Institut Teknologi Bandung

This project was one of the 11 solar panels installation points from the Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility Program of PT Pertamina Persero. This activity was in collaboration with the national SRE in order to support the G20 Presidency which will be held in Bali in November.

The national SRE was given the trust as an Indonesian Youth Representative to contribute to a series of activities to welcome the G20 Summit Bali. The National SRE itself is one of the organizations that is a mirror of Indonesia's youth movement in the energy and environmental sectors.

This installment was done to provide full electricity to the area around Kamojang Eagle Conservation Center in Garut, Jawa Barat with electricity from a renewable energy source. Up until now, the New Renewable Energy (EBT) percentage in Indonesia still domestically stands at 12.8%. The efforts made by SRE are one of the steps to reach the NRE percentage target of 23% by 2025.

Based on the conversion factors from KESDM, with an average usage value of 4 kWh with a CO2ek reduction of 0.85 kg/kWh, the installation of solar panels also helps reduce 7.8 tons of carbon dioxide emissions released into the air every year. In addition to having a national impact, this activity also has a regionally positive impact on both conservation center managers and visitors. The Kamojang Eagle Conservation Center can also be a learning tool for people visiting to find out the real application of renewable energy.

The usage of solar panels also helps reduce 7.8 kg of carbon dioxide emissions released into the air every year. In addition to having a national impact, this activity also has a positive impact on both local residents and visitors on a regional scale. Residents can experience environmentally friendly free electricity. Meanwhile, the Kamojang Eagle Conservation Center can be a learning tool for people visiting.

SRE ITB 2022/2023 President Afgan Megantara stated that the electricity with a total capacity of 6 kWp was generated from the installation of 11 solar panels with a capacity of 540 Wp in an off-grid system. They're positioned with a grounding system on the ground.

He explained that on the first day of installation, adjustments were made to the places of surrounding objects such as trees and joglos to minimize shadow exposure so that the solar panels could receive optimal solar energy. After that, the bricks and mounting installation was also carried out.

Meanwhile, cable installation and other electrical operations were carried out on the second day, by burying the cables in the ground and designing electrical schemes so that solar energy received by solar panels can be converted into electrical energy and stored in the form of batteries.

Of course, in its execution, Afgan and Guerilla Team must overcome various obstacles. The Mechanical Engineering study program third-year student revealed the difficulty of traveling to the location, so they had to leave early in the morning and finish early to rest. The roads there were also not equipped with lights so they had to return before evening. Even so, this experience became one of the most memorable ones and also became a catalyst for further offline projects to be carried out by SRE ITB over the coming years.

“We are happy and proud to be a part of this program, of course. We got to be directly involved and partake in international issues that are currently being discussed and take concrete actions. Hopefully, the surrounding villagers can benefit and get educated from this program,” Agfan said. He also hoped that there would be more positive impacts that SRE ITB can provide for the good and benefit of the surrounding community in the future.

Reporter: Luisa Carmel (Chemical Engineering, 2021)
Translator: Hanna Daniela Ayu (Aerospace Engineering, 2021)