Dutch, RI universities develop new solar energy system in Papua

A Dutch-Indonesian initiative has developed a new system for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, offering a solution to rapid increases in electricity demand in Indonesia due to the country?s vibrant economic growth and rising prosperity, The Jakarta Post reported on Friday.

Solar energy expert from Twente University, Angele Reinders, who is also the project leader, said the new system could produce about 50,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, the equivalent of saving around 5,000 liters of diesel and 11,000 kilograms of coal annually.

?A pilot plant has been installed in Papua. We have provided training courses in the field of solar energy, and there is now a monitoring system for the PV system,? said Reinders, an associate professor in Industrial Design Engineering at the university.

She further said that the local town hall in Jayapura, where the project took place, is now using the solar energy system, and has become largely self-sufficient regarding its energy needs.

Reinders received a grant of 700,000 euros from the Dutch government to develop grid-connected PV systems in Indonesia. Under the program, Twente University and its local counterparts, namely the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the World Wildlife Fund and various local installers, have worked together to develop the PV system in Papua over the past two years. (*)