The Long Way to Change Indonesia’s Energy Policy

(Jakarta, 20 December 2022) – The development of renewable energy in Indonesia is still very slow. Solar energy for example, data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources notes that the potential for solar energy in Indonesia reaches 3300 GW. However, its utilization is still less than 1% of the existing potential.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) and Chairman of the Indonesian Solar Energy Association (AESI) at the Inspirational Talks: Renewable Energy, Our Future organized by RESD and the Mentari Program (20/12) said there were a number of factors which currently hampers the development of renewable energy in Indonesia.

“Reducing the shares of fossil energy is not easy because there is a perception that fossil energy is more reliable and renewable energy such as solar and wind is not always available (intermittent). This makes renewable energy as the second choice when planning,” said Fabby.

One of the consequences of this policy is that financial institutions are less interested in financing renewable energy projects. Thus, the development of renewable energy is also very slow at the moment.

What needs to be done is to amend planning documents and energy policies based on credible evidence or studies (evidence based). IESR through its evidence-based studies then provides recommendations to policy makers to make or change policies to transition towards a cleaner energy system.

Even though studies and research have proven that a cleaner energy system will bring more benefits to the government and society, the process of policy change often takes a long time. For this reason, qualified advocacy and communication skills are needed to oversee and urge cleaner energy policies.

Fabby said that it is important to ensure equitable, quality and clean access to energy in the community because by having access to electricity, people or communities will be more prosperous. When people have access to quality electricity, they tend to have a better standard of living because they have more ability to carry out productive activities.

In his closing remark, Fabby emphasized that renewable energy is the future of Indonesia’s and even the world’s energy system. So, it is important to prepare a workforce that is suitable for future needs, especially for prospective workforce who are currently still in school or college.

Racing in Indonesia’s Energy Transition Momentum

Jakarta, 15 December 2022 – Various global geopolitical events throughout 2022 have affected the increase in the price of fossil energy commodities. As a sector that influences and drives other sectors, the energy sector plays an important role in various aspects ranging from socio-economic to political. The global energy crisis in 2022 can be an opportunity for Indonesia to take advantage to accelerate the energy transition.

Indonesia’s energy market, which still relies heavily on subsidies, has made Indonesia feel less impacted by the global energy crisis due to soaring fossil commodity prices. However, it cannot be denied that the government’s fiscal capacity is no longer as large as the past 2-3 years considering that so many energy subsidies have been issued.

This was conveyed by Dannif Danusaputro, President Director of PT Pertamina New & Renewable Energy at the launch of the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook 2023 report, by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Thursday 15 December 2022.

“The increasingly narrow fiscal space will inevitably force the government to adopt unpopular policies and this can be captured as a momentum for accelerating renewable energy,” explained Dannif.

It is not only the global energy crisis that can become a momentum for accelerating renewable energy, but also the commitment to finance the energy transition in Indonesia. At the G20 Summit in November 2022, Indonesia received US$20 billion in energy transition funding through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) scheme. This fund is disbursed by the International Partners Group which consists of the G7 countries plus Denmark and Norway.

Suzanty Sitorus, Executive Director of Viriya ENB, said that JETP’s funds are not sufficient to finance the energy transition process in Indonesia, but that does not mean that its role is not important.

“What is more important is what (these funds) are intended for. Will the USD 20 billion lay the foundations for us to have a faster transition or not,” said Suzanty.

She added that it is important for Indonesia to learn from South Africa (a previous recipient of JETP funding), about an investment plan that suits the needs of the recipient country.

Harris, Director of Geothermal, Directorate General of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, stated that since the G20 Summit, the interest of entrepreneurs to invest in renewable energy, especially geothermal, has increased. This is a good thing for pursuing renewable energy targets in RUPTL.

“I don’t think the current RUPTL needs to increase the target, but we have to make sure that the existing target of 51% renewable (around 20.9 GW) is actually achieved,” said Harris.

He added that it was important to ensure that the RUPTL target was achieved because several times the government did not achieve the RUPTL target.

In addition to adding the installed capacity of renewable energy, energy efficiency is also one of the strategies to achieve net-zero emission status, especially in the industrial sector. Octavianus Bramantya, a member of the Net Zero Hub daily work team, KADIN, explained that the industrial sector is quite aware of the need to transition to cleaner energy sources, but they are still waiting for regulatory certainty.

“There has been an explosion of net-zero pledges from companies. Companies are no longer competing through price and product quality, but because there is a carbon footprint assessment for exports, companies have started to be motivated to think about their carbon footprint,” said Bramantya.

Companies engaged in foreign markets have considered this. Local companies still see this carbon calculation as an obstacle, so it is a challenge for KADIN Net-Zero Hub to help restructure capex values and show that low carbon development is actually profitable.

Having Slow Solar PV Development in 2022, Indonesia Needs to Push the Implementation of Supporting Policies

press release

Fabby Tumiwa delivered his speech at the Shine Bright: Advancing G20 Solar Leadership event

 

Jakarta, 27 October 2022 – To achieve the target of a 23% renewable energy mix by 2025 and the energy system’s decarbonization by 2060 or earlier, Indonesia needs to seriously improve and implement policies that encourage the development of renewable energy, especially solar energy. The utilization of solar energy is believed to be fast and strategic to achieve these targets. Presenting the complete review of the development of solar energy throughout 2022 and providing a projection in 2023, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) published the flagship report, Indonesia Solar Energy Outlook (ISEO) 2023.

Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia on the event of Shine Bright: Advancing G20 Solar Leadership organized by IESR, said that based on IRENA data, the cost of electricity (Levelized cost of electricity/LCOE) has decreased significantly by 88% between 2010 and 2021, from USD 41.7/kWh to USD 4.7/kWh.

“But based on current practice in the industrial sector, we get offers of up to USD 3/kWh, including USD 4/kWh battery costs,” said Arifin at the Shine Bright: Advancing G20 Solar Leadership event organized by IESR with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, and in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance, and the Indonesian Solar Energy Association.

Furthermore, he explained that based on the energy transition roadmap in Indonesia, solar energy plays an important role in electricity in Indonesia with 421 GW of 700 GW coming from solar.

“We need support from local producers and industries to fulfil local requirement content (LCR), considering that Indonesia has mineral potential and critical material for solar PV, battery, and electricity network, Besides, the aspect the easy access to cheap financing, incentive, and other financing facilities is very important to provide a financial feasibility study and increase renewable energy investment such as solar energy, “explained Arifin.

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, said that in general, Indonesia made some progress since 2018, although it is relatively slow in encouraging the development of solar energy. According to him, some reforms are needed in regulations and their implementation, especially before the deadline for realizing the target, which is only three years left.

“Rooftop solar power plants that have the potential of 655 GW for building only, can be built quickly and involve community investment, without overburdening the government. Moreover, to expect additional renewable energy generation capacity from the implementation of PLN’s Business Plan (RUPTL) 2021-2030, rooftop solar power plants can meet a renewable energy mix target of 3 to 4 GW in 2025,” said Fabby.

Fabby added that the government and PLN need to allow permits for rooftop solar power plant installation.

“Availability of soft loan funds from financial institutions can support the adoption of household-scale PV mini-grid. Also, encouraging the adoption of solar PV in industrial areas, and non-PLN business areas needs to be done,” suggested Fabby.

ISEO 2023 stated that the progress of Indonesia’s solar energy can be seen from the decline in the price of solar electricity obtained through a power purchase agreement (PPA) made by PT PLN (Persero) with Independent Power Producers (IPP). Between 2015 and 2022, solar PPA prices declined by 78%, from $0.25/kWh to $0.056/kWh. 

Furthermore, in terms of the project pipeline, there are currently eight projects that have been tendered totalling 585 MWp in capacity. 

“In terms of utility-scale solar power plants, Indonesia has the potential for floating solar power plants. Its future development can make Indonesia a leader, and at the same time realize Indonesia’s leadership in terms of energy transition and use of solar energy in the G20 and ASEAN,” said Fabby.

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, of International Solar Alliance said solar energy is a potential energy source to be developed considering the increasingly competitive price of the technology.

“The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is proud to associate with the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) to drive forward our common goal of making solar electricity the energy source of choice across the world. Solar Energy is the world’s most abundant and clean energy source, but also the global energy imperative to drive international climate action due to its fast-decreasing cost,” said Mathur.

At the same time, IESR and ISA signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate the adoption of solar energy in Indonesia. ISA is an international institution that has various experiences and members from many countries. It has carried out innovations and facilitation to support solar energy development globally. The scope of the collaboration between ISA and IESR includes mapping the domestic solar industry, capacity building, and identifying financing schemes.

ISEO 2023 considers that the establishment of the ceiling price-based pricing in Presidential Regulation No. 112/2022 is expected to provide more space for developers to submit their bids. This regulation has been drafted since 2019 and initially considered feed-in-tariff instruments to encourage the development of renewable energy, especially small scale. 

To encourage the effective implementation of PR 112/2022, a clear and transparent auction mechanism is needed, as a regular and planned auction schedule, as well as providing regulatory certainty and ease of licensing.

ISEO 2023 notes that local content requirements (LCR) are still one of the main obstacles in the auction of solar power plants in Indonesia. Based on Minister of Industry Regulation No. 5/2017, the minimum LCR value of goods for solar module components must reach at least 60% since 1 January 2019. However, the realization of the LCR of solar modules currently only reaches 47.5%. Moreover, the efficiency and price of domestic solar panels still do not meet the requirements of international financing bankability standards. 

“The government needs to review the solar module LCR value provision policy based on industry readiness while preparing a long-term solar module industry policy to decarbonise Indonesia’s energy system,” said Daniel Kurniawan, Researcher, Photovoltaic Technology & Materials Specialist at IESR and Lead Author of ISEO 2023.

On the adoption of solar PV, although the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has issued Ministerial Regulation No. 26/2021, some of its provisions have failed to be implemented, resulting in the slow growth of solar power plants. PLN’s oversupply of electricity is suspected to be the cause of the limitation of rooftop solar power plant (PVP) utilization to 10 to 15 per cent of capacity by PLN in early 2022. If it continues, it will be difficult to realize the solar targets that the government has set, such as the government’s 3.6 GW rooftop solar PSN target by 2025, and the 2.3 GWp solar project pipeline of 31 declarators at the Indonesia Solar Summit 2022.

“The government, in this case, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and PLN, needs to immediately provide a solution to this issue. Not to hinder adoption at a very early stage of adoption but to nurture the growth of rooftop solar until it reaches self-sufficiency. This can be achieved by providing a stable policy environment for market growth and development of the solar industry,” said Daniel.

The Indonesia Solar Energy Outlook (ISEO) 2023 report was first launched this year. Initially, the progress of solar energy development within the framework of the energy transition was integrated into the Indonesia Energy Transition Outlook (IETO) report.

Providing Affordable Financing for Energy Transition

Jakarta, 27 June 2022 – Energy transition has been a global concern lately. As the urge to address climate change rises, energy transition becomes one of the key actions in keeping the global temperature. Fossil fuel burning is believed to be one of the biggest pollutants of GHG that causes temperature rises. Therefore, shifting the energy system into a renewable one is essential to cut  polluting emissions. 

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, Arifin Tasrif, in the G20 seminar titled “Unlocking Innovative Financing Scheme and Islamic Finance, to Accelerate a Just Energy Transition in Emerging Economies” said that during this time, energy transition is challenging.

“With the Covid-19 and the escalation of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, energy transition is challenging as well as for Indonesia as the G20 presidency this year,” he said. 

Minister Tasrif added that with a comprehensive strategy, Indonesia can boost energy transition. Financing has become one of the issues as Indonesia needs around 1 trillion USD by 2060 for the energy transition. 

The Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia Ma’ruf Amin encouraged the development of the Islamic bond to fund the energy transition. He also emphasized the role of shariah finance in energy transition.

“One of the potentials to finance the transition is Sukuk/Islamic bonds as an instrument to raise funds from the public for the energy transition. Sukuk innovation and promotion need to be improved so that people are more interested to invest,” Amin said.

At the same event, the Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani, explained that Indonesia is currently looking for a strategic way to finance energy transition through various schemes.

“We just launched Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) with ADB to support coal retirement. We will also apply a carbon pricing mechanism for CFPP, as well as develop blended finance. Since 2018 Indonesia successfully issued green sukuk, and it is allocated for the green sector and climate mitigation project,” she concluded.

Sri Mulyani also added that to fulfil Indonesia’s NDC target, the state budget is only able to cover around 34% of the required budget. For the rest, we need to figure out a way, in order to finance the transition. 

The fossil fuel economy has supported Indonesia’s economy for decades. Not only the economy, but the electricity and energy system is also dominated by fossil fuels. No wonder shifting it into a renewable-based system is challenging, not to mention requires huge investment. However we cannot just stay in the fossil-based economy either. Coal demand around the world will be declining as the climate commitment strengthened, and the coal mining region will see the impact soon in 2030. Coal has brought revenue for Indonesia especially for the coal mining region, transforming from coal meaning that we will lose this revenue. This has to be anticipated or else there will be a catastrophic impact on the coal transition.

Fabby Tumiwa, the Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform highlighted that providing sufficient finance for transition is not only addressing the finance issue but also the impact of the energy transition itself. 

“This (providing finance for transition) is a key for Indonesia to reach a just and inclusive transition that leads to equitable development,” Fabby said.

Besides seeking affordable financing, there should be a shift in the behaviour of the financial institution. Indonesia’s financial institutions usually lack the technical ability to assess the risk of renewables projects. Amjad Abdulla, Head of Partnership IRENA, emphasized  this matter.

In terms of moving away from coal, the government needs to calculate how much it can be covered by the just transition mechanism, and how much is left behind so we need to prepare for them; this includes upskilling workers, creating economic diversification, etc.

Udetanshu, Climate Transition Analyst, said that besides the budget that should be prepared, the government also needs to ensure that the local workers who previously worked in the CFPP get new job opportunities.

“If possible, the new plant (that will be renewable) should be built near the old one, to ensure that the workers can be hired locally,” she said.

Preparing the Workforce That Will Be Affected by Reduced Demand of Fossil Energy

Jakarta, July 6, 2022 – The global commitment to reduce the use of fossil energy, as well as the increasing climate ambitions of coal-using countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, the European Union and South Africa have caused global coal demand to fall significantly.

As one of the largest coal exporting countries in the world, Indonesia needs to pay close attention to this. Coal contributes a lot to national non-tax revenues (PNBP), for coal-producing regions, the role of coal commodities for regional income can be very large.

The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) tries to see the implications of the policy of eliminating coal use and the global and domestic climate on the Indonesian economy, especially for workers in the sector through the study “Redefining Future Jobs: Implication of Coal Phase-Out to the Employment Sector and Economic Transformation in Indonesia’s Coal Region”.

This study also aims to see opportunities for economic transformation in coal-dependent areas and provide better welfare for workers. Julius Christian, the author of this study, explained that data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources showed that in 2020 there were 167,380 workers in the coal mining sector. Demographically, these workers are on average under 40 years old, so they will still be of productive age in the next 10 years.

“In terms of the workforce, because most of them are young, there is an opportunity to conduct training in preparation for entering other industries,” said Julius.

Preparing for economic transformation after the coal economy era is full of challenges but must be done. This is to anticipate the demand for coal which could drop more drastically. Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR stated that if the countries of the world had more ambitious climate action to pursue the Paris agreement targets, there would be a 20% reduction in coal demand by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050.

“This decline in production must also be anticipated because it will definitely affect the absorption of labor in the coal sector,” Fabby reminded.

Hendra Sinadia, Executive Director of APBI ICMA (Indonesian Coal Miners Association), also added that to target workers who are potentially affected, it is necessary to map coal reserves by company.

“So that the transformation process is effective and efficient, we can map the reserves for each company so that we can see how long their operating life will be. For small companies, maybe in 2030-2040 their operational period will be finished so it can be prioritized for their workers to receive training,” explained Hendra who was present virtually at the focused group discussion launching the study “Redefining the Future Job”.

Russia’s Invasion May Affect Energy Transition in ASEAN

Jakarta, 5 April 2022 – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the past month has been steering up the global reaction, especially on energy security issues. Russia is known for its oil and gas global exporter, with the invasion going on, global leaders are taking stands in giving sanctions not to buy gas from Russia. Is this good or bad? We may need a longer time to see the impact, but one thing’s for sure, Russia’s sanction has become one of the triggers for European Union Countries to accelerate their energy transition and  seal emergency securities as well as reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Fabby Tumiwa, the Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), said that EU action to ensure their energy security is accelerating the transition.

“EU countries try to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel by developing technology such as green hydrogen to ensure their energy security. This is such good news for the EU region yet it has a spillover effect as countries like Germany commit to supporting energy transition in emerging countries like Indonesia. The current situation may affect the speed and funding for the energy transition in emerging economy countries,” he explained.

Sufficient funding is crucial for decarbonizing the whole energy system. Enough funding means the government will be able to build modern low-carbon energy infrastructure. As most of the emerging countries lie in the Southeast Asia region, this area has become the hotspot for decarbonization. As one of the most populated regions, Southeast Asia’s energy demand is constantly growing. Ensuring the region has sufficient funding to transform its energy system into a cleaner one will be one of the determining factors of global decarbonization.

Consisting of ten countries, ASEAN has different characteristics in developing its energy transition mechanism based on the national priorities of each country. The various situations create different opportunities, one thing in common is that renewable energy sources, especially solar, are available abundantly in the region. Fabby added that soon solar energy will be a commodity just like oil and gas at the moment. 

“Therefore, it is important for ASEAN to have its manufacturing facility (for solar panels). To make sure the operation of the manufacturing facilities technology transfer from the main producer is a must,” Fabby said.

Sara Jane Ahmed, Founder, Financial Futures Center Advisor, Vulnerable 20 Group of Finance Ministers, added that partnership will be the key for ASEAN countries in accelerating the energy transition.

“In this time, China can actually play a bigger role by providing funds and transferring its technology to ASEAN countries,” she said.

Regional Leadership Determines Indonesia’s Energy Transition

Jakarta, March 9, 2022 – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources recorded an increase of 217 MW in mid-2021. This brings the total renewable energy generating capacity in September 2021 to 10,807 MW. Nationally, Indonesia’s energy mix is ​​still dominated by fossil energy up to 85%. The Indonesian government has taken the initiative to accelerate the penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix, one of which is through the RUPTL (Electricity Supply Business Plan) document for 2021 – 2030. In this document, the government targets the addition of electricity from renewable energy plants by 51.6% or 20,923 MW. Cooperation with various parties, including local governments and the private sector is important to achieve the RUPTL targets and accelerate the energy transition in Indonesia. One of the focuses of the Indonesian government is to increase the installed capacity of renewable energy by including rooftop solar in the national strategy program.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, in his remarks at the Governor’s Forum for Energy Transition, which was held on March 9, 2022 by the National Energy Council in collaboration with the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) emphasized the role of local governments in Indonesia’s energy transition.

“Local governments are expected to make policies that are more in favor of developing new and renewable energy (EBT) and support energy saving efforts. Support can be seen from the Regional Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMD). The RPJMD which is oriented towards energy transition and green energy-based economic acceleration will be a key factor in the success of the energy transition in the regions. The Regional Energy General Plan (RUED) will also be a reference for making energy transitions in the regions.”

A total of 22 provinces have had Perda RUED until March 2022. One of them is Southeast Sulawesi. The Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government has issued an Appeal Letter to the Governor of Southeast Sulawesi Regarding the Construction of Rooftop PV Installation.

“The government of Southeast Sulawesi has made efforts to encourage investment and development of new and renewable energy through solar PV and geothermal power plants (PLTP), hopefully they will become role models throughout Indonesia,” said the Governor of Southeast Sulawesi, Ali Mazi.

In addition, several regions have a fairly high renewable energy target, such as West Sumatra at 51.7% in 2025. Audy Joinaldy, Deputy Governor of West Sumatra, on the same occasion stated that his party is working on diversifying energy sources and one of the priorities is the installation of rooftop PV.

“Every year we install PV rooftops, especially for households that have not received PLN electricity. The installation of PV rooftops is also carried out in government buildings, as well as floating PV on Lake Singkarak,” he explained.

Audy added that one of the big obstacles for local governments to develop renewable energy is limited access to funding. So it needs assistance from the central government for financial access.

In response, Musri, a member of the National Energy Council, said that the government has issued supporting regulations such as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation 26/2021 which is expected to attract consumers to use renewable energy such as rooftop solar power plants, but there are further technical problems such as the PLN network.

“If we talk about the energy mix, of course this is not only from the electricity sector, other sectors such as transportation also play a role. To encourage the energy transition in Indonesia, local wisdom must be encouraged so that the steps taken are in accordance with the potential and the local social context,” Musri explained.

The province located in the eastern part of Indonesia, West Nusa Tenggara, is targeting 25% renewable energy in its energy mix by 2025. Zainal Abe, Head of the ESDM Office of West Nusa Tenggara, explained that his party is currently drafting a Governor’s Regulation on green energy.

“Hopefully in the future, the roofs of government offices, especially the MEMR Office can use rooftop solar panels,” said Zainal.

Kompas | Daya Beli Masyarakat Turun, Insentif Tarif Listrik Diusulkan

IESR mengusulkan pemberian insentif bagi pelanggan listrik rumah tangga golongan 450 VA dan 900 VA yang tidak mampu. Insentif tersebut berupa penggratisan tarif listrik untuk pemakaian 50 kWh pertama.

Oleh ARIS PRASETYO
·4 menit baca | Kompas

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Penurunan tarif listrik maupun subsidi tarif untuk pelanggan rumah tangga miskin diusulkan sebagai insentif di tengah wabah Covid-19. Usulan ini disampaikan menyusul kian melemahnya daya beli masyarakat akibat terhentinya aktivitas ekonomi selama siaga Covid-19.

Ketua Pengurus Harian Yayasan Lembaga Konsumen Indonesia (YLKI) Tulus Abadi mengatakan, wabah Covid-19 di Indonesia menyebabkan penghasilan kelompok masyarakat tertentu merosot. Kelompok itu adalah yang pendapatannya berbasis harian. Di situasi seperti ini, daya beli mereka kian melemah.

”Kami mengusulkan tarif listrik diturunkan, khususnya golongan 900 volt ampere. Bahkan, kalau perlu juga golongan 1.300 volt ampere. Usulan kami besaran penurunan sedikitnya Rp 100 per kilowatt jam selama tiga sampai enam bulan ke depan bergantung pada lamanya wabah,” ujar Tulus, Senin (30/3/2020), di Jakarta.

Penurunan tarif tersebut dapat mengurangi beban ekonomi masyarakat yang rentan terdampak wabah Covid-19.

Menurut Tulus, penurunan tarif itu dapat mengurangi beban ekonomi masyarakat yang rentan terdampak wabah Covid-19. Penurunan tarif di tengah merosotnya harga minyak mentah dunia diyakini tidak akan mengganggu biaya pokok penyediaan listrik.

Harga minyak mentah dunia adalah salah satu faktor penentu tarif listrik di Indonesia, selain harga batubara, kurs rupiah terhadap dollar AS, dan inflasi.

Grafis tarif listrik di Indonesia. Empat faktor penentu tarif listrik adalah harga minyak dunia, kurs rupiah terhadap dollar AS, harga batubara, dan inflasi.

 

Sementara itu, Direktur Eksekutif Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) Fabby Tumiwa mengatakan, IESR sudah mengusulkan pemberian insentif bagi pelanggan listrik rumah tangga golongan 450 VA dan 900 VA yang tidak mampu. Insentif tersebut berupa penggratisan tarif listrik untuk pemakaian 50 kWh pertama.

”Mengapa batasannya 50 kWh? Dari berbagai penelitian, konsumsi listrik dalam kewajaran bagi rumah tangga miskin atau tidak mampu sebesar 40 kWh sampai 60 kWh per bulan. Jadi, negara harus menjamin hak energi kelompok tersebut,” kata Fabby.

Menurut Fabby, masyarakat golongan tersebut adalah salah satu golongan yang terdampak wabah Covid-19. Sebagian besar dari mereka bukan pekerja tetap yang mendapat upah rutin setiap bulan. Wabah Covid-19 yang sudah melemahkan aktivitas ekonomi global menyebabkan penghasilan harian mereka terganggu dan berpotensi kesulitan membayar tagihan listrik.

”Kami menghitung, kalau pembebasan tarif untuk pemakaian 50 kWh pertama per rumah tangga, dengan hitungan tarif listrik sekarang, diperlukan penambahan subsidi atau kompensasi kepada PLN sebesar Rp 2,2 triliun hingga Rp 2,3 triliun per bulan,” ucap Fabby.

Kalau pembebasan tarif untuk pemakaian 50 kWh pertama per rumah tangga, dengan hitungan tarif listrik sekarang, diperlukan penambahan subsidi atau kompensasi kepada PLN sebesar Rp 2,2 triliun hingga Rp 2,3 triliun per bulan.

Direktur Eksekutif Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) Fabby Tumiwa di sela-sela acara peluncuran Indonesia Clean Energy Forum (ICEF), Kamis (15/11/2018), di Jakarta. ICEF adalah sebuah forum gagasan untuk mendorong transformasi menuju pemanfaatan energi rendah karbon.

 

Pada 4 Maret 2020, Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral (ESDM) mengumumkan tarif listrik untuk periode April sampai Juni 2020 tidak berubah. Alasan pemerintah, selain untuk menjaga daya beli masyarakat, hampir seluruh harga energi menurun di tengah wabah Covid-19 yang melanda dunia.

Dengan demikian, tarif listrik untuk pelanggan rumah tangga dengan daya 1.300 VA dan 2.200 VA sebesar Rp 1.467 per kWh. Sementara tarif untuk rumah tangga mampu dengan daya 900 VA sebesar Rp 1.352 per kWh.

”Sampai Juni nanti tidak ada penyesuaian tarif. Ini sudah ditetapkan dengan pertimbangan kondisi keekonomian. Adanya wabah Covid-19, suka atau tidak, menyebabkan ekonomi tertekan,” ucap Direktur Jenderal Ketenagalistrikan Kementerian ESDM Rida Mulyana.

Data PLN hingga 2019, jumlah pelanggan listrik PLN mencapai 74,92 juta pelanggan. Dari 38 golongan tarif pelanggan PLN, sebanyak 25 golongan adalah penerima subsidi listrik. Golongan terbesar penerima subsidi listrik adalah rumah tangga 450 VA sebanyak 27,95 juta pelanggan. Berikutnya, rumah tangga 900 VA tak mampu sebanyak 8,04 juta pelanggan.

Dalam delapan tahun terakhir, pemerintah berhasil menekan angka subsidi listrik lewat verifikasi data pelanggan. Selama kurun 2011-2014, angka subsidi listrik berkisar Rp 93 triliun hingga Rp 103 triliun. Sejak 2015 hingga 2018, anggaran subsidi berhasil ditekan menjadi Rp 45 triliun hingga Rp 56 triliun.

Virtual Reality, hadirkan dunia energi yang lebih ‘hidup’

Kontributor: Agus Tampubolon, Researcher

Virtual Reality: Inovasi perusahaan utilitas listrik untuk mengedukasi dan melibatkan diri dengan masyarakat

Perusahaan utilitas listrik di Indonesia hanya ada satu, yakni Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), yang menguasai mayoritas pembangkitan listrik dan memiliki monopoli atas seluruh jaringan transmisi serta distribusi. Namun beda halnya dengan negara Jerman.

Jerman memiliki ribuan perusahaan pembangkit listrik, mulai dari skala besar hingga kecil, ratusan perusahaan distribusi, dan empat perusahaan transmisi. Salah satu dari perusahaan transmisi ini bernama TenneT yang memiliki dan mengendalikan jaringan transmisi tegangan tinggi sepanjang 23.000 km guna memastikan pasokan listrik yang handal untuk 41 juta konsumernya[1].

Energy Management Specialist, IESR – Agus Tampubolon, dalam lawatannya pada program Fellowship yang dikelola oleh Agora Energiewende dan Renewable Academy (renac) Jerman, berkesempatan berkunjung dan mengalami langsung teknologi pada perusahaan yang menawarkan inovasi ini.

TenneT memiliki kantor pusat di Bayreuth, Bayern dan memiliki kantor perwakilan di Berlin. Dan di kantor Berlin inilah terdapat salah satu inovasi TenneT terbaru yang diberi nama TenneT Virtual Vision.

Gambar 1 Papan permainan terintegrasi proyeksi visual untuk belajar tantangan-tantangan proyek-proyek infrastruktur listrik skala besar

TenneT Virtual Vision adalah konsep komunikasi interaktif menggunakan multimedia, seperti Augmented Reality dan Virtual Reality, guna menghadirkan dunia energi yang lebih hidup bagi para pengunjungnya dengan maksud tidak hanya sebagai sarana edukasi, namun juga berperan penting untuk menginspirasi khalayak umum.

TenneT Virtual Vision mengajak pengunjungnya untuk berpartisipasi aktif dan mencoba banyak hal. Selain itu ia juga memperkenalkan dunia operator sistem transmisi, yang pada umumnya terletak di lokasi laut lepas (misalnya di Laut Utara) ataupun di situs-situs yang sulit diakses masyarakat umum. TenneT Virtual Vision juga menyoroti aspek-aspek utama dari transisi energi Jerman serta pandangan-pandangan masyarakat terhadap topik itu. Dan dengan menggunakan proyeksi visual yang terintegrasi dengan papan permainan (board game), kesulitan-kesulitan yang dihadapi dari proses perencanaan proyek-proyek infrastruktur listrik besar dapat dijelaskan dengan cara yang menyenangkan dan interaktif.

Gambar 2 Sistem monitoring pembangkit-pembangkit yang terhubung ke jaringan TenneT

 

Gambar 3 Pemanfaatan teknologi Augmented Reality untuk menunjukkan proses pembangunan jaringan transmisi DC dari Utara ke Selatan Jerman
Gambar 4 Teknologi Virtual Reality yang membawa pengunjungnya ke salah satu pusat operasi PLTB lepas pantai TenneT di Laut Utara Jerman

Untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut atau ingin berkunjung langsung, silahkan kunjungi laman https://www.tennet.eu/

[1] https://www.tennet.eu/de/unternehmen/profil/ueber-tennet/