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This is particularly sad since Indonesia is volcanically very active and has tons of potential for geothermal power. Many of its islands are also quite dry, wh

This is particularly sad since Indonesia is volcanically very active and has tons of potential for geothermal power. Many of its islands are also quite dry, which couples with the equatorial location makes them great for year-round solar.

twelvechairs 3y ago
Nearly 60% of indonesias population and most of its industry are on Java, the most densely populated island in the world. 150m+ people on a place the size of Pennsylvania or Mississippi. Its absolutely not easy to find space for solar at scale in such a space constrained environment it would really require some massive infrastructure to a solar farm in the sea or another island. Singapore is a good comparison - a much richer country also space constrained they are only starting to develop renewables seriously now (solar farms in the sea etc.) Less populous islands sure but its a small proportion and they tend to have less money to tackle these issues also
- euroderf 3y ago
  It sounds like there's going to be an ideal density where there is room for solar (not blocked by neighbors) and for trees, yet still with walk-to-able neighborhood services.
  - nasmorn 3y ago
    The solar does not need to be interspersed in the neighborhood apart from what fits on the roofs
    - euroderf 3y ago
      That is true. I guess I was thinking of agrovoltaics, which also would not be a bad idea for a medium-density mixed-use area. Oh and chickens.
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  Natural gas is much better than coal in terms of emissions. Doesnt have to be solar. Obviously it would be more expensive for them, perhaps too expensive, but lets take the opportunity to at least acknowledge that natural gas is a great step away from coal.
aaron695 3y ago
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cfn 3y ago
I live in an archipelago of volcanic islands and asked the same from an enginner working in the power company. According to him, geothermal is only viable above a certain amount of power which restricts it to the largest islands. For the smaller islands (up to 15 thousand inhabitants) a combination of solar, wind and diesel is used instead.
DoreenMichele 3y ago
With 2,356 MW of installed capacity as of year-end 2022, this puts Indonesia in second place in the world after the United States in utilizing geothermal power, By 2025, Indonesia aims to produce more than 9,000 MW of geothermal power, becoming the world's leading geothermal energy producer. This would account for 5% of Indonesia's total energy needs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Indonesia#:~:text=Geothermal%20power%20in%20Indonesia%20is%20an%20increasingly%20significant,geothermal%20resources%2C%20estimated%20at%2028%2C000%20megawatts%20%28MW%29.%20 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Indonesi...

twelvechairs 3y ago

Nearly 60% of indonesias population and most of its industry are on Java, the most densely populated island in the world. 150m+ people on a place the size of Pennsylvania or Mississippi. Its absolutely not easy to find space for solar at scale in such a space constrained environment it would really require some massive infrastructure to a solar farm in the sea or another island. Singapore is a good comparison - a much richer country also space constrained they are only starting to develop renewables seriously now (solar farms in the sea etc.) Less populous islands sure but its a small proportion and they tend to have less money to tackle these issues also

euroderf 3y ago
It sounds like there's going to be an ideal density where there is room for solar (not blocked by neighbors) and for trees, yet still with walk-to-able neighborhood services.
- nasmorn 3y ago
  The solar does not need to be interspersed in the neighborhood apart from what fits on the roofs
  - euroderf 3y ago
    That is true. I guess I was thinking of agrovoltaics, which also would not be a bad idea for a medium-density mixed-use area. Oh and chickens.
nonethewiser 3y ago
Natural gas is much better than coal in terms of emissions. Doesnt have to be solar. Obviously it would be more expensive for them, perhaps too expensive, but lets take the opportunity to at least acknowledge that natural gas is a great step away from coal.

aaron695 3y ago

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cfn 3y ago

I live in an archipelago of volcanic islands and asked the same from an enginner working in the power company. According to him, geothermal is only viable above a certain amount of power which restricts it to the largest islands. For the smaller islands (up to 15 thousand inhabitants) a combination of solar, wind and diesel is used instead.

DoreenMichele 3y ago

With 2,356 MW of installed capacity as of year-end 2022, this puts Indonesia in second place in the world after the United States in utilizing geothermal power, By 2025, Indonesia aims to produce more than 9,000 MW of geothermal power, becoming the world's leading geothermal energy producer. This would account for 5% of Indonesia's total energy needs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Indonesia#:~:text=Geothermal%20power%20in%20Indonesia%20is%20an%20increasingly%20significant,geothermal%20resources%2C%20estimated%20at%2028%2C000%20megawatts%20%28MW%29.%20 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Indonesi...