UGM students have once again achieved national recognition by winning first place. This time, the SuperCat Team, consisting of Adhika Pramudhia Kirana (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 2022), Ratu Annisa Maurisaliha (Department of Chemical Engineering, 2022), and Muhammad Nur Maulana (Accounting, 2022), secured first place in a Business Plan Competition at the Integrated Youth Renewable Energy Festival (IYREF) 2024.
The event occurred on Saturday (May 18) at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) campus.
The IYREF 2024 competition is an annual event organized by the Society of Renewable Energy (SRE) at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). This event is specifically designed to provide a platform for young people to innovate and create responses to the issue of green energy transition.
This year, IYREF 2024 adopted the theme “Innovation to Reach The Implementation of Renewable Energies in Industry 5.0.”
Participants were required to create innovative business strategies that adopt new renewable and sustainable energy in line with the Net Zero Emission 2060 mission. Adhika Kirana and his team seized this golden opportunity to showcase their creativity.
In this competition, the SuperCat Team presented an innovative business named “Bhumi.” This innovation combines solar panel technology with a Savonius-type wind turbine, which can function in areas with low wind speeds.
“The development of the combined technology is very suitable for application in most regions of Indonesia,” Kirana stated in a press release to journalists on Thursday (May 30).
According to him, electricity has become one of society’s basic needs. Unfortunately, most power plants still rely on coal and fossil fuels, contributing around 9 billion tons of carbon emissions. This significantly impacts climate change and the sustainability of global energy.
Meanwhile, clean energy power plants, such as solar panels and wind turbines, tend to be infeasible in many areas.
“Besides being expensive, sunlight is not available all the time and is unevenly distributed. This issue was seen as an opportunity by the SuperCat Team,” he explained.
This innovation focuses on providing clean electricity substitutes at affordable prices. Electricity, as a basic need, should not be limited and expensive to ensure that all community layers can meet their needs.
Additionally, Kirana and his team also considered the company’s sustainability. They implemented a “Just in Time Production” system, ensuring production matches demand.
“This strategy enables the company to grow gradually, even over the next ten years. The SuperCat Team also emphasizes supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 mission,” he elaborated.
Ratu Annisa Maurisaliha hopes their idea will continue to develop and be realized, eventually becoming a provider of affordable clean energy technology usable in many public spaces.
“We hope that our work can benefit society. Of course, this dream requires strong cooperation and commitment from various parties to maintain the availability of clean energy,” she stated.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson