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Renewable energy developments need to be backed up by science, scientists say
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A worker checks on a solar panel at the Mecan Island Solar Power Plant in Riau Islands on Dec. 12, 2023. (Antara/Teguh Prihatna)
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ndonesia’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 or sooner will be supported by the country’s massive renewable energy potential, but developing this must be backed up by science, bureaucrats and scientists have warned.
Head of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) banking supervision division, Dian Ediana Rae, said Indonesia had a highly strategic geographical position of being on the “ring of fire”, which although it left Indonesia prone to natural disasters it also gave Indonesia as much as 40 percent of the world’s geothermal energy.
“We need to be thankful that Indonesia has huge potential for renewable energy, up to 3,686 gigawatts according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry,” Dian said on Dec. 19, 2023 during a lecture on sustainable finance hosted by the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).
“However, renewables contribute only about 15 percent [to Indonesia’s energy mix],” he added.
Separately, IPB Center Of Sustainable and Transdisciplinary Science head Damayanti Buchori said that while Indonesia had massive potential for renewable energy, developing it should be backed up by sound scientific research that took into account the economic and social conditions of Indonesia
“We need to be careful and look at renewable energy holistically. For example, electric vehicles can be considered ‘green’ because they reduce emissions, but the electricity needed to charge their batteries can still come from coal,” Damayanti told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
She also pointed out that one of the important components of batteries, lithium, could damage nature if its mining practices were unsustainable.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of Indonesia’s large geothermal energy potential would mean that Indonesia had to take care of its forests, Damayanti said, as geothermal energy needed healthy water sources that the forests protect.
“Yes, we need renewable energy. But we need to develop it holistically and understand all the existing complexities, so we can come up with correct solutions that truly reduce emissions,” Damayanti said. (ami)
