Indonesia 203
biomass gasification (Asadullah, 2014), which have been developed so far
with the power capacity of 10–100 kWe (Singh and Setiawan, 2013). Additional potential value chains include synthetic gas using pellets from various
species of trees and palm- oil solid waste (Kusumaningrum and Munawar,
2014; Siregar et al., 2017) and anaerobic digestion using agricultural and livestock waste. The latter has been considered successfully implemented by a
programme called BIRU (see BIRU, 2018).
Biogas as the focus of this chapter, especially when produced through agricultural waste, is one viable alternative since it can be implemented in rural, and
sometimes remote, areas where many of Indonesia’s populations reside and make
a living in small- scale agriculture. Biogas provides GHG emission mitigation
benefits by lessening demand usage of conventional energy. According to an
estimation by BIRU, two million small biogas digesters could potentially be
installed in Indonesia, being equivalent to a reduction of 6.4 million tons
CO 2 /year (cited in Devisscher et al., 2017). Meanwhile, the estimated potential
capacity for large- scale biogas- to-electricity production is 2.6 GW (Government
of Indonesia, 2017). For this reason, biogas pathways are of increasing interest
to policymakers because of their carbon and energy benefits and numerous
potential co- benefits, such as suppressing unmanaged firewood collection, promoting waste management, and helping with the use of biogas slurry as organic
fertiliser (Bedi, Sparrow, & Tasciotti, 2017).
Overall, biogas offers some promising practical and feasible alternative energy
options for Indonesia. But how could this technology be rolled out across as ethnically and culturally diverse country as Indonesia, spread across more than
17,000 islands? What about the suitability, the social acceptance, and the
gender and equity dimensions of biogas? What do stakeholders see as the main
opportunities and risks of biogas, and what can the latest research tell us? This
narrative investigates the potential of biogas to help meet domestic energy
needs and to comply with Indonesia’s climate mitigation commitments and
development planning. At the core are experiences with four biogas programmes
taking place in Bali; each having different motivations, practices, outcomes, and
lessons. A better comprehension of the risks and uncertainties associated with
biogas development pathways can help support future dialogue and planning on
climate, energy, and development.
Research process and methods
A range of stakeholder engagement activities were used to understand how stakeholders perceive and manage risks. Risks were discussed during different types of
meetings, using different research methods as described in Table 12.1.
Activities included a series of workshops and a period of in- depth fieldwork.
The team also conducted continuous dialogues with national- level policymakers
to discuss the pathways of choice. The dialogue was a result of a collaboration
with the Ministry of Development and Planning (Bappenas), which also involved
biomass gasification (Asadullah, 2014), which have been developed so far
with the power capacity of 10–100 kWe (Singh and Setiawan, 2013). Additional potential value chains include synthetic gas using pellets from various
species of trees and palm- oil solid waste (Kusumaningrum and Munawar,
2014; Siregar et al., 2017) and anaerobic digestion using agricultural and livestock waste. The latter has been considered successfully implemented by a
programme called BIRU (see BIRU, 2018).
Biogas as the focus of this chapter, especially when produced through agricultural waste, is one viable alternative since it can be implemented in rural, and
sometimes remote, areas where many of Indonesia’s populations reside and make
a living in small- scale agriculture. Biogas provides GHG emission mitigation
benefits by lessening demand usage of conventional energy. According to an
estimation by BIRU, two million small biogas digesters could potentially be
installed in Indonesia, being equivalent to a reduction of 6.4 million tons
CO 2 /year (cited in Devisscher et al., 2017). Meanwhile, the estimated potential
capacity for large- scale biogas- to-electricity production is 2.6 GW (Government
of Indonesia, 2017). For this reason, biogas pathways are of increasing interest
to policymakers because of their carbon and energy benefits and numerous
potential co- benefits, such as suppressing unmanaged firewood collection, promoting waste management, and helping with the use of biogas slurry as organic
fertiliser (Bedi, Sparrow, & Tasciotti, 2017).
Overall, biogas offers some promising practical and feasible alternative energy
options for Indonesia. But how could this technology be rolled out across as ethnically and culturally diverse country as Indonesia, spread across more than
17,000 islands? What about the suitability, the social acceptance, and the
gender and equity dimensions of biogas? What do stakeholders see as the main
opportunities and risks of biogas, and what can the latest research tell us? This
narrative investigates the potential of biogas to help meet domestic energy
needs and to comply with Indonesia’s climate mitigation commitments and
development planning. At the core are experiences with four biogas programmes
taking place in Bali; each having different motivations, practices, outcomes, and
lessons. A better comprehension of the risks and uncertainties associated with
biogas development pathways can help support future dialogue and planning on
climate, energy, and development.
Research process and methods
A range of stakeholder engagement activities were used to understand how stakeholders perceive and manage risks. Risks were discussed during different types of
meetings, using different research methods as described in Table 12.1.
Activities included a series of workshops and a period of in- depth fieldwork.
The team also conducted continuous dialogues with national- level policymakers
to discuss the pathways of choice. The dialogue was a result of a collaboration
with the Ministry of Development and Planning (Bappenas), which also involved