YOGYAKARTA – The idea is simple, to help farmers on the coastlines of Pandansimo in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta. Then, the Ministry for Research and Technology cooperated with Universitas Gadjah Mada in building Hybrid Power Station at the end of 2010. The solar and wind energy are converted into electricity to produce ice blocks which are used by fishermen to cool fish.
“Now (Hybrid Power Station) can develop into everything. The Hybrid Power Station can collect water for fishery and agriculture, becoming a place for student learning, also a place for technology tourism for the public,” said Minister for Research and Technology, Gusti Muhammad Hatta, on the sidelines of a visit to the Hybrid Power Station in Pandansimo Bantul, Friday afternoon (5/10).
According to Gusti, the power station gives the opportunity for the surrounding community, i.e. the large crowd wanting to see the windmill and the solar panel. He hoped for the power station to be further developed by the region in concern. “The Ministry motivates regions, regional leaders will follow it up,” he said.
The minister said that the maintenance and technology transfer of windmills had been done through workshop construction, involving local manpower. “We can make and repair it ourselves,” he said.
The power station was started on a budget amounting to Rp2 billion through research activities. It later involved several institutions, including universities, research institutes, regional government and local people. “This is a joint project, which had accumulated up to 6 billion,” he said.
Assistant to Deputy Minister for Science and Technology Use, Drs. Sadiyatmo, M.T., said that 35 unit wind turbines were installed at the Pandansimo station with 18 meters average height, 1 kW capacity, in addition to 6 wind turbines of 2,5 kW, 2 wind turbines of 10 kW, and 1 wind turbine of 50 kW. There are also 175 units of solar cells with a capacity of 17,5 kWp. “For the time being, the Pandansimo station can generate an average of 70 kW,” he said.
Although it is only an applied research, according to Tumiran, hybrid energy is one of the efforts to help regions resolve their own energy problem, because energy issue cannot be solved by the central government alone. Regional governments have to pay attention to their own energy problem. “If proven good, the Hybrid Power Station can be applied elsewhere,” the Dean said.
Bantul Vice Regent, Sumarno, said that after the Hybrid Power Station construction, as many as 200 thousands of tourists have flocked to the Pandansimo beach. As many as 140 food stores have even been established there.