Channel NewsAsia 9 Jun 08;
INDONESIA: Preserve the forests to ensure a continuous supply of green energy – that's the mantra of an Indonesian couple who have developed micro-hydroelectric power plants in Indonesia's rural areas.
Deep in the rural districts of Aceh, Indonesia, Iskandar Budisaroso and his team are building another micro-hydroelectric power plant.
The area's huge water catchments will allow the plant to generate more than 400 kilowatts of green energy – enough to supply electricity to more than 2,000 rural households, once it is ready in September.
Costing US$1 million – all raised through donations from international donors – this plant is by far the biggest for Mr Iskandar since he started building micro-hydroelectric power plants in Indonesia's poor rural areas more than 20 years ago.
Mr Iskandar, People Centred Business and Economic Institute, IBEKA, said: "At that time, we don't think about clean energy or green energy because I began this in the early 80s or the late 70s. The green energy issue at that time was not in place. It was still fossil fuel everywhere."
He and his wife, Tri Mumpuni, are now hailed as the leading proponents of renewable energy in the country and their efforts have been acknowledged by the United Nation's agencies and several environmental groups.
So far, they have built more than 60 micro-hydroelectric power plants in Indonesia, aimed primarily at improving the lives of the poor.
To ensure that the projects would succeed, they have rallied the beneficiaries to preserve the forest.
Tri Mumpuni said: "I told the community that if you want constant energy or electricity, you have to take care of the catchments area. How to preserve the catchments area? You cannot cut the trees in the catchments area and you have to plant more trees."
"After that, they made a regulation (that states) nobody can cut the trees 500 metres right and left of the stream. That is the consensus of the community, not forced by the government," said Mr Iskandar.
The success of their micro-hydroelectric power plants is attracting interest from many developing countries – a 120-kilowatt project in Subang, West Java, has drawn a steady stream of international experts who not only study the technical aspects of the power plant, but also the social enterprise that is being developed to sustain each project.
The electricity produced is sold to the state-owned power company and the income is used to develop the village. For the past four years, more than 300,000 households have benefited from such schemes, which are mostly run by village cooperatives.
Mr Iskandar and his wife now want to reach out to thousands more Indonesians who are still not connected to the state power grid, and they believe they have found the right formula – promote green energy to improve the lives of the rural poor.- CNA/so
