Indonesia to develop wind energy with UNDP

Indonesia will cooperate with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to develop wind power generation projects, aiming to increase the use of renewable source in power generation and reduce carbon emission in the country, local media reported on Tuesday.

The joint program between Indonesian science and technology research agency of BPPTand UNDP, called Wind Hybrid Power Generation (WHyPGen), is expected to improve electricity production from wind energy generation up to 19.27 Gigawatt per year and reduce carbon emission by 17.071 metric tons per year by 2015, the WHyPGen Manager Soeripto Martosaputro said.

“The WHyPGen would encourage financial institutions in providing the financing, creation of policy, markets and support from local suppliers,” Soeripto said on Monday.

Citing to 2010 energy outlook data issued by the country’s energy and mineral resources, Soeripto said that the potential of wind to produce electricity in Indonesia was 9,290 MW, or 9.29 GW. Its contribution to the country’s power mix is projected at 0.1 percent by 2030.

Indonesia now operates small scale of wind power generations, which mostly for research purpose, at total capacity of 2 MW. The expensive technology applied in such a power generation was identified as factor that hinders development of the power generation, he added.

“We are still depending on supply from the Netherlands and China to build the power generation,” he said as quoted by the Kompas daily.

Research to identify most potential areas to construct wind power generation is underway at the moment in East Nusa Tenggara ( NTT), Banten, Bali, West Java and Jogjakarta provinces, he said.

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