a contributor to economic growth that ensures sufficient energy throughout the ASEAN region,” added Yeni.

Indra Overland, Head of Center for Energy Research, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, said it is important for ASEAN countries to start thinking about strategies to increase renewable energy in the country and in the region.

“We can take as an example Vietnam which has succeeded in massively adding its renewable energy capacity in the past decade. Strategies such as having a policy framework that supports the development of renewable energy including taxation and ease of licensing are very influential for investors’ interest in investing in the development of renewable energy in an area,” he said.

Added by Overland, one indicator of a country having good policy implementation is when the renewable energy sector has abundant investors.

Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Energy Modeling and Policy Planning Manager, ASEAN Center for Energy, acknowledged that the financial factor which is one of the inhibiting factors for renewable energy penetration in the network. He said that one of the focuses of ASEAN 2021 – 2025 is to build connectivity and integrate regional markets.

“Penetration of renewable energy must be translated into the addition of generation capacity. To support this, network modernization must be carried out to maintain network stability, flexibility, and toughness. All of this requires a large amount of investment, and the government’s current budget is insufficient to finance everything, so the role of private investors is needed here,” Zulfikar explained.

The existence of the ASEAN Power Grid will bring long-lasting socio-economic impacts. The hope is that the traded electricity is clean electricity produced by renewable energy generators. So, this clearly affects the location of fossil power plants which are still quite a lot in the ASEAN region.

Ahmad Ashov Birry, Program Director of Trend Asia, gave an example that Indonesia still has a pile of homework related to this fossil power plant. Starting from an early retirement plan for fossil-based power plants to the construction of new renewable energy-based power plants.

“In this series of processes (ending fossil-based plants and construction of new power plants based on renewable energy, ed), the community needs to be involved, so that they can anticipate the possible damage arising from each stage. So that the transition (energy, ed) that occurs is (transition, ed) that is just, and makes life prosperous,” he explained.

Introducing Rooftop PV and Its Related Aspects to Students of SMK Negeri 7 Semarang

Semarang, 6 June 2023 – The Energy and Mineral Resources Office of Central Java Province is holding technical training on the construction and installation of rooftop solar PV in order to increase human capital in the electricity sector, new and renewable energy, energy conservation, especially for PV installations. The rooftop PV training was attended by 30 representatives of the third grade students from the Electrical Engineering major, SMK Negeri 7 Semarang.

The Head of SMK Negeri 7 Semarang, Haris Wahyudi, warmly welcomed this initiative and believed that the training was the right skill for his students.

“This training is a contextual skill to equip our students, whether they are going to do internships or join the labor forces. This competence is very necessary and very appropriate, we are grateful and grateful for being given the opportunity and having this activity at SMK Negeri 7 Semarang,” he said.

Haris hoped that this training could be motivating and useful, so that in the future there would be high opportunities for rooftop PV – related jobs to be filled by one of his students with good skills and provisions.

This rooftop PV training activity is one of the efforts made by the Provincial Government of Central Java through the ESDM Office to increase the knowledge and skills of the younger generation, so that they are able to take part in facing the energy transition.

Boedyo Dharmawan, Plt. Head of the Energy and Mineral Resources Office of Central Java Province in his remarks said that Central Java has abundant potential for new and renewable energy (NRE), many NRE practices have been built and utilized by the people of Central Java. He hopes that the younger generations will be able to understand and be ready to face the changes in the energy transition that will continue to occur in the future.

“Thirty-five districts/cities in Central Java Province have a lot of PV energy potential, and in the future, we will gradually abandon fossil energy because its availability continues to decrease, this is inevitable, we need to be prepared and ready to face it,” he said.

“Hopefully with this PV rooftop training, youths can build and take good care of PV management. Because if we only continue to encourage and massive development of solar energy, but the maintenance and maintenance is lacking, in the future this can become an opportunity and job opportunities for younger siblings in the future,” he continued.

In addition, Dharmawan also hopes that NRE programs can be supported by all parties, including the educational communities in Central Java Province.

“We really hope that the Education and Culture Office will encourage renewable energy development programs, so that State Vocational High School students in Central Java are ready to face energy transition,” he added.

Rizqi M Prasetyo, regional program officer of, Sustainable Energy Access, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) participated as one of the speakers in the rooftop PV technical training, with the theme “The Green Superheroes: Solar Team is Saving the Planet!”. The presentation of the material began with a quiz on future PV – related job opportunities, which was enthusiastically followed by the participants.

“The material presented is clear, the delivery method is more exciting, so we don’t get bored listening, it combined with quizzes via cell phones, so the material is easy to understand, because the delivery method is so good,” said Aditya Arya Permata, one of the students.

Rizqi also gave descriptions of current and future climate conditions and employment opportunities. It is hoped that the training participants will be literate and have a high awareness that the development of renewable energy, especially solar energy, can open new jobs that are environmentally friendly.

“We hope that the solar PV training at this school can encourage and motivate the younger generation to become a generation that is environmentally conscious and understands the importance of the energy transition, so that in the future they will be able to contribute, innovate, and lead the process of transforming into a low-carbon economy through solar energy,” said Rizqi.

Apart from IESR, training materials were also delivered by the Energy and Mineral Resources Office of Central Java Province and PPSDM EBTKE. This training takes place from 6 – 9 June 2023 with materials covering Rooftop PV Policy and Development in Central Java, PV Regulations and Safety Procedures, PV Systems and Components and ends with the practice of installing rooftop PV.

Youth Power for the Retirement of Coal Power Plants

Jakarta, 5 June 2023 – Youth advocacy is one of the most effective ways to promote change. Moreover, the issues must be close to heart and interesting to follow to raise awareness among youth. For instance, we can connect the topic with their passion. This is carried out by the Kpop 4 Planet youth community, which strives to fight the climate crisis by connecting it with Korean pop music (K-Pop). Departing from this common goal, the Institute Essential Services Reform (IESR) invited Kpop 4 Planet to have a casual chat on Twitter Space about coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) on Monday (5/6/2023).

Nurul Sarifah, a Kpop4Planet activist and campaign coordinator in Jakarta, and her colleague in South Korea have shared the same interest that led them to create a platform for K-pop lovers who care about the environment. Nurul explained, just like other music fans, Kpop fans are also expressive in showing their passion. So, this movement is not limited to Kpop fans. She also stated that youth has to develop awareness, especially with the real climate change impacts caused by CFPPs.

“In the year I was born, the carbon dioxide count reached 368 ppm, while now it has reached 416 ppm. It is sad to imagine that for the rest of our lives we have to experience bad air quality, and it will even get worse if we continue to use new CFPPs or we never transition to renewables” explained Nurul.

In the future, Kpop4Planet hopes that one of the South Korean car brands no longer plans to build a new CFPP with 1.1 GW capacity to mine aluminum while waiting for the new hydroelectric power plant to be used in 2029. If this demand is not met, the brand is potentially greenwashing to their consumers. 

On the other hand, regarding the urgency of retiring the CFPPs, Dr. Raditya Wiranegara, IESR senior researcher, mentioned  that the global temperature increase has now reached 1.1℃ from the threshold of 1.5℃ which could be the disaster. The emission reductions of around 19-27 gigatonnes must comply with the commitment to keep the temperature below 1.5℃. This reduction can be started by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. This choice certainly has an economic impact. For example, employment and the costs required to transfer workers to new jobs will be affected. Meanwhile, the biggest challenge lies in the need for significant funding.

“The termination of CFPP operations can follow a schedule compatible with the IPCC road map. In the first stage, we need to retire 9.2 GW capacities of CFPP, followed by 21 GW of CFPP in the next period, so in 2045 we can retire 12 GW. In addition, it is also necessary to think about the generator that will replace it and the construction process so that it continues to meet energy needs. The key is in planning,” said Raditya.

At the end of the discussion, Raditya and Nurul believed in the ability of youth to change the future. Raditya emphasized the need for the younger generation to maintain enthusiasm and hone their skills to prepare themselves to welcome the clean energy era. Meanwhile, Nurul said that the younger generation could look for climate movements that suit their interests because doing what we care about and love will be a potent combo in the fight against climate change. Both hope that the government can immediately draw up a roadmap for retiring the CFPP and that youth voices will also be heard in their desire for a more livable earth.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Possible Intervention Options to Reduce Energy Sector Emissions

Jakarta, 30 May 2023 – Transforming the power sector into a low carbon energy system is an absolute necessity. One of them is to pursue emission reduction targets in order to maintain the increase in global average temperature to be at the level of 1.5 ℃. It is stated in the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report that from 2011 – 2020, the average global temperature has increased by 1.1℃, amidst various human activities that continue to produce emissions. The energy sector is one of the largest contributors to emissions in Indonesia after forestry and land use. Plans to develop fossil-based energy generators are an obstacle in efforts to reduce emissions from the electricity sector.

Indonesia is in the top three rankings as a country with CFPP in the pipeline after China and India. A total of 13.8 GW of CFPP with various development progresses have been included in the PLN RUPTL 2021 – 2030.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), during the launching report and public discussion ‘Delivering Power Sector Transition’ said that one of the reasons for the increase in the global average temperature is the burning of fossil fuels.

“Thus, reducing coal capacity in the electricity system is one of the key actions in efforts to achieve the target of the Paris Agreement, which is to keep global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius,” he said.

In the Indonesian context, commercial issues have become one of the aggravating factors for the coal phase-out. Dadan Kusdiana, Director General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, conveyed that coal phase out still requires joint encouragement from all parties.

“We still have to fight for this (phasing out coal and adding renewable energy capacity). Because, according to current regulations, they are not in the same regulations. However, I want to encourage that the process must be done in the same rhythm,” he said.

IESR considers the coal phase-out in Indonesia as an important matter, because as one of the recipients of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) funding commitment, Indonesia has an obligation to reach a peak emission of 290 million tons of CO2 in 2030 and increase the renewable energy mix by 34% in 2030.

“To achieve the target of the Paris Agreement, the target set by JETP is actually not enough. However, this can be a starting point for accelerating the development of renewable energy in Indonesia,” explained Raditya Wiranegara, IESR Senior Researcher who is a member of the study author team.

Raditya added that in the Delivering Power Sector Transition report, IESR found that of the 13.8 GW PLTU planned for construction in the 2021-2030 RUPTL, 2.9 GW could be cancelled, 10.6 GW needed to end operations early, and 220 MW were considered for repurposing with renewable energy-based power plants such as biomass.

Akbar Bagaskara, power sector researcher in IESR added that the reduction in emissions will be directly impact the cost of the electricity system.

“The cancellation of CFPP construction accompanied by early retirement for the existing CFPP will be the best scenario for reducing emissions. Cancellation of CFPP in the pipeline will reduce emissions significantly. However, it is felt that this is still not optimal to achieve the JETP target in 2030,” he added.

IESR calculates that to achieve the JETP target, at least 8.6 GW of coal must be retired before 2030, followed by the phase out of 7.6 GW of coal-fired power plants before 2040.

Gigih Udi Utomo, Director of Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, commented that the coal phase-out and the cancellation of the CFPP need to be seen as two different things.

“When we talk about the early retirement road map, we are referring to the mandate of Presidential Decree 112/2022. Early retirement is for existing CFPPs, while this 13.8 GW topic is for CFPP that is not yet operating and is already in the RUPTL, so that each of the options and scenarios offered in the study needs to be explored again and requires dialogue with relevant stakeholders,” he explained.

Independent Power Producers as PLN’s partner in meeting national electricity demands state that energy business actors are basically willing to support the government in the transition.

“However, what needs to be noted is that the participation of projects that will be canceled or CFPP units whose retirement age will be accelerated must be based on the voluntarily principle not mandatory because basically the project owner has secured the contract with PLN,” said Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Private Electricity Producers (APLSI), Arthur Simatupang.

Kirana Sastrawijaya, Senior Partner of Umbra, reminded that it is important to review the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) document between IPPs and PLN especially for the proposal to cancel the CFPP construction.

“Presidential Decree No. 112/2022 can be used as a legal basis for phasing out coal, but there needs to be list of criteria of which CFPPs unit eligible for phase-out. This Presidential Decree can also become a basis for canceling a CFPP, although it does not specifically talk about cancellation,” she said.

In the context of legal law, Karina stressed that potential legal disputes could occur. So, in addition to the applicable government regulations, the contract document (PPA) must be a reference document because it regulates in detail various restrictions on the parties and funders.

Pushing the Role of Civil Society Organizations in ASEAN Transformation

Jakarta, 16 Mei 2023 – Indonesia’s role in international diplomacy continued after successfully hosting the G20 meeting in November 2022. This year, Indonesia holds the ASEAN chairmanship. ASEAN itself is an important region as it accounts for the biggest economic growth. In terms of economic growth, ASEAN will have 4,3% of economic growth according to ADB. Challenges that linger around ASEAN currently are the effect of climate change and energy transition.

ASEAN countries other than Vietnam still have a high reliance on fossil fuels, especially coal in the energy system. It will take more effort as well as financing to transform the whole energy system in ASEAN into a low – carbon and sustainable one. 

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director at the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), during the webinar titled “Making Energy Green and Low Carbon to Support Sustainable Growth” through Advancing the Role of Civil Society in Southeast Asia Energy Transition During Indonesia ASEAN Chairmanship 2023” mentioned that all stakeholders including the government and private sector need to work hand in hand to ensure that transformation toward a clean energy system is happening in ASEAN.

“We also need further collaboration at the grassroots level and the increasingly significant role of ASEAN’s CSO in the region and how ASEAN’s CSO either as an individual entity and group can contribute to “Making Energy Green and Low Carbon to Support Sustainable Growth” through Advancing the Role of Civil Society in Southeast Asia Energy Transition During Indonesia ASEAN Chairmanship 2023,” he said. 

Later on, Ridwan Budi Santoso, Investment and Electricity Cooperation Working Group Coordinator, Directorate General of Electricity MEMR explained that Indonesia ASEAN chairmanship will try to secure a deal on regional cooperation including power interconnectivity that is expected to boost the economic growth of the region. He said that his parties will have a joint declaration of 41tst Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting on sustainable energy through interconnectivity, and a joint statement for Brunei Darussalam – Indonesia – Malaysia – Philippines Power Integration Project (BIMP – PIP) as the deliverables.

“We expect the utilities (in those countries-ed) to sign the MoU for interconnectivity,” said Ridwan. 

In the policy-setting agenda, Indonesia aims to have a joint statement addressing the climate change impact in the region.

“Beside ASEAN joint statement on climate change, we will also have a study about ASEAN community-based climate action, which contains lessons learnt and best practices to be implemented at the community level,” Wisnu Murti, Directorate General of Climate Change Control, Ministry of Forest and Environment explained.

Responding to the explanation of Indonesia as ASEAN chair this year, Antony Tan, Executive Officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDGs), highlighted that ASEAN’s presence in the international community is lacking. A little bit different from, for example, the European Union which has a special presence during international meetings.

“We see that for example, during the last COP 27. We (ASEAN) sit in a separate part and together only because of Loss and Damage,” he added.

In terms of renewable energy development in Malaysia, Antony said that currently, Malaysia focuses on solar PV and hydro. Malaysia aims to increase its renewables shares, excluding hydropower to 20% of the generation mix by 2025.

“We lifted the ban on renewable energy exports. This move is welcomed by Singapore, as it will benefit the neighboring country and boost the local renewable sector,” he concluded.

The previous ASEAN chair, Cambodia faced different challenges to bring decarbonization to the country. In overcoming the challenges, non-government organizations act as a bridge to make the vision clearer in accelerating the energy transition.

“When we talk about decarbonization, it means we need to talk about what kind of energy market reform, what enablers can be implemented, and we need to understand that the context between one place and another is quite different and we need to figure out a different approach,” explained Natharoun Ngo Son Executive Director, Energy Lab, Cambodia.

Chariya Senpong, Energy Transition Team Leader, Greenpeace Thailand highlighted the role of becoming a bridge for many stakeholders. Civil society organizations must empower people to move beyond the trans boundaries level.

“It is important to communicate the climate-related issue not only to people but also to the government, especially at the ASEAN level. On how we can get a quick policy shift to reach the net zero emissions level. CSO also needs to work in different levels of advocacy to influence and move the stakeholders to a more sustainable pathway,” she explained.

Aryanne De Ocampo, Advocacy, Networking, and Communications Officer, Center for Energy, Ecology and Development added that ASEAN is having the power to drive decarbonization globally.

“As ASEAN, we should be amongst the loudest of those who demand change from the governments and industries to commit to ambitious climate targets. For ASEAN to own up to its identity, it also needs to represent the most vulnerable parts of society, starting from its climate goals.”

Every year ASEAN puts out hundreds of joint statements and ASEAN needs to make sure that the statements related to climate change are manifested. This point is brought up by Esther Tamara, Director of the Climate Unit, Foreign Policy Community Indonesia.

“ASEAN needs to make sure that the joint statement regarding climate change does not stay only as statements. ASEAN community vision post-2025 has to be climate focused to create a green world. There are also words from the Cambodian government especially to create a Green Deal, but there has not been a lot of movement towards it,” she said.

Esther added that there should be an official mechanism for civil society organizations that allows a bottom-up discussion to happen in ASEAN.

IESR Participates in Celebrates Earth Day in Cilacap

IESR turut meramaikan perayaan Hari Bumi tahun 2023

Cilacap – In commemoration of Earth Day, which falls every April 22, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) took part in revitalizing the peak of Earth Day 2023 commemoration activities in Bulupayung Village, Kesugihan District, Cilacap Regency on Friday (12/5/2023). The activity is “Invest in Our Planet Through Sustainable Mining.”

During the event, the IESR team provided education on how to contribute to using environmentally friendly energy, especially at the household scale (PLTS roof), and implement the potential of renewable energy around them. Relevant IESR publications and studies in Central Java were also distributed to the visitors who attended the activity. Visitors are invited to animate the photo booth with the theme #InvestInOurPlanet.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, reminded the importance of preserving natural resources so that they continue to benefit humans.

“Natural resources are the key to the wheels of a running economy, everything in nature can be used to meet needs and welfare, and as humans, we must protect and preserve it,” explained Ganjar Pranowo.

Meanwhile, Boedyo Dharmawan, Acting (Plt.) The head of the Central Java ESDM Service explained several other activities during the peak of the 2023 Earth Day commemoration activities. Boedyo presented the series of events aimed to protect the earth from extinction, mainly its natural resources have been used.

“At this moment of the Earth Day series, there are several important points of activity that we carry out, the inauguration of the Slamet Selatan Mining Association, the assistance of 4,000 tree seeds, appreciation for small to large scale miners who comply with Good Mining Practice (GMP) principles, technical and environmental. In addition, the awarding of Energy Independent Village (DME) was also carried out as the Energy and Water Saving Movement (HEA). Hopefully, sustainable management of the earth can be done for future generations,” he said.

Sustainable Energy Access Regional Program Staff, IESR, Riina Syivarulli hopes that the participants and visitors to the activity can become increasingly aware of the importance of awareness and take concrete steps to preserve the environment after visiting the IESR booth.

“On this occasion, IESR introduced the Jejakkarbonku.id platform to find carbon emissions from our daily activities. There is also a Solar Hub platform if visitors want to know about rooftop PLTS. Many visitors tried the two platforms; some said they wanted to install a rooftop PLTS. Hopefully, more and more people will be interested in installing rooftop PLTS to reduce emissions and take advantage of renewable energy from home,” Riina said.

Inspiring the Youth: CASE Indonesia Teaches the Importance of Energy Transition in Sekolah Bogor Raya

Bogor, 4 April 2023 – Project Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) together with Sekolah Bogor Raya kicked off the long-awaited Teaching for the Future (T4F) Program which focuses on the importance of energy transition as a subject in formal education.

CASE Teaching for the Future Program visited Sekolah Bogor Raya as we launched the T4F program, after our great and inspiring experience Sekolah Santa Ursula BSD in 2022. This year, T4F has a completely different agenda, as the students from grades 7, 8 and 11, totaling 150 participants, were involved in active learning, with 15 mentors facilitating, to increase the understanding and challenge them to find solutions towards problems faced by Indonesia in transitioning to clean energy. 

There were 5 different topics facilitated by the mentors, including sustainable energy access, energy efficiency, just energy transition, sustainable transportation and sustainable agriculture. By the end of the session, all students were given a task to create a campaign/project proposal on each specific topic. These ideas/proposals will be presented by the students on 14th April 2023 during Sekolah Bogor Raya Earth Day’s Exhibition.

Dominic, one of the participants of the program mentioned, “One thing that I learned from the session is about the drought in Danau Toba. I critically think of how the drought impacted the communities, especially in acquiring clean water. Education like this is very important for us, to raise awareness and improve our understanding about sustainable energy.”

Agus Tampubolon, CASE Indonesia Project Manager, emphasized the importance of energy transition as a subject in formal education. 

“Education about climate change and clean energy should be informed to the younger generations, as they are the ones who will make energy transition in Indonesia succeed in the future,” said Agus.

Aditya Rao, the Curriculum Coordinator of Sekolah Bogor Raya, told us that most subjects taught in SBR are integrated with the principles of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and since elementary school, the students have already learned about climate change and energy transition. He further mentioned that through this project, SBR hopes its students will be able to understand the theoretical cases of energy transition and climate change in Indonesia in a more practical way and could be inspired to find solutions. 

Note: CASE for Southeast Asia is a collaboration project between the Institute of Essential Services Reform (IESR), GIZ Indonesia and the Ministry of Development Planning (Bappenas) with a mandate of shifting the narrative of energy transition in Indonesia that focuses on decarbonization on the power sector, upscaling renewable energy and energy efficiency, achieving just energy transition and sustainable finance. 

Comparing Each Technology and Average Electricity Generation Cost Fairly

Jakarta, 24 March 2023 – The development of various renewable energy generation technologies continues to experience developments which have an impact on the price of the electricity produced. Apart from technology, several types of power plants are also influenced by various factors, including fuel commodity prices, as well as the geopolitical situation.

In opening remarks for the launch of the report and tool for calculating the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and levelized cost of storage (LCOS), Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) said that there are two contradictory conditions between renewables and fossil generators.

“Almost all renewable energy generators have decreased prices. Solar PV decreased by 90% and wind decreased by around 80%. Until now, the price of fuel or fossil fuels continues to be influenced not only by costs, but also by geopolitical conditions. Renewable energy power plants will not be affected by fuel prices, because they do not use fuel,” he said.

The author of the report “A 2023’s Update on The Levelized Cost of Electricity and Levelized Cost of Storage in Indonesia” His Muhammad Bintang explained similar findings. According to him, in Indonesia, electricity from coal-fired power plants is believed to be cheaper than electricity from renewable energy plants, even though there are many factors that cause this to happen.

“The price of coal electricity is cheap because of the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) policy. This policy makes the PLTU have a relatively cheap and stable generation cost,” said Bintang.

Bintang added that without the DMO policy, the price of electricity from coal-fired power plants could increase up to three times when global coal prices rise.

Another policy that will affect the cost of energy generation is the implementation of carbon economic values such as carbon caps and carbon taxes. The application of carbon economic value needs to be ensured to be effective by ensuring a competitive carbon quota (cap) or price. Determining the appropriate carbon economic value is expected to reduce the use of fossil energy and encourage the development of renewable energy.

On the same occasion, Mustaba Ari Suryoko, Coordinator of Services and Oversight of Various NRE Businesses, Directorate General of EBTKE, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explained that changes in the movement of renewable energy prices at the global level actually occurred in Indonesia.

“We identified that the price reduction was relatively related to technology. For example in solar and wind, biomass is related to feedstock, and some are stagnant such as hydro,” Mustaba said.

Mustaba explained, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is currently drafting regulations equivalent to laws for the development of renewable energy. Previously in Presidential Decree No. 112/2022 is mandated to carry out price evaluations. The existence of LCOE and LCOS calculating devices will assist in carrying out this evaluation, of course by adjusting the assumptions used as parameters.

One of the key actors in the development of renewable energy and the energy transition in general is PLN, which acts as an offtaker of the electricity generated by the generator. The development of technology, which has an impact on the price of electricity, has not escaped PLN’s attention.

As stated by Cita Dewi, EVP of New and Renewable Energy at PT PLN, the trend of decreasing electricity prices from renewable energy plants is included in PLN’s monitoring.

“PLN welcomes this, because we realize that to make the energy transition we need a lot of EBT generators,” said Cita.

Apart from generators, PLN also has the mandate to build a renewable energy ecosystem and ensure that renewable energy development projects in the RUPTL are implemented properly.

Looking deeper into the technology side, the decline in solar energy prices is one of them influenced by the increase in the efficiency of solar modules.

“The increased efficiency of solar modules increases solar energy production without increasing costs. In addition, the development of mechanical technology such as nano cells can also reduce production costs or selling costs. This will significantly reduce the cost of solar modules,” explained Andhika Prastawa, Main Engineering Researcher at BRIN.

Evvy Kartini, founder of the National Battery Research Institute, also reminded about the important role of storage or battery technology in the energy transition ecosystem.

“The cost of this energy transition will depend on the battery. Take the example of an electric vehicle, 45% of the price of an electric vehicle is the price of the battery, so if the battery is cheap the price will go down.”

In addition to technological developments, the regularity of the auction schedule is also an important factor in ensuring the development of renewable energy.

“Regarding the risks of developing PLTS in Indonesia, there are certainly risks at every stage. At the development stage, we expect certainty, like providing information about auction schedule and capacity in one year as is done in other countries,” said Refi Kunaefi, Managing Director of Akuo Energy Indonesia.