Minister Brian: President's village solar power idea opens research space for universities

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Brian Yuliarto has said President Prabowo Subianto’s idea of installing solar power plants (PLTS) in every village could open up space for strengthening research at universities in the regions.

“The President’s idea of one megawatt of PLTS per village opens up great opportunities for universities in the regions, from site feasibility studies to management assistance,” said Mendiktisaintek Brian Yuliarto to ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday.

The Mendiktisaintek explained that the opportunities for universities to strengthen their research in this programme are wide open. This is because the construction of PLTS requires a broad supply chain.

This programme, Brian continued, also presents challenges that can strengthen the quality of domestic research, as universities are expected to be able to develop these components.

“That is where research on silicon, solar cells and energy materials at our universities becomes important,” said Mendiktisaintek Brian Yuliarto.

It was previously known that President Prabowo Subianto said the government would build PLTS with a capacity of 30 GigaWatts (GW) and phase out 13 GW of diesel power plants (PLTD) by 2026.

President Prabowo said the use of PLTS can also strengthen national energy independence by reducing the need for fuel oil for power generation.

The government is targeting the gradual construction of PLTS until it reaches a capacity of 100 GW.

“Ideally, every village could have a 1 Megawatt PLTS. If the village is willing to prepare the land, we can do it. Convince them that they can get a 1 MW PLTS per village,” said President Prabowo in the Government’s Introductory Statement on the Draft Law on the 2027 State Budget and its Financial Note on Friday (14/8).