Iconic Island Sumba

Iconic Island Sumba -

 

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moving together towards renewable energy 100%

billions people have no access to (clean) energy. They prepare the wood and use oil lamps for light. In remote areas where people have electricity, the generators operate on expensive and scarce fossil fuels. This limited availability of energy works a brake on development potential, keeping the poor.

Hivos, a Dutch development organization that has worked in Indonesia for decades, has developed a bold and ambitious plan: showcase that it is possible to provide these remote communities with the energy of a adequacy and sustainability, using local resources. In 2011 Hivos started Sumba, one of the small Sunda Islands in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, 400 km east of Bali, with the first activities to bring renewable energy to the island more than 650,000 inhabitants, involving local, national and international stakeholders, to achieve 100% renewable energy over 10 years. Not only this exercise should lead to a better quality of life for the people of Sumba, it should also be a replicable development approach that could be applied to many of the 17,000 islands of Indonesia and also abroad.

The strategy is crucial, because many renewable energy projects have failed. Hivos applies the principle of "co-creation" without a plan approach, where a series of organizations working together to achieve this single goal to achieve 100% sustainable energy, working as an engine for development. As much as possible parts will be involved, including communities, governments, energy companies, financial institutions, private sector, NGOs and social entrepreneurs. Together, they determine how the Iconic Island will become a reality, providing a broad platform of stakeholders with strong support from key partners and government. This is the best way to find new solutions and avoid the pitfalls.

Pragmatism is another key word: potential interested parties are invited to join and contribute to the common goal, a contribution which can take various forms, there are no restrictions, as' it aligns with the overall goal of 100% renewable energy. Hivos plays a facilitating role in this process.

Only a year and a half after the initiative began, a range of stakeholders are already involved in the ambitious plans: the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the state power company PLN , NGOs such as IBEKA, the Indonesian Bank BNI, the Asian development Bank (ADB), the Indonesian company Sewatama. Since March 2011, there is a memorandum of understanding with the governor of the province of NTT, the elected leaders of Sumba Sumba and PLN to 100% renewable.

With this approach, it is possible for local governments and stakeholders to meet and discuss cooperation and progress, but it is not just about meetings and speak.

A series of concrete activities have already taken place, such as in network and out of network studies. The Dutch embassy financed research undertaken by the Dutch company KEMA. Extensive studies to identify the hydroelectric potential were held and others will follow. The success of the program BIRU (Biogas Rumah) undertaken by Hivos in 8 provinces of Indonesia, has already built more than 50 biogas units in Sumba, supported by BNI and the Dutch Embassy. A micro-hydro plant built by IBEKA already supplies electricity to 125 households and options for the extension of the Community scale are currently being evaluated. A number of concrete renewable energy proposals were exchanged and are under discussion with donors and the private sector. These include plans for hybrid systems combining solar, wind and water as energy sources. Different types of additional research was undertaken, including socio-economic research and sex, wind measurements and fuel crops studies. Further studies are being prepared. As more knowledge is gained, more interest is created between investors, governments and banks as well as international institutions such as the World Bank and ADB, both with assignments ranging in Sumba while this edition of BALI EXPAT is being printed.

Hivos is proud of Indonesian leaders, playing a key role in the promotion of renewable energy on Sumba their government agencies, businesses and organizations. They are the ambassadors of the Iconic Island, mobilization of resources around the world, which shows that renewable energy 100% is possible, even in remote locations such as Sumba.

Interested Iconic Island Sumba
Contact :? Robert de Groot, Hivos, e-mail: r.degroot@hivos.or.id

 

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