dbudiarso@ui.ac.id
1977 – Mechanical Engineering, Universities Indonesia
1996 – Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore
2005 – Mechanical Engineering, Universities Indonesia (Sandwich Program, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan)
Pico-hydro technology provides a good prospect for the Indonesian people, especially in their efforts to enhance their regional economy.
It is still such a challenge for Indonesia to provide equitable infrastructure to ensure the availability of electricity networks, particularly in remote areas. Electricity is sometimes not accessible to those living in remote areas. Since Indonesia only has a limited amount of fossil fuel, cost-saving efforts should be made. One of the cost-saving efforts is utilizing water resources as a renewable energy source.
We proposed installing a pico-turbine by establishing a power plant from water resources in remote areas. A Pico-Hydroelectric Power Plant is a power plant utilizing water’s potential energy and generating an electric power amounting to 5 kW at most. A Pico-Hydro power plant is helpful to provide lighting; moreover, it is even expected to sustain simple household activities requiring a small amount of electric power. A Pico-turbine can convert the potential energy of flowing water into electricity through its turbine, and it can be used in a remote area that does not have a power grid (Off-Grid).
We frugally innovate a Pico-Hydroelectric Power Plant. We make it from local materials readily available in its surrounding area; moreover, they are relatively inexpensive. Its design and installation techniques are simple and can be operated by ordinary people. In general, that pico-turbine can serve as a power plant supplying approximately three to four households with a supply amounting to 400-600 Watt for each house. Water resources may come from rivers in a mountain or a remote irrigation channel. With simple technology and training, community members can independently maintain the sustainability of that environmentally-friendly power plant.
Pico-Hydro technology is widely used in a developing country like Indonesia where some areas still do not have any access to electricity. As a solution. Indonesia‘s government continues to do its best to take advantage of any kinds of new and renewable energy resources such as wind, sunlight or solar energy, geothermal energy, bio-energy, and so on. Therefore, we expect that this Pico-Hydroelectric Power Plant will continue to encourage regional economic growth supported by electrical energy that can facilitate daily economic activities.