VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Director General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Rida Mulyana, has stated that Indonesia’s geography is a challenge in the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy.

"The challenge is how to accelerate the transition. The transition process from fossil energy to renewable energy in UK and Denmark is very rapid. Indonesia really wants to make rapid transition, but our geographic conditions are very different and this is our challenge," Mulyana stated in his remarks at the Indonesian-German Renewable Energy Day (RE Day) 2018 held in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Mulyana pointed out that the government is currently focusing on programs which are aimed at equally distributing energy access to all people across the nation, or the so-called fair energy program. However, the government also wants to simultaneously move from fossil energy to environmental-friendly energy.

At present, the electrification ratio in Indonesia has reached 98.5 percent, meaning that there are still around five million people who have not yet enjoyed electricity.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of E. Quadrant, Matthias Eichelbronner, explained that Germany began the energy transition since the 1990s. Within a period of 20-30 years, the renewable energy mix in Germany reached one third of all energy consumption.

"The transition of renewable energy in Germany requires 20-30 years. Currently, the energy mix consists of 40 gigawatts of solar power, and the remaining 40 gigawatts are generated from other energy sources," Eichelbronner noted.

According to him, even though almost 100 percent of renewable energy use in Germany is from solar power, this is not a final solution of renewable energy development given the weather condition in the country.

On the same occasion, Chairman of the Association of Solar Panel Roof Users (PPLSA), Yohanes Bambang Sumaryo, remarked that currently, the use of renewable energy in Indonesia, especially solar power through the One Million Solar Roof Program, is still not optimal.

"The use of solar panels in Indonesia is still very little. Data from National Electricity Company (PLN) show that only 600 households in the country install rooftop solar panels, while in Germany, there are 10 million households using solar panel, and in Australia, there are over one million households using this technology," Bambang revealed.

According to him, the potential of solar energy in Indonesia is very large. Through photovoltaic (PV) solar power, electricity needs can be met at least 1,000 kwH (kilowatt Hour) per capita per year. (ANTARA)