YOGYAKARTA (KU) - PT. PLN will build a solar power station pilot project in five islands in eastern Indonesia, including the island of Bunaken, Wakatobi, Derawan, Banda and an island near Kaimana, West Papua. The project with 2.5 MW capacity is expected to be completed this year, costing at least Rp250 billion.
"It will soon be finished by the end of the year. Next year it will be evaluated. Since this is the first project in Indonesia, we want to know where the weakness is. If the project is successful, projects will be done on other islands in Indonesia," Director of PT. PLN Dahlan Iskan said after a talk show at PLN Recruitment Fair at UC UGM on Wednesday (14/7).
The former boss of Jawa Post Group said that the project is one of ways to look for alternative energy in Indonesia in the future, regarding the depletion of fuel oil and coal. "This (project) is a preparation for the future, moreover that coal is not eco-friendly," he asserted.
Because it uses solar energy, for electricity supply at nights, PLN will use large-capacity batteries to store greater energy in the afternoon. "While at noons we use solar energy, at nights we use diesel," he said.
Although still a pilot project, Dahlan Iskan said that this project is deliberately prepared considering that PLN up to now gets difficulty with the increasingly expensive prices of fuel and coal. Moreover, in certain seasons, the high sea waves caused oil and coal shipments often delayed.
"Again, why not use solar energy? It's easy to earn money with it at the international level, and Indonesia seriously develops solar power that is environmentally friendly," he said.
PLN is also developing a geothermal power planned to be completed in four years. One of the central geothermal powers is located in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
After the talk show, Dahlan Iskan signed an agreement with the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Tumiran, for the development of biogas power station in Kulon Progo Regency and micro-hydro power station in Code River, Yogyakarta.