The Dutch research organisation TNO is collaborating with Politeknik Negeri Bali (PNB), an Indonesian institution for vocational training, to create a ‘Renewable Energy Training Centre Indonesia’ (RETC).
The RETC addresses one of today’s major challenges: a lack of renewable energy expertise and skills among industry professionals and non-engineering stakeholders, such as government officials, the financial sector, and the youth.
The development of this sector, as well as the Indonesian energy transition as a whole, requires the creation of demand and awareness around renewable energy and energy efficiency. As a result, the project team places a premium on the role of communities, particularly youth leaders, sustainability influencers, and young professionals.
Indonesia’s youth have the potential to help the country achieve its sustainability goals. They make up 24% of the population and have the power to change things in order to achieve the country’s sustainability goals.
Reaching critical mass
Indonesia is a major energy consumer, on par with countries like South Africa and Australia despite having a much larger population. Despite having a 16-fold larger population, current energy consumption is roughly 3,5 times that of the Netherlands. In the next ten years, Indonesia’s power supply is expected to double or even triple to support continued population growth and development.
The majority of current energy is derived from fossil fuels, but renewable energy technologies have reached a critical mass. Until recently, the Dutch city of Utrecht had more solar PV installed than the entire country of Indonesia, but renewables are now so appealing that clean energy is the way to go.
Similar to the Netherlands, both industry and government have stated that a lack of skilled and trained personnel is one of the main barriers to scaling up renewable energy in Indonesia.
Currently the project is in the second phase of Designing. The team identified three different target audiences and funding sources for a RETC in Bali. The last project phase of Validation and Implementation with stakeholders, should clarify which proposition to go for, and how this can be realized. Source: TNO
