What question is that? Of course geothermal is important for Indonesia
Jakarta at Night (Source: Flickr, CC, By: basibanget)
Alexander Richter
11 May 2015
With the largest geothermal reserves in the world and relentless demand for energy, geothermal plays a key role in Indonesia's future.
The Huffington Post Green has recently posted an article covering Indonesia’s dire need for energy under the title: Is Geothermal Power the Answer to Indonesia’s Energy Demand?. As we have mentioned countless times in ThinkGeoEnergy, geothermal is a definitive crucial energy source for the country, specially since it has 40% of the world’s geothermal reserves under its soil.
As economic growth flourishes,rural migration from the countryside to the cities follows and the demand for energy increases. According to the Huffington Post “Between 2002 and 2012, Indonesia’s energy demand surged 44 percent. Over the past decade, coal consumption nearly tripled and overtook natural gas, becoming the most consumed fuel after petroleum. Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide.With annual growth rates between 5 and 6 percent since 2010, the country’s development is unrelenting. Its population is moving towards city centers and such urbanization is contributing to an 8 to 9 percent increase in energy demand annually.” This is major concern and with dire consequences for the environment since most of the energy generated in the country comes from fossil fuels, making it one of the largest CO2 emitters worldwide.
There have been some advancements in the last year, specially in the areas of legislation and project development. The same source states that “the government plans to increase the share of geothermal generating capacity so it accounts for 5 percent of the country’s total requirements by 2025.” This is all positive, but maybe more ambitious goals are needed to actually make a significant impact.
The country faces some significant issues, specially when managing its natural resources, yet the best bet to curb green house emissions and supply Indonesia’s population with electricity is renewable power and ultimately, geothermal. This will ensure the energy security and development of the nation’s future.
Despite all the challenges ahead, renewable energy development in Indonesia has a positive spillover effect for neighbouring nations, since “the international community does view Indonesia as a credible and reliable partner and as investment destination the country remains in high demand. With its commitment to climate targets and sustainability initiatives, Indonesia drives regional cooperation and integration in Southeast Asia, especially as it leads the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).” according to the Huffington Post.
Source: The Huffington Post Green
