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Renewable Energy Systems in Indonesia

  • Location : East Nusa Tenggara Province and South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia
  • Status : Commissioned in 2000
  • Project Leader : RWE
  • Solar
  • Hydro
  • Wind

Key results

  • Installation of 200 solar home systems, 4 microhydro power systems, and 1 solar/wind hybrid system in rural off-grid communities
  • Reduced the use of fuel such as kerosene
  • At commissioning, provided approximately 1,000 MWh of electricity per year to eight remote communities – more than 4,000 people
  • Recipient of the 2000 World Energy Award and the 2002 and 2004 ASEAN Energy Awards
  • Innovative decentralized management scheme for rural electrification
  • Substantially improved the quality of life of connected households with per capita monthly income increasing by a factor of 10
  • Pioneer in successfully disseminating renewable energy technology into local village culture in Indonesia, where apprehension previously existed

We installed autonomous electricity systems in eight remote Indonesian communities as part of our Renewable Energy Systems Project. These systems were commissioned in 2000 and officially transferred to the Indonesian government in 2001. The rural electrification systems were owned and operated by the villages and harnessed renewable energy using solar, hydro and wind technologies.

  • Installation of 200 solar home systems, 4 microhydro power systems, and 1 solar/wind hybrid system in rural off-grid communities
  • Reduced the use of fuel such as kerosene
  • At commissioning, provided approximately 1,000
  • Four microhydro power systems were installed in the remote areas of Ta’ba, Tendan Dua, and Bokin on Sulawesi Island, and at Waikelo Sawah on Sumba Island
  • 175 solar home systems were installed in the villages of Oelnaineno (Timor Island) and Lengkonamut (Flores Island), while 17 existing solar home systems were rehabilitated in Kualeu (Timor Island)
  • One solar photovoltaic-wind hybrid system with a diesel backup and a distribution network was built in Oeledo on Rote Island, in East Nusa Tenggara

At the time of commissioning:

  • The microhydro systems provided electricity to roughly 2500 people with a power supply ranging from 13 kW to 60 kW
  • Each 50 W solar home system provided sufficient electricity for lighting, radio, and television
  • The solar-wind hybrid system provided electricity to more than 600 people and allowed for more than three days of electricity supply in case of adverse weather conditions

The systems, with a combined generation of approximately 1,000 MWh per year, provided electricity to eight remote communities, a total of more than 4000 people. The quality of life in the villages improved substantially with access to electricity. Four to six new jobs were created per village through the creation of village utilities and an economic empowerment program raised the per capita monthly income by a factor of 10 from 62,000 IDR in 1999 to 620,000 IDR in 2007.

One of our main achievements was the development and introduction of an innovative, sustainable, and decentralized management concept for rural electrification. We created small village-run electricity co-ops to manage and assume responsibility for the facilities’ operation and maintenance. With the assistance of local NGOs and users’ groups, we provided a wide range of training to enhance the capacity of the co-ops, and to raise awareness among users to ensure community acceptance of the project. We monitored the systems for two years following the commissioning and handover of the facilities to the Indonesian government.

The project received a 2000 World Energy Award, a 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Energy Award and a 2004 ASEAN Energy Award.

In 2013, the project was used as a case study on how to successfully integrate renewable energy technologies into remote village life. 

 

PARTICIPATING MEMBERS AND PARTNERS

  • RWE
  • American Electric Power (AEP)
  • Enel
  • Hydro-Québec
  • Électricité de France (EDF)
  • Kansai Electric Power
  • Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)
  • Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
  • Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia
  • Directorate General for Electricity (DGE) (formerly Directorate General of Electricity and Energy Utilization) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia
  • Provincial governments of East Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi