T

he city administration plans to allocate funds for the installation of solar panels at 20 schools across the city’s five municipalities in a bid to attract more residents to follow suit.

“We have proposed Rp 25 billion [US$1,7 million] from the city’s budget this year and will implement the plan next year,” said Edward Napitupulu, the head of the energy division at the Jakarta Industry and Energy Agency.

The schools that will get the solar panels include SMA 68 state senior high school, SMK 1 state vocational high school and SMA 8 state senior high school.

He said the selection of the schools took into account many factors including the size of the school as well as its popularity, in the hope that they could attract public attention and thereby promote the practice.

“We’re starting with schools because we want to instill values about environmental preservation in students because the future belongs to them,” he said.

With nearly 15 million people living or working in Jakarta, the city emits some 206 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. Edward said the city administration had committed to reducing the emissions by 29 percent before 2030.

Indonesia aims to achieve a 23 percent renewable-energy mix by 2025, which is in line with the country’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement. Currently, the renewable energy mix stands at 6 percent.

“Later, we will implement the same idea at government offices, hospitals and bus stations and encourage housing developers to build solar panels on their properties,” he added.

SMP 19 state junior high school in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, has installed rows of solar panels on the roof of its mosque as a pilot project in the campaign.

The 142 rooftop panels on the eastern wing of the school generate 20,000 watts of electricity, enough to light up 12 classrooms, two science labs and the school’s medical clinic.

The panels have helped to cut the school’s electricity bills by about 17 percent in the last four years.

Edward said that while the concept had gained more popularity, fewer than 200 householders across Jakarta had applied the concept in their houses. Most of these are upper-income home owners, partly because of the heavy investment required for solar panel installation.

The structure of a roof also often poses another problem for installing solar panels, which require a flat surface for optimal effectiveness. Most schools and buildings have sloping rooftops

“Once it gets more popular, I think it will be a lot cheaper, because companies will start mass production [of solar panels],” Edward said.

A household typically requires solar panels with a capacity of 1,000 to 2,000 watt peak (Wp), which cost around Rp 15 million to Rp 30 million. The panels can last 25 years.

The panels are imported from several producers, including Germany. The price is slightly lower compared to a few years ago, but the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar means they remain pricey for many, said Bambang Sumaryo, the chairman of the Rooftop Solar Panel Community.

He said that when installing 6,000 Wp panels on his roof in 2014, he needed around Rp 120 million.

“I can save Rp 1 million per month, so maybe in the next five years the investment can return,” he said.

In his visit to a house that uses solar panels as an alternative energy source in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, on Sunday, Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said it would become a new business opportunity that would open more employment fields.

“Once there are thousands of houses like this, it will create green jobs and a green economy. We can create thousands of job opportunities if schools and building rooftops have to be restructured,” he said.