CAT & Sewatama ready to implement hybrid renewable technology in Indonesia
Friday, August 21 2015 - 12:28 AM WIB
?We created this breakthrough technology in order to provide such benefits as fuel use efficiency, development of environmentally-friendly and sustainable power plants. Most remote islands in Indonesia can benefit from this technology. Its development and installment can be conducted very quickly, unlike coal and hydropower,? Rob Schueffner, Microgrid Commercial Manager of Electric Power Division at Caterpillar, said in a statement.
Edi Prayitno Hirsam, Chief Growth Officer of Sewatama, said the hybrid technology can cut operating costs, particularly gas and diesel costs. ?Thus, it can alleviate the government?s fuel cost burdens for power plants,? he said.
?Photovoltaics is good for Indonesia since as a tropical country, it continues receiving solar heat throughout the day. Thus a technology like this which combines conventional machines with solar heat can very effective,? Edi said.
He said a 2000 MW power plant using the Caterpillar technology will not only see its fuel costs falling, but is also able to reduce carbon emissions equal to the amount produced by 750,437 cars.
Sewatama plans to use the Caterpillar technology in the power plants that it will build as part of the 35,000 MW power program, including fossil fuel-based power plants and renewable energy power plants, including mini hydropower, biogas power, and wind power. If realized, Sewatama will be the first in the country to implement the technology
In order to develop wind farm, Sewatama needs vast land area. The firm needs the government?s supports to appropriate the lands.
Caterpillar has been developing the technology together with solar panel producer First Solar for years. In the beginning, for seven years, the technology was solely used for military purpose. At that time, the technology was still expensive. Over time, it has become more affordable for commercialization,? Schueffner said.
Editing by Johannes Simbolon