Over a century of small hydropower projects in Indonesia: a historical review

Energy, Sustainability and Society

Original Article

Paul J. Burke¹  Miranda A. Pangestu²  Naufal Rospriandana³  M. Husni Mubarok⁴  Amalia Suryani⁵ 

[1] Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Energy Programme, Jakarta, Indonesia;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Energy Programme, Jakarta, Indonesia;Division of Sustainable Financing, PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero), Jakarta, Indonesia;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Energy Programme, Jakarta, Indonesia;Energy Academy Indonesia (ECADIN), Jakarta, Indonesia;Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands;

关键词: Small hydropower;    Micro-hydro;    Historical review;    Renewable energy;    Indonesia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13705-023-00408-1

 received in 2021-08-19, accepted in 2023-07-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHydropower is a mature energy technology and one that could play a more important role in providing clean and reliable energy. In small-scale contexts, hydropower is useful for providing electricity access, balancing intermittent resources, and as a potential source of energy storage. This paper provides a comprehensive exploration of the development of the small hydropower (SHP) sector in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country.MethodsTwo research methods were employed: secondary data analysis through a desk review of relevant literature and primary data collection through site visits and expert and stakeholder interviews. Two case studies of micro-hydro applications in community-based rural electrification were analyzed. The paper explores how SHP projects were initiated, lessons learned, and policy recommendations of relevance to further development of distributed small-scale renewable energy in Indonesia.ResultsThe sector commenced during the Dutch Era and now centers on both community-based rural electrification projects and commercial schemes under the independent power producer (IPP) approach. Since the late 1980s, initiatives to implement SHP for rural electrification have flourished through various programs. Key regulatory, economic, and technical barriers include inconsistent and unclear supporting regulations, especially regarding electricity prices; artificially low retail electricity prices; capital and borrowing constraints; advantages provided to fossil fuels; limited technical experience and capabilities of project developers and project sponsors; risks from floods, earthquakes, and landslides; constraints on supporting infrastructure; and limited grid links. The most successful and sustainable SHP projects are ones that provide local economic benefits and for which local communities are empowered with ownership and have responsibility for maintenance.ConclusionsSHP will remain small from a macro perspective but could still play a key role in further improving energy access and equity in remote areas. Key initiatives to facilitate this development could include local-level capacity building and project participation and the adequate pricing of negative externalities from fossil fuel projects. Indonesia’s long experience with SHP carries lessons for other developing countries.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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