UGM to introduces solar energy

UGM to introduces solar energy

Gin Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

For economic reasons, state-run Gadjah Mada University has decided to exploit solar energy to meet its electricity needs next year.

"The project has been well prepared. The whole installation will be completed next year," Yudi Utomo Ismarjoko, the project leader, said on Saturday.

According to Yudi, who is also dean of the School of Nuclear Technology at the university, it is essential that the university possesses its own solar-powered generator.

"This relates to the law on regional autonomy and the possibility that state-owned electricity company (PLN) will not have enough energy to supply power to the campus in the future. We also want to minimize the university's operational costs," he said.

"Someday, the campus will be short of power if it continues to be dependent on PLN. There is also the possibility that the law on regional autonomy may cause PLN to cut or decrease its supply to the university, which is located in Yogyakarta. It is estimated that in 2005 PLN will be short of 10 gigawatts of power."

"The university needs a total of 5 megawatts of power, which is now supplied by PLN Central Java Distribution Unit. In return, we pay a total of Rp 5 billion annually to PLN. That amount is as much as the students' annual tuition fees,"

The university now has a total of 50,000 students, who each pay Rp 1 million a year for tuition. "So we've just transferred the students' money to PLN," said Yudi, who is also head of Gadjah Mada's Center of Energy Studies.

The idea to exploit solar energy came when the campus was thinking about its energy supply some time ago. "The World Bank offered us US$2 million in grants. We decided to use the money to fund the development of a solar energy project," Yudi recalled.

He said that PT Mambruk International, a subsidiary of America's Shell Oil assisted the university in the project.

The new solar-powered generator is expected to produce between 10 and 15 megawatts of power, exceeding the university's needs. "Therefore, we plan to sell the power to PLN, which is short of energy. Legally, any party is allowed to produce electricity and to sell it, even to PLN," he said, referring to the 2000 Electricity Law, which allows a multi-buyer and multi-seller system.

However, he said he had yet to calculate the profit from selling the energy. "What we have calculated is, if things run as scheduled, Gadjah Mada University will be the first state university in the country to supply its own electricity needs. And we will also find that our operations are an extra source of income for the institution."

The government has changed the status of Gadjah Mada University, as well as the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) and Jakarta-based University of Indonesia. These three higher institutions, which were formerly under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, have had to seek their own capital to fund their operations.

Yudi was optimistic that the big project would run as planned. "In the past the main constraint had been funding. Now that the World Bank has awarded us a substantial grant, things will run more smoothly."

"The solar cells will be installed on all the roofs of the campus buildings. In this way we can absorb as much solar energy as we need to produce between 10 and 15 megawatts of power."

For its trial run, a generator, including the solar cells, will be installed close to the campus mosque. "We hope to get 2,000 watts of power during the trial run," he said, adding that the Rp 100 million initial project would be conducted on Tuesday.