Indonesia Plans 1,000’s of Small Scale Power Projects
The Indonesian government has announced plans to build and deploy thousands of small scale solar and micro-hydro power projects starting next year throughout its eastern islands in a drive to boost electrical supply in remote regions.
The goverment plans to build 15,000 household solar power systems, each with a capacity of 100 watts. These solar units will cost about 5 million to 6 million rupiah ($500-600 USD) to install.
They are also planning to build 200 micro-hydro power plants, with capacities of between 50 kW and 500 kW. These projects will cost about 20 million rupiah ($2000 USD) per kW to construct.
PLN, the state-run power company, is planning to install the bulk of these systems in the regions of Java, Bali and Sumatra. The latest data shows that Java, the most developed island in Indonesia, currently has electicity available to 72% of the population. In Papua, the least developed province in the nation, only one in five residents currently have access to power.
Indonesia has not been able to undertake many new power projects in recent years because of a lack of public funds due to the severe monetary crisis that hit the nation in the late nineties.
I am certainly delighted to see a nation like them taking the initiative to persue a distributed generation plan like this one, as opposed to the mega-projects that other nations get themselves buried under. Way to go, Indonesia!
Here’s an article from the People’s Daily Online detailing the announcement.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Green Utilities, News, Solar
0 opinions for Indonesia Plans 1,000’s of Small Scale Power Projects
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: