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| Fig. 1: Geothermal Power Plant Near Sokoria, Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Geothermal energy is one of the renewable energy sources, whose availability might not be affected by the availability of resources. [1] In general, not all countries are considered to hold the potential of geothermal energy. [1] However, from the unique geological location of Indonesia, Indonesia is known for possessing significant potential with about 110 active volcanoes. [1] This report aims to analyze the current state, potential, and challenges of geothermal energy in Indonesia.
Recently, the demand for renewable energy sources in Indonesia has increased. [2] In addition, the production of renewable energy in Indonesia has increased as well. For example, it was reported that the generation capacity of solar power plants has increased from 4.56 Gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2018 to 5.66 GWh in 2021. [2] On the other hand, the consumption of hydropower has changed from 10,729 GWh in 2018 to 11,869 GWh. [2] As a result, the utilization and application of renewable energy has recently experienced a remarkable growth, and in 2023, it was reported that the renewable energy production in Indonesia corresponds to approximately 11% of the total energy production in Indonesia. [2]
In Indonesia, geothermal exploration was started in 1970. [3] Between 1970 and 1995, approximately 40 geothermal prospects were analyzed through geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical examination. [3] Nearly half of the examined sites were tested by deep exploratory drilling, ranging from 0.5 to 3 km in depth, resulting in the identification of 15 high-temperature reservoirs. [3] As of 1995, drilling activities in five fields resulted in three supplied steam to power plants with a total installed capacity of 305 Megawatt (MW). By 2000, international funding from foreign investors contributed to achieving the installed capacity of 800 MW. Recently, the installed capacity of geothermal power plants has increased as well. [4] For example, in 2017, the installed capacity of geothermal power plants was 1808 MW, and in 2021, it increased to 2286 MW. [4]
According to the previous studies, Indonesia holds one of the largest geothermal energy potentials in the world. [4,5] In 2016, previous research reported that the potential of geothermal energy in Indonesia was estimated to be 28 Gigawatt (GW), and only 1.3 GW was installed capacity. [1] On the other hand, in 2021, the previous research showed that the potential of geothermal energy in Indonesia was estimated to be 23.7 GW, and only 2.2 GW corresponds to the installed capacity of geothermal power plants. [4] Although there is significant potential for geothermal energy in Indonesia, developing this potential of geothermal energy faces some technical and financial challenges. [5] For these reasons, much research has been conducted to develop geothermal power plants in Indonesia as shown in Fig. 1. [4,5]
In Indonesia, there are currently several geothermal power plants, and these geothermal power plants are located in various places, including Salak and Darajat. [4-6] According to the previous study, the geothermal power plant located in Salak has a total capacity of 377 MW. [6] For the Salak geothermal power plant, Units 1-3 are known to have a combined capacity of 180 MW, while Units 4-6 have a capacity of 196.8 MW. [6] With a total capacity of 377 MW, the annual production capacity can be calculated as follows. [6]
According to the earlier research, it has been reported that out of the annual production capacity of 3,302 GWh in Salak geothermal power plant, 3,018 GWh was actually produced and delivered in 2019. [7] Additionally, the geothermal power plant located in Darajat is reported to have a total capacity of 270 MW. [6] Converting this into the annual production capacity shows the following result.
Based on previous research, in 2019, the geothermal power plant in Darajat actually produced 1,975 GWh of energy. [7] These power plants in Salak and Darajat are owned and operated by Star Energy Geothermal in Indonesia. [8]
Despite Indonesia's geothermal potential, about 4.5% of its potential has been utilized. [1] There are some obstacles to overcome in order to develop Indonesia's geothermal potential. [4,5] One of the main obstacles is known as the high cost of exploratory drilling. In Indonesia, developing 1 MW of electricity from geothermal resources typically costs between 4 million USD and 5 million USD. [5] Among the various stages of development, drilling represents the most significant portion of the total investment. [5]
Another obstacle would be related to uncertainty. Exploratory drilling is a critical step to check whether a certain area has the proper temperature and permeability for geothermal development. [5] It usually starts with small or core holes to gather initial data. [5] If the proper temperature is found, standard drilling is performed to boost production. [5] However, this process is often affected by uncertainties, including whether the geothermal reservoir has the required temperature and permeability. Addressing these issues would contribute to developing the potential of geothermal energy in Indonesia. [5]
Indonesia holds significant potential with regards to geothermal energy. However, only 4.5% has been utilized so far. Even though there has been an increase in the geothermal energy production in Indonesia, some challenges including the high cost of drilling and uncertainties make it hard to fully utilize Indonesia's geothermal potential. Addressing these challenges would be important for developing Indonesia's potential of geothermal energy.
© Y. Song. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] Nasruddin et al., "Potential of Geothermal Energy For Electricdty Generation in Indonesia: A Review," Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 53, 733 (2016).
[2] A. Raihan, "An Overview of the Energy Segment of Indonesia: Present Situation, Prospects, and Forthcoming Advancements in Renewable Energy Technology," J. Technol. Innovation Energy 2, 37 (2023).
[3] M. P. Hochstein and S. Sudarman, "History of Geothermal Exploration in Indonesia from 1970 to 2000," Geothermics 37, 220 (2008).
[4] N. A. Pambudi et al., "Renewable Energy in Indonesia: Current Status, Potential, and Future Development," Sustainability 15, 2342 (2023).
[5] N. A. Pambudi and D. K. Ulfa, "The Geothermal Energy Landscape in Indonesia: A Comprehensive 2023 Update on Power Generation, Policies, Rrisks, Phase and the Role of Education," Renew. Sustain Energy Rev. 189, 114008, (2024).
[6] N. A. Pambudi, "Geothermal Power Generation in Indonesia, a Country Within the Ring of Ffire: Current Status, Future Development and Policy," Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 81, 2893 (2018).
[7] S. Darma et al., "Country Update: The Fast Growth of Geothermal Energy Development in Indonesia," Geothermal Research Center, Univesity of Indonesia, October 2021.
[8] R. G. Intani et al., "Improving the Conceptual Understanding of the Darajat Geothermal Field," Geothermics 83, 101716 (2020).
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