Patience is the Key

Managing a micro hydropower scheme in rural area is not as easy as it looks like. The scheme itself is already complicated for common people. Understanding micro hydropower terms takes quite a long time and mastering the operation of a specific scheme will take longer time. It is a leap for micro hydropower managers, especially the operators. It is not a small leap but a huge leap.

People new to electricity will have very huge expectations. They very much enjoy the new situation. They have very high demand towards the managers especially the operators. Sometimes if not to say often, they seem to be more knowledgeable than the trained operators or managers. A little whisper from outsiders (not always 100% correct) about the weakness of the system will make them to “revolt”, although most of the time the whisper is far from the fact.

Why people act like that? Usually the basic problem is because those people have low understanding of the system and its limitation. Dissemination usually is not done enough and during it, people are usually shy to ask questions. Because of that, some “knowledgeable” people are then explaining the wrongly understood dissemination material making further confusion to the people. Because of this lack of understanding, misunderstanding happens and the victims are micro hydropower managers especially the operators.

Bad quality hardware also makes the situation worse. The usual case in Indonesia is bad design, bad controller, oversized turbine, and bad mini circuit breakers (there are actually more, but space is the limitation). The last creates most social problems in places where I have visited. Bad MCBs have different sensitivities. It is cheap, therefore it is contractor’s favorite. This different performance of MCBs creates jealousy between neighbors. Why this person can use “A” appliances while I cannot? What did you do to his meter? Those kinds of questions are common questions to managers or operators. In bigger scale, people can revolt and being destructive.

So, as far as I had observed lack of understanding and bad hardware are the perfect ingredients for micro hydropower related social problems. According to one MHP manager I met recently, the key to such thing is patience and of course understanding of the system. Patience is still more important because usually MHP managers must handle emotional customers with “no way” attitude. In front of such customer, discussing technical thing in a rational way is not a good strategy.

It is actually my dream to help those MHP managers and operators with special tools or guideline so that they are able to explain complex technical matters of MHP in simple words and sentences common village people could understand. I am still working on it. Wish me luck.