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Indonesia's coal giant ventures deeper into renewable energy
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A backhoe loads coal onto a heavy-duty truck at an Adaro Energy working site in Kalimantan. The company plans to build a 100-kilowatt peak (kWp) off-grid solar panel plant in five regencies in Papua.
(Courtesy of http://www.adaro.com//-)
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T Adaro Power, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s second-largest coal producer PT Adaro Energy, has kicked off its third pilot project in renewable energy worth up to US$5 million this year as part of the firm’s mission to prove the viability of green energy business.
Adaro Power vice president Dharma Djojonegoro said in Jakarta on Thursday that the project would include the development of 100-kilowatt peak (kWp) off-grid solar panels in five regencies in Papua under a joint venture with two companies, one of which is a Hong Kong-based corporation.
“We expect the project, still just a feasibility study, to be finished six to 12 months from now. We will install an off-grid solar panel for 10 to 15 villages, equivalent to around 300 to 500 households,” he told a press briefing.
In the project, Adaro holds 25 percent of the joint venture, with the remaining 75 percent held by two different companies.
“Once we have the proof of concept, including dealing with legal matters and the technicalities, we will scale it up for 10,000 to 20,000 households,” he said.
As every two houses will be powered by a single solar panel, the cost of electricity will be lower than those provided by diesel fuel generators.
Adaro Power’s first project – a 130-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant located at their port facility in Kelanis, Central Kalimantan – provides the facility with four to five hours of electricity.
