In line with the Indonesia’s plan to increase utilisation of renewable energy and their plan to achieve net zero emission by 2060, the Indonesian government has installed a total of 350 units of solar-powered LED street lighting in 4 locations across the South Sumatra province. The breakdown of the installations was as followed:
a. Palembang City – 70 units;
b. Ogan Ilir Regency – 40 units;
c. Musi Rawas Utara Regency – 90 units; and
d. Banyuasin Regency – 150 units.
Following this success, the future plans would be for the regencies and cities to tap on alternative forms of renewable energy for other public utilities beyond street lighting.
The working group shared that this was achievable because South Sumatra area possessed enough persistency in energy sources such as geothermal, hydro and wind, which might allow these areas to reduce even more reliance on the state-owned electricity provider.
The working group also shared that there were significant cost-savings from such setups because the new installations were stand-alone devices and did not tap on the electricity source generated by the state-owned electricity provider.
Other benefits included increased safety at night, especially for those who often have to return home from work in pitch darkness. The working group planned for more of such projects to take place across Indonesia in the near future.
Terra Link Research 