Faster or Slower - Reflection 2008

I am on the opinion that fastness is not compatible with agility. A fast moving car cannot make turn safely without breaking and reducing speed. Agility is compatible with adequate speed (if not to say slow). I believe this principle is applicable to our live. We can be watchful if we are at the right speed. If we are moving too fast then details will be lost and we are prone to disturbance on the way.

Let's reflect year 2008. Global economic crisis was triggered by over expectation. Economy was pushed too much to perform and to gain profits. In this interconnected world (a.k.a. globalization) too much pressure at one end of the pipe can create leaks in the pipe where the pipe is weak and those leaks brought the whole economy down. Too much pressure to spin economic wheel faster has failed. I personally think that year 2009 is the year of slowing down so that we can duck, avoid, and be agile if there are disturbances on the way.

Happy new year and may you find your correct speed so that you can continue living peacefully and safely.

New Solar Generator on DGEEU's Roof

Directorate General for Electricity and Energy Utilization (DGEEU) has just installed massive amount of solar panels on its main building roof. I personally do not know the intention of the installation. If it is just to reduce electricity bill then the investment will be able to cover the monthly bill up to approximately 270 months (let's say monthly electricity bill is IDR 5.000.000). I assume each watt peak costs US$ 5 and with exchange rate of IDR 10.000 per US$ then each watt peak will cost 50.000. When I try to look at the picture below (sorry it is not very clear, taken using Nokia 2360), each panel is 100 Wp and there are 27 panels in each row. There are 5 rows and that means the capacity is approximately 13.5 kW. That's just the under deck, the upper dect I assume they also install the same amount of capacity. Therefore in total there might be 27 kW installed. I only calculated for the solar panels. If I include the battery, I assume they use industrial 2 volts battery, there will be 110 battery (to reach 220 volts DC). Each battery can cost approximately IDR 90.000.000, and if there are 110 batteries then the cost of battery will be approximately IDR.9.900.000.000. The cost of battery can cover electricity cost approximately 1980 months (approximately 160 years with current electricity tariff). Oh...my God, is this the way the world should go or what? Don't they have more important things to do?

But maybe, it is a kind of renewable promotion. Indonesia is sun rich country. Solar power is easily deployed, but should we look for more "rational" source of energy? biomass for example. I believe there is huge amount of biomass potential in the country. The country is still agricultural and there are many options to reuse agriculture residues and generate energy from it. I don't know. I would rather do something more tangible to the people than just installing solar generator on my roof (maybe I will someday, if each watt peak cost less than 1 US$).

BioPremium, a premium class fuel?

Approximately two years ago I first heard about this bio premium. Premium is a brand of Pertamina. It represents gasoline with RON number of 88. Premium is subsidized by the government. Bio premium is first sold in Malang area where the ethanol producer is located. According to the user bio premium performs very well. Engine runs smoother, there is no knocking, acceleration is better etc. In short people are satisfied both with the performance and the price.

Bio premium is one of Pertamina’s contributions to the national target to increase the use of bio fuel in the total energy consumption. Beside bio premium, Pertamina also sells bio pertamax. Bio pertamax is easily found in many Pertamina’s gas station all over Indonesia. Pertamax is higher grade fuel with RON number of 92. Bio premium suppose to have 2% ethanol content in it. I am actually expecting higher percentage of ethanol in it, but the standard says differently. This type of fuel has very good characteristics such as: lower air emission, better combustion, no need to modify engine, longer engine lifetime, somehow partly renewable energy (gggg…), and it has cleaning characteristic.

I had once used my own mixture of normal premium grade fuel and ethanol. I got the ethanol during the auto show in July. The price for 1.5 liter of ethanol is IDR 15.000 and the seller says that maximum, one can mix 10% ethanol 90% premium. My first impression when using “self mixed fuel” was that the car consumed more fuel (I calculated 1 liter for more or less 10 kilometers that for a 1000 cc car is just too much) than usual consumption. I drove the car in a mixture traffic condition that mostly congested. Sometimes the car ran not very smooth maybe this was because of the cleaning characteristic of the ethanol. Acceleration was also a bit slow. I suspected that the cause of this slow acceleration was because of the wrong ignition timing. Using approximately 10% ethanol means the fuel mixture might have RON number above 88 and that means one need to retard a bit the ignition timing. Since that experience, I did not buy more ethanol (I still have small amount of ethanol at home).

However, in the last two weeks I always fill my tank full with bio premium. I accidentally saw this gas station in Kuningan street sells bio premium. Let’s try, I said to my self and then I filled the tank full at IDR 5.500 per liter. Use it to Bandung and surprisingly the fuel consumption is much better than usual. I drove for more than 300 kilometers and the fuel indicator just point the middle section of it. It means, if I fill the tank full again, it will just need more or less 19 liters to 20 liters of fuel. That means 1 liter for approximately 15 kilometers (cipularang toll road plus traffic congestion in alun-alun area in Bandung). The engine runs smoothly and acceleration is good. I did not make any changes in the ignition timing. The engine is as it is. This condition really gives me very good impression and since then I always fill my tank with bio premium unless there is no gas station selling it. So far in Jakarta there are only 4 gas station currently selling bio premium and the plan is to add 9 more gas stations.

I say, bio premium rocks. It is a good quality fuel. It helps the engine run smoothly and improve fuel economy and somehow helps to reduce gas pollutant. I hope pertamina can increase the percentage of ethanol in the mixture so that less fossil fuel is used. I have heard that there are cars that run with 100% ethanol. Maybe one day the government will make an obligation to all car manufacturers in Indonesia to improve the engine system so that it can take at least 10% ethanol in the fuel.

But…please improve the traffic system. In case there is mass rapid transport available from my home area, I might change my mode of transport. My car is so far much cheaper to operate than using public transport.

Better Regulation - Which Level Should It be?

Last week I joined a discussion about micro hydro quality standard. We were discussing mainly the content of the draft. Manufacturers and developers were attending the meeting. Regulators, standardization expert and also micro hydro financiers (i.e. the government) also attended the meeting.

The meeting was good. People were active in giving inputs and the draft it self is actually in the right direction. During one of the breaks, we were talking about the legal setting for the standard. In Indonesia we have SNI (Standard Nasional Indonesia - Indonesian National Standard) that mainly regulates industry and in electricity sector we also have PLN standard (the standard that is issued by national utility). In our mind standard of PLN is obligatory for any PLN projects but not obligatory to electricity projects initiated by other institution. This might be true and anyway we have to find out.

The draft micro hydro standard is not yet ready to be SNI. SNI standardization process usually takes approximately 2 years and the draft has just been drafted in the last 3 months. It is already half baked or cooked actually therefore it is ready to be implemented. The problem is which legal setting should be used? Should it use Ministerial Decree or should it use higher legal setting (e.g. joint ministerial decree).

Ministerial Decree will only valid for internal only and this will just make the overall impact of the draft standard lower. So far, it is not only Ministry of Energy that implement micro hydro projects. There are also Ministry of Cooperative and Ministry of Underprivileged Areas (MUA) that also implement micro hydro projects. As far as my observation, projects implemented by MUA are not of high quality. If the standard can also cover those two other ministries, I expect better project from MUA also.

If the standard is becoming SNI then it will be obligatory for all. However because it is not yet ready a joint ministerial decree. I believe there is still a long way to go for the standard to become an SNI. Joint Ministerial Decree will be a proper setting for now. Hope DGEEU can bring this issue to higher level, if sustainability of micro hydro is the overall goal. Let's hope.

Pirates of Somalia

Beside the financial crisis, western countries have another difficult job. It is the Pirates of Somalia job. Many ships have been captured and so far there is no appropriate solutions. Analysts said that military solutions will not work and actualy do not work that well. Below attached articles are in Bahasa Indonesia. They were taken from Kompas daily newspaper (hope you can read bahasa). They are telling about the root of the problems and possible solution for that.


This article mentions the fact that military operations cannot handle the pirates. There problem is not on the sea, it is on the land of Somalia. Western countries (especially UK and US, as mentioned in the second article) should accomodate all components Somalia to create long lasting peace there. If not, the pirates will just operate longer and there will be more casualties and more money has to be spent or burned to the air.

The second article clearly mentioned that actually western countries, Kompas mentioned UK and US, are the responsible parties in this. Maybe, it is time to admit their policy failure and make corrective actions as soon as possible especially on land of Somalia.

And the Winner is.....

Receiving 1st Prize from pak Bayu, Deputy Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare (photo: MHPP - GTZ)

Thursday 13th of November will be the most memorable day for pak Linggih. Pak Linggih is the Major of Batang Uru village in West Sulawesi Province. Beside his Major duties, he also has a turbine workshop. His dedication for rural electrification is uncomparable. He works alot and does not speak much. He does it not just speaks about it. He is a true leader. The Kecamatan Development Project (KDP - Now is named PNMP) has involved him in many micro hydro projects. The projects under his supervision is undeniably very succesful.

Rural Electrification in Batang Uru, look at the wooden poles (Photo: DGEEU - Ministry of Energy GOI)

Enough with background info. On 13th of November pak Linggih and especially Batang Uru Village has won the first prize of Desa Mandiri Energy (DME) Competition 2008. Desa Mandiri Energi or Energy Self Sufficient Villages is defined as a village that can supply its own energy need (at least 60%) with local resources. Community participation is very important in DME and in Batang Uru community participation is number one. There are some supports from KDP but people put their efforts and money more than KDP's. This can be a serious sign of sustainability (especially social aspect). I hope government projects are done in this manner (although not all are as successful as pak Linggih's).

Pak Linggih's Workshop (Photo: DGEEU - Ministry of Energy GOI)

Anyway, congratulation to Pak Linggih and especially to KDP staffs in West Sulawesi. This is a sign of good integrated work between many institutions.

I am wrong

It is time to admit the mistake. My prediction did not come true. I hope this will be a totally new era for the world. Like it or not, the US is very influential in the world politic and economy. I admirer the fastness of votes calculation. I hope KPU (komisi pemilihan umum, the electoral committee of Indonesia) can do the same.

There is a positive progress in the US. People did not lie in the voting booth. I might change my views towards the Americans, especially the Democrats.

Obama or McCain? oder McCain or Obama?

I say, McCain will win the election. Why? Because the white American will actually make up their minds in the voting booth. Obama might have better pre-election results (that should politically correct - e.g. not against black candidate) but he still is not 100% white. In the voting booth everyone is nameless. One will not feel guilty if his choice is politically correct or not. One can deny his/her logic and suddenly support the white ego and make racial choice. I do not say that all white Americans are racial but Tom Bradley in 1982 was the first victim of this hypocrisy (you conclude it yourself). McCain will win and if I consider the educated Americans then he will only win with very small winning margin.

I do not really care who will win because anyhow Indonesia should not be politically too dependent on one or two countries. In the current economic turmoil, Indonesians should be strong and supports the nation 100%. Buy Indonesian products, do not make any speculation of foreign exchanges (especially US$ and those who do it should be sent to jail for good), reduce unnecessary fuel consumption, efficient use of energy, keep working hard and if possible keep exporting "unique" products that cannot be substituted by any products from other countries (don't say exporting oil ya? oil is not a product).

What if I am wrong and Obama win the election. No problem, everyone makes mistakes including myself. I might change my views towards the Americans.

Mainstreaming and Integrating Climate Change to Development

I just heard it from one of the Directors of Bappenas (Development Planning Agency). Climate Change (CC) adaptation and mitigation will be mainstreamed and integrated to the development plan. I think that will be a hard work. CC adaptation and mitigation is not just a matter of new infrastructure development. CC requires a change of lifestyle and it is just a small change but a huge change. It might really change the way people live their lives. I think integration of CC into development planning is always positive, but it needs scientific background to move. One cannot just rely on International opinions. Indonesia should know better about its environment and its people better that anyone else. Any strategies implemented for CC adaptation and mitigation should be localized and this is including technology.

I am afraid that government in general only understands CC adaptation and mitigation as side projects of business as usual activities. It will not just be other infrastructure projects. CC should be the basic or the fundamental of development plan. All should be adjusted and targeted to CC adaptation and mitigation. My opinion, so far people’s awareness on CC is still low. Government should be able to interpret CC to day to day impacts so that people easily understand the consequences and move. Besides doing scientific research on the effects or impacts of CC, government should also do more CC impacts campaigns.It is great that we change our selves before trying to change other people. Government should change before trying to change other people. Let’s change. Change is good as long as it is good.

Unique Characteristics of Rural Electrification in Teres Genit

Teres Genit is a village in Northern Lombok Island, in Bayan Sub-District. It is located approximately 90 kilometers from Mataram. The village has a 36 kW micro hydro power that just started operation 5 months ago. There are some unique characteristics of micro hydro implementation in this village, for example:

• Cluster metering
• Turbine flow control for a small capacity micro hydro
• Significant productive use load.

Cluster metering is a unique solution for rural electrification. Common implementation in Indonesia is using miniature circuit breaker (MCB). MCB that is commonly used has limiting value of 0.5 Ampere. MCB with such small limiting value is very rare in Indonesia. Usually the sensitivity of very small MCB is quite bad. High demand of small value MCBs for rural electrification has made some people make fake “small value MCB”. Outside it is written as 0.5 Amp MCB but in reality current more than 0.5 Ampere cannot make the MCB to trip. When those fake MCBs are used, one can expect uncontrolled use of electricity that eventually jeopardizes the fate of micro hydro.

Cluster metering or cluster connection uses normal MCBs (i.e. 2 Amps MCB from well known manufacturer) to connect two or more customers. Usually my project recommends to connect 4 houses for one 2 Amps MCB. That means, if the load is even, each house has the right of 0.5 Amp load. Cluster metering uses kWh meter in addition to normal size MCB. In Teres Genit, one kWh meter is normally used for 4 houses. In Lombok, Teres Genit is the third site utilizing this kind of approach. So far, I found this kind of approach in Aceh.

Flow control is usually not implemented for micro scale hydro power. Teres Genit micro hydro might be the smallest that utilize flow control. Normal implementation of rural electrification with micro hydro usually utilizes Electronic Load Controller (ELC) or even the simpler Induction Generator Controller (IGC). I personally in the opinion that flow control in Teres Genit is a bit too much. Flow control system works by adjusting the opening of guide vane. When the demand is high, the control will tell the guide vane to open more and vice versa. ELC is enough for Teres Genit.

Productive Use, I define it as any activities that produce products. Small shops that use electricity do not fit to the definition. In Teres Genit, there are many options of productive use. The one that is ready is Lombok Salmon production. The industry uses cooling to keep the fish fresh after being smoked. My recent visit to Teres Genit is to install distribution line to this particular place. This effort needs the help of a small boy to climb the poles.

Anyone can visit Teres Genit. Just googling and write “Teras Genit” you will find how to get there.

Border Conflict Cambodia-Thailand

Cambodia is somehow depending on Thailand. As far as I know, even vegetables are imported from Thailand. There are many Thailand products in the Cambodian super stores. Tourists coming to Cambodia are usually doing the South East Asia tour. That means they are not specifically coming to Cambodia. They do longer tour starting from, most probably, Thailand and afterwards they go to Cambodia. Local tourists from Thailand are also many. In the weekends, many are coming to Cambodia to visit ancient temples (not just the Angkor temples). In the Northern part of Cambodia, the Thailand influence is very big. The “small” incident in the Northern border area of Cambodia can really make a big wave to Cambodia’s economy. The recent opening of Trans Cambodia-Thailand might not able to mend the recent wounds. This road should be the economic gate for both countries. Thailand is somehow in a better position because its trading partners, I believe, are more than Cambodia’s.

There was also a plan to extend grid from Thailand to Cambodia. As far as I know, the project will be financed by the World Bank. Electricity is still a big problem in Cambodia. They are really relying on fossil fuel. Many village independent power producers are relying on diesel generators. There are only few that are using biomass despite big potential from rice husk. The grid is supposed to electrify Siem Reap province and support the tourism development in that area. As you might already know, Angkor temples are in Siem Reap province. Many are coming to Angkor areas. There are millions of them.

The border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand might turn Cambodian into more difficult situation, especially in the energy sector. People will have to rely on fossil fuel longer. Oil price might go down now, but end product price might go down a bit slower than the raw one. In the medium term, people of Northern Cambodia might have to draw more money from their pockets or else they will be in the dark.

In the conflict stays longer, Cambodia might opt for electricity import from Vietnam. Importing from Vietnam is already planned for the Southern part of Cambodia. Vietnam electricity is somehow “cleaner” because of many hydro power plants. But this option only viable if there is a national grid. So far, even Phnom Penh is still operating in an “island grid” mode. Grid extension and construction costs a lot of money.

I personally think that International Community, especially ASEAN, should do something about this conflict. ASEAN should not let “small” things like this jeopardizes a nation’s economy. I think this temple conflict is a small thing. UNESCO should also cancel the status of the area to reduce the conflict and later reenact the status after there is tangible solution for this border conflict. Thailand people and Cambodian are basically coming from the same descendent. They are practicing same religion also. Therefore, this conflict should be easily solved.

Let’s support the ASEAN Charter that states “UNITED by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and social progress, and to promote our vital interests, ideals and aspirations”.

Eid Fitri and Urbanization

Happy Eid Fitri for all Moslems in the world. May Ramadan renewed our faith so that we can start or life with a clean sheet.

End of Ramadan is a big cultural event for Indonesians. Many people, not just Moslems, go back to their hometowns or villages (we call it “mudik”). They go to meet parents or see their parents’ graves and send prayers, meet relatives and old friends etc. It is time to ask for forgiveness from the old and bring happiness to the young. It is time to strengthen the bond with the relatives and friends.

This year I mudik by train. In the last two years, I drove my little wagon R like car to Salatiga and last year was a big mess because the cooling fan was broken and engine got overheated and the travel took almost 23 hours (normally it takes only 10-12 hours normal driving). This year I took the train. This train was already packed with people although it was still 5 days before Eid Fitri (D-5).

This year’s mudik is a bit quiet. This year there was no long traffic jam. Less people travel with personal cars or motor cycle. Train was not really fully booked. The “sapu jagat” cart was not operated (Sapu jagat is in operation if only there are too many people to transport). One can still change the airline schedule one day before the flight (this could not happen if the airline was really fully booked). Commercial busses were empty because there are not so many passengers. In short, many decided to stay home and did not mudik. Why is it? Is Mudik already lost its meanings? I do not think so.

First reason. Higher fuel price created price hike in transportation (not just that, but also other things get pricy). Personal cars or motor cycles are still cheaper option of transport. However the cost is still much more than last year’s. People decided to stay home because they cannot afford to pay for the transport and cost of celebrating Eid Fitri in hometown. Some decided to go far before Ied Fitri (during Ramadan or even before) to avoid higher transport cost. During Ied Fitri time (D-7 and D+7) there is a special additional transport cost allowed by the government (10% max but in reality it can reach 75%).

Second reason. There are many private companies, government and political parties’ sponsored mudik events. Companies rented hundred of buses to transport mass of people to many destinations, especially in Java. Political parties also did it with fewer busses. Government offices usually only conducted smaller mudik event for their staffs. Companies and government offices usually do this activity regularly each year. Political parties, I guess, will only do it this year due to next year’s election. This thousand of sponsored buses have created pressure to commercial buses’ operation. Commercial buses lost many of their passengers this year.

I guess, political parties will only do this kind of activity this year only because of next year’s election. Parties want to attract votes from potential voters by sponsoring mudik. Next year when the election is over, I am sure, there will be no mudik event sponsored by political parties. Commercial buses should not be worry of losing their passengers next year and the years in the future.

Fewer people doing mudik means there will be less urbanization. Urbanization is always an issue after Ied Fitri. People from villages, that had showed their “success” life in the city, bring along their relatives to the city for “better life”. Many end up in poverty and become criminals living the in city slumps. However, the reality is far from theory. News informed that economy class train is packed with passengers that are going to cities, especially Jakarta. People are even sitting on the top of the cart. Something that is very dangerous.

Government in big cities usually is prepared for such massive urbanization after Eid Fitri holiday. Government of Jakarta for example, always do ID check in the arrival gate of major train stations. The officers will try to persuade people to go back to their hometowns and not making Jakarta more crowded.

Many things can be learned from urbanization phenomenon. First, big cities look nice and pretty. Big cities seem to be able to provide everything especially fortune. I believe, this only works for the strong ones (energy and skill). Second, big cities still monopolize the money circulation. Jakarta for example might control maybe 75% of money in Indonesia. It is not wrong that people try to come to Jakarta and seek for a piece of their fortune shares. Third, rural areas are not interesting anymore to stay. Agriculture, that is important pillar of a country’s economy, is not able to give good life for people. This has proved that there are development gaps between urban and rural. Government does not do enough work to support Agriculture sector, especially food producing agriculture. Government still have to do more on this. Indonesia should be self sufficient when talking about food. I remembered in 1980s, Suharto president of Indonesia at that time, gave speech in front of many people in FAO and tell them about the success story of Indonesia. In the 80s, Indonesia was self sufficient for food especially rice.

Being independent in the food sector is important. Becoming a farmer is not a choice anymore for young people in the rural areas. Urbanization is the proof. I am afraid government will let corporations to handle food sector in Indonesia. Farmers are always the lost parties in food business. If corporations monopolize food sector, then actually there is not food independence. There might be no transparency in the cost calculation so that food price becoming very high. If the government is smart enough (maybe Suharto is not bad at all in this case), farmers can be happy and Indonesia can be self-sufficient and food independent.

One more thing, climate change might also have some influence in the agriculture sector. Where are the scientist in IPB? Hello. Wake up guys! Give tangible inputs to the government and do not let corporations eat up Indonesia’s agriculture sector.

Family Hydro - An OTC Product?

TC did a great presentation yesterday. He talked about family hydro and all development possibilities.

So family hydro in Indonesia is defined as very small, less than micro, hydropower that have capacity less than 1 kW and able to serve max 3-4 families. There is now only one technological option: propeller turbine. In the future, there is another option: cross flow turbine.

Let us start with the propeller. There are two types with same operation principle. They need draft tube to make the runner spin. The first type TC calls it “land mine”. It has permanent magnet so that as soon as the runner spins it will produce electricity. TC calls it land mine because of that dangerous aspect. The turbine has to be submerged therefore there is a risk of electrocute. It produces max 100 watts. It needs average 10 liters of water with head at least 3 meters. The second type is also a propeller turbine with max capacity of 2 kW. It needs at least 30 liters per second flow and at least 7 meters head. It is safer than the “land mines”.

Why they call it family hydro? Because usually you need to go a little out of the village to get a decent hydro potential that has enough head and flow. That kind of potential might able to serve the whole village. Many conditions found that hydropower sites near settlements are having only limited head and small flow. At those sites, you can install something small that can serve a family or some more families. This is where the family hydro term came.

Was it user friendly? It turned out that even the “land mines” still need people that have ideas on how hydropower works. The bigger family propeller needs more civil construction than simple gutter. The “land mines” is still too difficult to install for normal user, although it is intended as a product that can be sold easily on a hardware store (Over the Counter (OTC) product). Those products are still too complex to install for normal people.

Those products (land mine and family propeller) have very crucial limitation. They do not operate in a wide operation range. They need specific head and flow. If you have something different, they will not work or work but with poor efficiency. Why they have poor performance? Because they have fixed guide vane that can only work with specific condition. Family cross flow turbine (up to 2 kW so far) will soon eliminate this limitation.

Family cross flow is designed to be simple yet robust turbine. Simple workshop should able to produce it easily with decent quality and performance. It has wider operation range because one can adjust the guide vane. The problem is: it needs people that understands hydropower to install. It needs more complex civil structure than propeller. It also does not operate very well in sites with head less than 7 meters. I never make any site statistics, but finding a site with 7 meters head close to a settlement should not that difficult.

The family cross flow set different standard. It shall be able to service more than one family. It is easily produced in regions (while the propeller is coming only from Bandung – copyright restriction). It should be able to boost the application of family hydropower. It does not need outside support to finance the construction. It has wider operation range so that it can operate all year round with slightest decrease of efficiency. It is safer than the propeller especially the land mine.

Family hydro is still far for being an OTC product. Propeller might have the biggest chance but it needs more improvement. Improvement needed are: safety issue, multi guide vane package propeller, clear understandable installation procedure. For now, family hydro products only provide pre-electrification measures. They need to prove its salability in real market.(picture: CIT, Bandung)

BTEL's Sins

BTEL or Bakrie Telecommunication (http://www.bakrietelecom.com/) is a new company that has three main products: esia, wifone and wimode. All are using CDMA system instead of GSM. When they started their business some years ago, they boast for cheap telecommunication. It was and it is still cheap with a big “BUT”.

I used wifone, a fixed wireless phone from BTEL(http://www.wifone.co.id/). I have used it for approximately 2 years. Before using Wifone, I used Telkom Flexi. Flexi has weak signal in my place but according to others who use it, the signal is much stronger now than 2 years ago. I stick to Wifone because the phone looks nice, internet access with the phone is fast (although, see below) and it is wireless (c’mon).

The internet does not work with Windows XP. I have to use my other computer that has W2K installed to access the internet. The old computer, a Vaio P3 900Mhz with only 128 MB memory, is just too slow now. Although the internet connection is fast but the computer is the bottleneck. I tried to reinstall wifone driver too many times without any single success in WinXP machine. Finally, I gave up. I filed a complaint to Wifone but there is no real solution for the problem except that I have to bring the phone to Kuningan where Wifore HQ situated. It’s just too much for me to come down there without any positive prospect. If customer service has known the issue long time, they should provide an update in their webpage. They do not do it.

Now there is this accessibility problem. I can hardly able to call outside number or call the wifone number most of the time in a day. The signal bars shows full signal, but still I cannot make outgoing call. Incoming call is also not possible. This is dangerous because that Wifone is the only way I can contact my son at home. Calling to other wifone is also not possible in that condition.

I think BTEL suffers typical short-term profit making syndrome. They can only sell sell and sell. They cannot give the promised services. I think they purposely kill my connection at most of the time so that they can give more bandwidth to the active lines. This is very bad because all customers have the same right. They do not want to increase the quantity of the infrastructure because it is cost. They just do not care for customers.

In many online media, there are many complaints about BTEL performance and also BTEL’s bad after sales service. For example this http://suarapembaca.detik.com/index.php/detik.read/tahun/2008/bulan/04/tgl/02/time/125320/idnews/917129/idkanal/283.
For those that are planning to get a new telephone connection, please reconsider when you find BTEL’s product interesting. Their service is just below standard. Success rate of call is very bad in one day. For your information, BTEL’s owner is also the one that owns Lapindo Brantas. As you might already know, Lapindo Brantas created the mud catastrophe in East Java. They did not do proper drilling techniques and created the problems and make thousands of people suffers. BTEL’s owner is just an example of greedy type of people. They only want profit without any will to repay the one who suffered because of them.

So, please think carefully before you buy CDMA phone. Choose wisely support good company.

more complaints (in bahasa)
http://www.mediakonsumen.com/Artikel1768.html

Caution – GREED

Greed has made the “free market” of America fell apart. Government of the US has to make a similar move of Indonesian in 1999 to rescue its economy. US government has to deny its own economic principles: against nationalization and regulation of market. US government is now nationalizing some private financial firms (so that no foreign capital eats it) and regulating the market. This has showed the failure of liberal economy theory. This has shown the danger of liberalization and total privatization without limits. Greed, once again greed, can make everything collapse.

Islam says stop when you have enough. As far as I know, last year the Pope also says that one of the dangerous things in the world today is super wealthy people that are greedy. I think all religions agree about this. Someone has to limit and control his/her greed. I say this is the bad sign of materialism. Greed comes from materialism root.

So what’s for Indonesia? Liberalization of electricity market was once a hot discussion when Law No.20 of 2002 exists. At that time, the main opposition was coming from PLN’s worker union. There was no further discussion about the good and the bad thing of full liberalization of electricity sector. The constitution court was finally annulled the law based on the argument that electricity is influencing to people’s livelihood therefore it should not be privatized. The law is in principle against the principles of Constitution 1945.

I am not against liberalization as long as there is a limit and it does not involve gambling. Liberalization can bring efficiency and finally bring the cost down. Lower cost means lower price for customers and it is certainly beneficial for them. That liberalized market has to have limits so that there is no “gambling” option for market player. I think the fell down of the US economy is because this “gambling” actions. I believe, derived market (options, futures etc.) is very much supporting “gambling”.

The annulment of Law 20 of 2002 was in time. At that time, the market infrastructure was not available, supporting regulations were not available (e.g. coal market regulation etc.) therefore, the continuation of the law might bring chaos. Constitution court has made a correct decision. However, monopoly should be stopped. PLN is now monopolizing the sector and the worst thing is that PLN does not have clear identity (either being fully private entity or public service entity). PLN being in the monopoly has create difficulties in developing electricity sub sector for example the implementation of small renewable energy generation decree (PSK Tersebar Decree of 2002).

The conclusions are:

• Man made things are not perfect (including the free market economic theory
• Government has to be strong and act as needed. Free certain part of the market and regulate necessarily
• The important conclusion is: do not become a greedy person. It is just bad for you and for other people.

Have a nice day. It is very hot now in Jakarta.

Poverty Conscious Leaders

Some days ago, there was this tragic accident in Tuban, East Java. Some 20 people are dead in the struggle to get IDR 40.000 from a wealthy local businessperson. Let us put the site condition at the day of the accident (too many people in such a small space and there was no proper security control or mass control) aside. The tragic accident happened because many people wanted to get IDR 40.000 (please note only IDR 40.000). IDR 40.000 means 6 liters of subsidized gasoline, two cans of subsidized 3 kg LPG, one cheese burger at MacD (hardly make you feel full), 10 times meal with Nasi Kucing standard (in Jogja), or 20 packs of instant noodle. The accident showed that people are at the lowest condition now. There are many poor people living under one US$ per day. With keep rising inflation rate, the life is becoming harder for them.

That is only in Tuban. There are more poor people in many unreported places in Indonesia, especially in rural areas. This condition is a difficult homework for any leaders in any areas in Indonesia. They are, especially the president, are responsible for this bad condition. The government supposes to ensure the life of the citizen is easy. Basic needs such as food, housing, and clothing should be easily got.

Indonesia is now experiencing rather “bad” transformation. Individualistic is becoming more and more popular. One can notice this if s/he pays attention in the urban areas (e.g. Jakarta). High-rise apartments are constructed everywhere. Living in an apartment nurtures individualistic lifestyle. In rural areas, many people are going to urban to work and this educates them to be individualistic because living in urban area is tough. The strong is the winner. This has made many villages lost their “good practices”. I cannot see anymore “village food stock” or we call it Lumbung Desa in the villages in Java. Lumbung Desa keeps crops of the villagers. The crops will be used together when there were hardships in the village (rainy season, failing harvest etc.). Agricultural livelihood cannot support villagers anymore. Traditional fishermen cannot beat the “climate change” that has made the waves bigger and weather unpredictable. Condition is rather grey for villagers and this has made people become poor. The chance to get free money (although very little) has made poor people excited and ignored possible dangers.

Government has to work with those facts. Government has to change those conditions. Leaders are the key. As Indonesians are mostly patriarchal, any examples of the leaders will be followed. Strong, pro-poor leaders are needed. Sometimes leaders are too much carried out with corporate demands instead of people demand. Local independency is important (e.g. energy and food) should be prioritized. Programs to increase the usage of local products, reduce unnecessary imports, reduce economic gaps between urban and rural have to be done. Not to forget battle against corruption is not to be lost.

In Islam, leader or Imam must have higher knowledge than anybody in the religious and also governmental aspects and in other aspects such as economy. Islam does not separate governing a community with religious spirit. Religious content of governing is important to ensure “pure” commitments exist and self-control works. Leaders should be the best of the best because they will answer to God later in the end of the day. Now the condition in Indonesia is not exactly like that. People that have money can come to power despite lack of necessary knowledge. Money driven leaders will not be pro-poor and finally the poor will stay poor (if not poorer) and the rich becomes richer (or less rich if they are not lucky).

Finally let us hope 2009 election (for all leaders including leaders in the parliament) is for pro-poor and high knowledge/skillful leaders. Let us hope the next president has “pure” commitment, pro-poor, and has high spiritual content in each of his decision. Amin.

World Economy Will Never Be Fair

There will always be injustice in the world economy now and in the future. There is no respect from people of wealthier countries. Those people that only think about money and more money will do anything to get more and more profit. When those people die, they will not bring their money with them in the grave. No money can help them in the grave and before God. Those kinds of people do not understand the “good” way to earn money.

I am becoming a bit mad, despite Ramadhan, because I just heard a sad story of a Balinese artist. She was forced to sell her special piece of artwork to a European. That European is then applying a patent for that piece of artwork in his home country (I do not know how he can get that patent for something that is clearly not local– patent office in his country must be very passive or ignorant). When that Balinese artist tried to sell the similar product to Europe, she suddenly has to deal with WTO because she was accused for stealing the design of her own original design. The system has beaten creativity. Economic reason (mainly profit) has killed someone’s creativity. What a fair world. Wait a fair economy. Theft is protected by law and sadly it happens in modern country (wealthier country). WTO cannot ensure fair trade. WTO only protects the rich ones because the poor is always guilty.

Globalization has many faces. Some are good and some are bad. It really depends on the man behind it. Economic oriented globalization created environmental damages, loss of jobs, product dependency, economic conspiracy, violation of human rights and injustice. Globalization cannot be stopped. Internet is the proof. Using the internet, people from around the world can connect. Internet is global.

One says: globalization is lucrative and also deadly competitive. Therefore, facing globalization the government has to be strong and smart. Protection is still needed for some important industry (e.g. agriculture). Indonesia is seen as a big market and also important source of “creative” products. Chinese products have flooded Indonesia and kill some established industries (e.g. textile). This is wrong. Government should do something about it. Creative products (indigenous creativity) of Indonesia is often stolen. Government should do something about this. Protecting the people is government’s duty.

People themselves also have to be loyal to local products. Middle class of Indonesia is the “destructive” class. They consume imported goods and use more than most of Indonesians. National economy is becoming imbalance because of that. There is no surplus for Indonesia because of that many imports. A national movement, with strong and real example from the top (president and all) to use local products might able to make change. Indonesia must learn from South Korea. Their pride to use their own products and their patriotism are some of many good examples. Different culture is not a barrier as long as there is real example from the leaders the people will follow.

Let’s use our national products and producers must also improve the quality of the products. Be prepare for globalization.

This is my 50th.

Energy - The importance of being independent

Georgia attacked South Ossetia few weeks ago and because of that, Russia has sent troops and tanks to push the Georgian army back to their barracks. The war ended in about one week but the economic and political effects remain. The economy of Georgia went down to the lowest point. Global economy is already hard, but people in Georgia have it harder.

Why actually Russia attacked Georgia? The official explanation was to protect Russians in South Ossetia, however the truth can be anything. Ex Soviet countries including Georgia are rich of fossil fuel reserves. After the fall of Soviet, the US are leading in the oil industry investment in those countries. The US secures fuel supply by exploiting new wells and also building gas/oil pipeline via friendly countries (that means not Russia, Iran or China). Russia off course does not like this. Russia needs to secure its dominancy in energy supply to Europe. Although Soviet is already fall, but Russia still has its sharp bear claws and the ex-Soviet countries are still respect those claws. Therefore, when Georgia tried to be naughty, Russia came with power.
Europe, knowing that they depend of Russian supply, did not do much after the military action. European governments left Georgian government alone to face the fierce claws of Russia. The US is also being silent and not making strong comments or reactions. Being dependent to foreign energy supply has made European and US leaders to act cowardly and sacrifices millions (circa 4 millions) people of Georgia. Dependency creates coward actions.

It is all about energy source. It is important to be independent from foreign energy sources. It is not right to import energy sources when in house you have many. I am very much hoping that people in the government act wisely and cleverly and think of national importance so that silly mistake (or intended mistake?) of Tangguh Gas Deal would not happen in the future.

Local investment on energy should be increased. I believe many Indonesians are working for foreign oil companies. I believe they can build strong Indonesian oil company (if Pertamina is so sick and cannot be healed). I admire Medco for being Indonesian company and be strong with it. It is now time to be independent, trust your own power and knowledge and be patriotic.

Is it a dream? In every prayer I ask Allah to give chance to this beloved country to be strong. I was born in Indonesia for a reason and so is everybody else. Let’s not be sissy. Let’s be confident. Start from yourselves be being energy efficient.

Nine Eleven

2001, I was in West Sumatera in a monitoring mission. Suddently Matthias, a Swiss guy, became hysterical. He mentioned something about US bombing. What I understood at that time was US was bombing somebody somewhere...I was wrong. Somebody has attacked the US in the US. Wow.... That actually should have been impossible.

US blamed Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda admitted that. But, many "smart people" in the US do not believe that Al-Qaeda did the attack. That group of people believes that there was an internal conspiracy (not Arab conspiracy or such other things) that did the attack and sacrifices many US citizen. Those people persistenly search for evidence and analyze the attack from many point of views.

There are many analysis after that attack. I accidentally got one of those. It is in the form of a video footage. The conclusion of this video is (at least from what I saw) that there was big conspiracy to steal the biggest gold reserve in the US and get the momentum to fight for oil and create war business (ooh suddenly I remember Lord of War starred by Nicholas Cage). The footage and also the analysis really showed many "coincidence" that if one puts it together then there is this "bad smell" in the air.

Finally, I am sorry for the American Citizen because victims of 9/11 were killed by greed. Hopefully this year's election could bring sifnificant change to American policy.

New Fuel Pricing in 2009

Just read in Kompas daily newspaper today. House of Representatives (DPR) still works on the draft of Regional Tax and Retribution Act (RTRA). One of many things covered in the draft act is regional fuel price (i.e. gasoline and diesel fuel). The current mechanism does not involve regional government in setting the price. Pertamina (state oil company) includes value added tax (10%) and regional retribution tax (5%) to the base price. Gasoline price of IDR 6.000 (subsidized) is already including 10% VAT and 5% retribution.

The draft stated that in the future (maybe in 2009), Pertamina does not have the right to add retribution tax component to the price. Pertamina only takes care of the VAT and therefore the retribution component (RT) is taken care by provincial government. The value range of retribution tax is 0% to 10%. In the future there will be different fuel price in each province (especially subsidized ones).

What’s the effect of that? I try to look at my magic crystal ball to see the future and I see:

• Fuel price is lower than today. Today gasoline is IDR 6000 (10% VAT, and 5% RT). In the future the price will be lower than IDR 6000 because most of regional government will try to make this strategy to boost investment. Lower energy price will attract investment
• Less corruption in Pertamina. Because Pertamina will not manage the RT component and redistribute it to respective regions
• More traffic congestions in areas where the fuel price is lower. This might happen in border area. For example if Jakarta sets higher RT component (say 6%) while West Java sets lower RT (say 4%) then most of Jakarta people will drive to gas station in West Java area (border between Jakarta and West Java) to buy cheaper gasoline/diesel fuel. This certainly will create traffic congestions in those area e.g. Bekasi, Depok, Bogor, Tangerang
• Maybe more corruption in the regions. Because local government will manage the RT directly, the flow of fund is shorter. Officials can play their games with gas station owners. For example there should be 100% RT fund goes to government but the deal between gas station owner and tax collector set that only 80% goes to public and 10% goes to tax collector and the rest stay in the pocket of gas station owner. Actually I still do not know the mechanism of retrieving RT funds from gasoline selling to public pocket therefore the scenario above is just an imagination
• Richer gas station owner. Provided that above point really happens
• More fuel consumption. Middle class in Indonesia (i.e. who have cars) is not a true middle class. Usually they do not have strong commitment on something patriotic. They want it safe for themselves. Nowadays middle class people consume more imported goods than the poor and middle classers still buy subsidized gasoline. Middle class in Indonesia is supported by false economy (credits cards). They want it cheap therefore they might go farther to get cheap fuel price. This will actually consume more fuel and thus fuel consumption will be higher
  There might be a little boost on investment, especially gas station investment in lower RT component areas
• Chaos in some areas because people are angry they cannot get fuel. Stock is out
• Small business of fuel reselling will be booming. Because people cannot get fuel at gas station they turn back to their original area. On the way, the fuel runs out. People have to buy fuel from street vendor….ha ha…with unknown impurities in it
• Workshops will be booming and is towing service. People buy fuel from street vendor and make the engine break down. The cars are then towed to the nearest workshop for repair
  

That’s all. The crystal ball is exhausted. Investment advice: automobile workshop or car towing business. Cheers.

Breakfast = Break Fast?

This September, Muslims around the world are in the fasting month Ramadhan. Ramadhan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control (www.submission.org).

In Ramadhan Muslims do fasting. They do not eat, drink, and sexual intercourse with their husbands/wifes during daylight (from dawn till dusk). They are allowed to break their fast when the sun is already set. That is the true meaning of "breakfast" from Muslims.

If nowadays breakfast means having meal in the morning, then it means people only do fasting at night. Sorry to say, there is no challenge doing fasting at night. So, I propose to change the name of morning meal to "Sarapan" instead of "Breakfast" so that it does not confuse people.

Micro Hydro Standardization

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) told me that standardization process usually starts with a request from industry. The industry is the front-runner of technological research. They found ways to make science friendlier to our daily lives. Industry has the reasons to push newly found technology as standard because standard means safe and customer friendly. Standard is market oriented. If industry complies with a standard then it has the chance to penetrate market better. I believe this only works in a market that has “quality awareness”.

Standard can also act like “protection” for certain industry. When industry can push certain technology to be a standard then it is sure that the supporter of that particular technology is ready to produce. This means anybody that cannot achieve the particular standard (maybe due to capital reason) will not able to have little share of the market. Someone or a group will certainly monopolize the market. So there is also a bad side of standard.

Therefore, when there is a plan to standardize micro hydro in Indonesia, the first thing that came to my mind is avoid “monopoly”. This future standard should not protect certain established industries (or manufacturers) and close the chance of developing manufacturers.

How can the standard accommodate the developing workshops? Training and maybe, once again maybe, capital support from government might solve the problem. Certain standard can be achieved, especially concerning specific products, using certain set of machinery. Improving capacity of work force to enable them to operate the advance machinery and support the developing workshops with hardware capital might work. This strategy is a bit dangerous because it opens the chance for corruption (procurement of machinery) and cronyism (only your friend’s workshop got the training and the tools).

Any other strategies? Make double standard (i.e. grade 1, grade 2, and more). Grading the products according to the production process used gives wider spectrum of the standard. For example: turbine is produced in small workshop with limited tools. It is only painted with epoxy paint to protect from rust. The rotor disc is cut using manual cutter. This kind of turbine is considered Grade-2. Grade 2 turbine is cheaper and must at least have 45% turbine efficiency.

Grade 1 turbine is sand blasted and painted with epoxy paints to protect from rust. The rotor disc is cut using laser cutting or water cutting. It is produced in advance workshop (established workshops). Grade 1 turbine is more expensive and must at least have 70% turbine efficiency. That is the second strategy. I prefer the second because the planner can calculate better. S/He will have more options for the budget. This strategy opens more chance to new workshops to enter the business. I think this strategy is fairer. The market will decide. If the budget is limited then go for the second grade if not go to the first grade. I believe there are more strategies to prevent monopoly and open more chance for new comers to compete.

But standard, especially micro hydro quality standard, is not only about the manufacturing of turbines. It should cover all aspect of micro hydro development. India and Nepal and Sri Lanka have set their standards. Their standards cover all aspects, from planning to delivering products. These kinds of standards might also be applicable in Indonesia. Let us see the government’s idea on this…

Philip Essential or Osram Mini Twist?

I started filling in my little house back in late 2005. First thing that I bought was lamps. I like warm white color (2700 Kelvin) lamps. I chose Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) from Osram brand. Osram in Indonesia imported CFL from China. Osram offers one year guarantee if anything happen to the lamp (not including breaking because you drop it). I bought 15 CFL at that time an only 2 of them broke down before 1 year. The rest still operates until now (mid 2008 that means they operate almost 3 years) although there is degradation in the brightness.

The yellowish color of the lamp has a warm effect to the room and create particular "warm" feeling to the body. Temperature seems to be higher than outside temperature despite the many openings the house. Because of that, I changed some of the lamps with daylight white color lamps. I bought Philips because normal simple store nearby do not sell Osram. I bought the small Genie type and it broke down after two days. Philips does not give guarantee as Osram does so I could not return the lamp to the store. I suspected the voltage fluctuation is the source of lamp failure. Genie cannot stand voltage fluctuation as Osram. I also tried the Essential type of Philips that has broader voltage range (170-240 V). This Essential type lasts longer that the Genie type.

So, finally I get bored with warm white color and I decided to change all the lamps with day light color (4000-6500 K). There are two choices: Philips Essential or Osram Mini Twist. Essential has traditional design of CFL while Mini Twist has a twist design. I observed that the twist design (from any CFL producers) gives better distribution of lights. Traditional design (straight U tubes) left some darker spots in the room. The Essential is proven to be able to stand the wide voltage fluctuation but is has lower luminous efficacy. Philips Essential has 58 lumen per watt while the Osram has 64 lumen per watt. This means the Osram is more energy efficient. The problem is that Mini Twist does not have a wide operation voltage (220-240 V). I am afraid this mini twist cannot stand the voltage fluctuation in my area.

So, right now I am still testing the Mini Twist. It is more energy efficient, has one year guarantee (replacement for lamps failure), it is brighter, light is better distributed but it has narrow band of operation voltage. Taking Osram gives me better option because if the mini twist fails, I still can replace the lamps with other type of Osram and anyway all CFL sold in Indonesia from big brands are coming from China. Basically I have no choice...

Consumer Credits - For Renewable?

Banking sector in Indonesia is not yet familiar with renewable financing, although recently some small renewable projects were also financed by banks (e.g. Mandir Syariah, Mandiri etc.). For banks, consumer loan or credit is the big business. One can find many advertisement about car loan, house loan, and credit cards offer. I believe most of the consumption in Indonesia, especially in urban areas (i.e. Jakarta) is financed by consumer credits via credit cards.

Credit card penetration is very high right now. People can easily have credit cards. As far as I remember, getting approval for a credit card is harder some years ago. Nowadays, photocopy of ID card and salary slip can give you access to credit card. This mode of marketing has made many people trapped in consumerism and debt.

To make people use their cards, credit card issuers create programs such as discount in special shopping places etc. They also create "zero interest" program for buying special items such as computers, handphone, watches, or other gadgets. This kind of program is a good deal for real shoppers and "life style" followers. This kind of program might also be used for renewable energy market penetration.

So, the target will be urban people. They need lifestyle and also need "pride" or "respect". Some people think that when you are able to buy expensive items, you will get respect from other people (although one gets it by credit...). Some renewable appliances for example solar water heater is still a "luxury" good. In the Indonesian tax regime, solar water heater is still classified as luxury good with higher tax rate. Only rich people buy solar water heater. I do not know their basic reason to buy it, but I believe trend and pride are two of the reasons.

Then, if it is expensive, why not bank credit pay it in front? The consumer then have to pay the installment to the bank? Why not make solar water heater as one of the "zero interest" goods in the marketing flyer of credit cards? I think this will work, especially when the cost of LPG and electricity is certainly rising. Why not making rich people use it more and let them have it easily via bank credits.

The application of this idea for renewables might still be limited now. I can only see solar water heater and solar home system for emergency lighting. Other form of renewable? I do not know. Maybe energy efficient home appliances can do...mmm that will be very cool if banks can give offer for energy efficient appliances. Let's hope that the banks hear this....

The Right Leverage for Sustainability

Micro hydropower sustainability can be defined from many points of view. One can view it from hardware quality. As long as the scheme has high quality hardware, it will be sustainable. One can view it also from human resources capacity. As long as the operator maintains the scheme well, the scheme will be sustainable. I believe, the sustainability of a micro hydropower scheme depends on many things such as hardware quality, management and operation, social condition and environment. Sustainability combines technology, human, and environment.

Part of management and operation aspect is financial condition of MHP scheme. Financial status is important for maintenance and repair. This specific aspect is heavily related to socio economic condition of the community. From my observation in the field, many communities are always complaining about tariff. They said it is too high for them. I never have doubts in them but when they are rushing to buy satellite receiver after electricity is on, I started to have doubts. The question is why do they make such statement (tariff is too high for them)? I conclude that the reason behind this is their livelihood. They are depending on agriculture that cannot give them regular income (i.e. monthly).


The condition needs right actions to be taken. Those actions should be the right leverage to increase sustainability of a micro hydropower scheme. I believe actions taken for below mentioned aspects might have bigger chance to increase MHP scheme sustainability (i.e. financially):

1. Productive activities for Women to increase family income
2. Improve agriculture production chain. Not just producing raw materials. Improve the value of the products
3. Improve agriculture practice e.g. less usage of artificial fertilizer etc.
4. Education for men and women especially in family financial planning.

I put family financial planning as important part. This is because villagers, where MHP scheme usually located, are not used to plans. This is easily found when one do a survey. When you ask, how much kerosene you use per week? They’ll have difficulties in answering. They never plan and never records. Everything goes like it is. You have it then you consume it. You do not have it, you wait until you have and then consume. Saving is not common. Changes of behavior that can touch ego e.g. smoking, might be important to introduce although resistance will be high.

Who should do all of these? Micro hydropower is a small part of bigger program. It is just the tool, the entrance to bigger program i.e. poverty alleviation. The respective departments should do their job integrally for one purpose. Indonesia still have difficulties in implementing this approach so let’s hope there is a mass brain wash in the heads of government officials so that they talk to each other and work in a good synergy. Until then, let's try to talk to each other and make synergy.

(how to read the diagram? (+) usually means adding: adding the chance, positively influence et. Example: Bugs adds the chance of bad crops, agriculture increase the chance to have irregular income, irregular income increase the chance of inability to pay regular fee. (-) sign usually means reducing. Example: education improve family financial planning (reduce the lack of family financial planning))

Kerosene to Gas Conversion

I was so happy when my favorite “nasi goreng” seller starts using 3 kg Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). He said the LPG cost is much cheaper than kerosene’s. He had to buy at least 3 liters of kerosene per night before converting to LPG. Now he only pays once every three days for 3 kg LPG can. He does not have to change his stove. With little modification, the old kerosene stove can be used. I was so happy that the skepticism on the conversion has lost the game. People are now using LPG. Maybe this only happens in urban areas. The government still has a lot of homework to distribute LPG to rural areas. Since kerosene is hard to find, people in rural areas are back to firewood.

Kerosene stove easily creating problems. I believe kerosene stoves sets fire in many-crowded settlements in Indonesia, especially Jakarta. Kerosene stove is not easily killed. Sometimes if the fire on the wick is not dead, the stove can explode. Explosion can start fire and many may lost their belongings. Converting to gas reduce the chance of stove explosion and reduce the chance of fire. Gas stove is easily killed. You are sure when you kill the stove. The “click” sound starts and fire is then gone. It is safe.

Gas stove produce fire with higher calorific value. If one keeps the gas stove clean the fire on the stove will be blue. Blue flame shows that it has high calorific value. Kerosene stove achieves such condition hardly. This will affect cooking time and efficient use of energy. It finally will affect the overall energy cost for cooking. If ladies are the ones responsible for cooking then they will have more free time to spend. They can choose to use their free time productively or lazily. Gas stove free up the ladies.

Gas flame does not produce smoke and does not smell. When there is leak, the gas will smell. The kerosene flame usually gives a special trace on the food. It tastes different when nasi goreng is cooked using gas stove. It has purer taste and not “oily” taste (only if the same guy cook it). Concerning the smoke, when somebody kills kerosene smoke, the stove will produce white fume. It is the unburned kerosene. It smells very bad and sticks to your clothes. It is not healthy also. Changing to LPG stove will improve health (especially related to respiratory system) and comfort.

I think, LPG stove and can gives people a lesson on how to manage their finance better, especially for less fortunate families. Kerosene you can buy one liter or even half a liter. You can buy it anytime so that you never record the consumption and never care how much you spend for it. With the LPG you really have to calculate. If one can lasts for 4 days then in one month one will know how much money he has to prepare. This is purely theoretical, one has to prove it in the slumps of Jakarta whether this is true or not true.

But success will not be a success without any negative comparison. Distribution of 3 kg cans is a bit problematic (even in the urban or semi urban area). Price is becoming higher now (there is this pressure to put a price cap for 3 kg cans and also 12 kg cans). Distribution to remote areas is still not working. Local producer cannot supply good quality cans to Pertamina. There are still “bad” distributors that reduce the content of the can and get the profit illegally (as Muslim says – Haram). Distribution of free can and LPG stove is not targeted well because some middle-income families get the subsidized stoves and cans.

It is assumed that rural communities have other options to replace kerosene (i.e. firewood) therefore the kerosene consumption is lower compared to urban consumption. Therefore, conversion from kerosene to LPG should be successful in urban areas where there is bigger consumption. Significant conversion will surely reduce the level of kerosene demand. Since kerosene is still imported and LPG can be produced locally, the government should be able to save more money (foreign currency) and strengthen the value of Rupiah and macro economy of the country.

Support the LPG conversion!! But regulate the market better and distribute the conversion package better!!

picture : www.okezone.com

Micro Hydropower Interconnection - Where is it now?

PSK Tersebar!!!! Do not get me wrong. It does not stand for Pekerja Sex Komersial (PSK) or sex worker, but Pembangkit Skala Kecil (PSK – Small Scale Generation). Tersebar means distributed. PSK Tersebar is Distributed Small Scale Generation. It is an important ministerial decree about interconnection of small-scale renewable energy generation to utility i.e. PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negara). This decree was enacted in 2002. Therefore, this year he is already 6 years old.

How many small-scale renewable energy generators have been interconnected based on this decree? As far as I know: less than 10. In fact I can mention it: Micro Hydro Power (MHP) Seloliman I, MHP Seloliman II, MHP Wangan Aji (contract given – realization still o), MHP Melong, MHP Cinta Mekar, MHP Salido Kecil, and there is one in Sulawesi. How many? Seven MHPs. On average 1 MHP each year. I would say – it is not good.

Why this has been so difficult? Out of 7 only 2 are purely private initiation. The other 5 are semi-private because they involve high rank lobby (e.g. high profile NGO activist, ex director general, director of one important directorate in the government etc.) and not purely private financed (government project, ADB, GEF, UNESCAP etc.). Important message here is the 5 MHPs won the interconnection contract due to “high profile lobby”. Private can also do but you’ve got very low buying price. It is then very difficult for private sector because private sector sees an investment from its profitability. Buying price usually show the profitability of interconnected MHP project. If the price is low, better put the money in the bank.

So the buying price is low. Why is it low? PLN as buyer argues that they sell electricity at a certain price so PLN only buy electric power with price lower than PLN’s selling price. It is very logic. PLN wants some profit margin of it. But PLN has some memory problems. Big Independent Power Producers (IPP) wie Paiton in Ost Java got a big price for selling power to PLN. The price is in US$. The selling price is way higher than PLN’s tariff to customer. This is very contradictive. But, that was because of power abuse during Suharto Era. Now who’s abusing the power? It is PLN…

When PLN deals with small business like those under PSK Tersebar regulation, PLN positions itself as a pure business entity. PLN forgets that it gets subsidies from government for its fossil fuel generation. PLN get subsidies therefore the electricity tariff for customer is also subsidized. The tariff is already distorted. It is not a pure tariff. Small private companies cannot compete in distorted market. PLN gives pressure the business so that business can accept the terms of PLN...that's abusive

There should be market deregulation. PLN should not monopolize the market or the sector. It does not have to be direct 100% privatization in one night. More transparency is enough and everybody will appreciate that. It is too bad that Law No.20 of 2002 was cancelled by Constitution Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi). The law is actually brings a fresh wind to the sector.

What about the regulation itself? Does it need to be improved? I say yes…for example: let’s give longer contract term not annual; let’s give clearer and simpler procedure without negotiation. For small-scale generation (below 1 MW), one cannot talk pure business. It should be straight forward without complex negotiation.

Finally, what’s the idea to improve private sector involvement in small scale renewable generation? Let’s see the work of IMIDAP (Integrated Microhydro Development and Application Program). Let’s hope that they do their best or else…

Election - Why so little participation?

24 August 2008 was the election date for Bupati (Head of Regency) of Bogor. In total there are approximately 2 million registered voters. In my neighborhood, there are 370 registered voters. This election has left me some important notes:

1. Many eligible voters are not registered. There are some complaints to the local election committee. All are complaining about their missing vote rights. Many are not registered and thus their names are not listed in the master list. The election regulation does not allow people to use their rights without the invitation. This year we have two important elections; first is governor of West Java election and the second is head of Bogor Regency election. People that have voted for West Java Governor have lost their rights to vote for Bogor Regency Bupati. This actually did not happen to my Rukun Tetangga (RT – smallest neighborhood group) but it happened to other RT. The fault is not on the RT’s administration but on the Demography Office. People in that office did not cross check with other data and just inputting new data. This has made people lost their voting rights. This condition became worst because Regency Election Committee (Komiter Pemilihan Umum Daerah – KPUD) gave all data just one day before the election day (That’s 24 hours before election day) and 24 hours is the limit for unlisted voters to ask for their rights to the local election committee. I suspect all of these have been a big scenario. The experts from each candidate (usually only special candidate) can read the supporters’ strength of other candidates in each area. Using their influence, campaign committee can push the right button in the election committee (KPUD) to erase as many voters as possible in specific areas and influence the chance of specific candidate to lost the election in that specific area. This happens everywhere including the U.S. (I remember “The Stupid White Men”).
2. Registered voters did not vote. Those that were invited to vote did not vote. They simply just throw away their rights and ignore their obligation. I am on the opinion that this is not a mature action. Nowadays many people can only complain and ask for their rights. Many are not answering for their obligations. I am on the opinion that, when you already pay your dues then you can ask for your rights. It is very natural; you’ve got to work before you get your bread. Jakarta people said – ke laut aje (go to sea) – for those kind of people (sorry I try not to say the “f” word like “go “f” yourself). OK..lah…go “f” yourself. Those kind of people have no single right to say about the new bupati’s policy or regulations
3. Lack of program dissemination by candidates. This can also influence the level of voters participation in a negative way i.e. potential voters do not vote. Many voters that came to the voting place said that they do not know the candidates and their programs. The day the vote is the first time they knew about the candidates. Candidate should have visited their potential voters. Do some campaigns and interact with potential voters. If it is possible do a debate and really show the content of their heads (I heard there was a debate session during campaign phase). Maybe my area is not important enough for those candidates therefore they did not visit and interact with the people there.

Other reasons? Let me think more…

Speed Up Your Speedy Access

Some months ago our Telkom Speedy (http://www.telkomspeedy.com/) access was upgraded. Telkom has just improved their infrastructure and they gave free speed upgrade. The connection in my office use Unlimited Office that cost IDR 750.000 per month. The speed was 256 kbps (not KB/s). After upgrading, the download speed is 1024 kbps or 1 mbps while the upload speed is only around 128 kbps.

After upgrading, there is significant speed increase for internet connection. I usually have problems listening to SKY FM UpTempo Smooth Jazz Internet Radio with my freeware Screamer Internet Radio (http://www.screamer-radio.com/). Usually the streaming is stopping because the software is buffering the audio file. After upgrading, that problem never occurs.

But, I am still not satisfied. I often download freeware from the Internet and the highest download speed is only around 100 KB/second (kilo byte per second). At first I thought kbps is the same as KB/second but yahoo answer and many other sources told me that they are not the same. Kilo bit per second (kbps) is not the same as kilo byte per second (KB/second). In one byte there are 8 bits, therefore 100 KB/second is the same as 800 kbps. I did not understand this unit when I filed a complain to Telkom Speedy. I tried to test my connection speed to http://www.speedtest.net/ and found that my download speed is only around 500 kbps (although the actual can reach 100 KB/second or 800 kbps).

Browse the Internet then I found in a forum that if one change a parameter in the registry (global receive window - RWIN) to a bigger value, the download speed can increase significantly. Further browsing the Internet, I found this tiny freeware called TCPOptimizer from http://www.speedguide.net/. This software had made the tweaking process easier. Just slide the bar and all will be adjusted automatically. I then tried to test the speed again and it is significantly improved. Download speed is becoming almost 900 kbps although upload speed is still the same (around 100 kbps). Maybe if slide the bar further to the right, the speed might be a little higher than what I have now (more than 900 kbps). So, if you have Internet connection problem (slow download speed) try this TCPOptimizer. You can download it for free at www.speedguide.net. Hope it's useful. Bonus of highspeed Internet is nice streamin performance. Youtube or Internet Radio work flawlessly.

Independence Day

17 August is the Independence Day of Indonesia. History records that on 17 August 1945, the founding fathers were proclaiming the independence of Indonesia in Jakarta. At that time, Japanese troops did not make any resistance because they just lost the WWII war from the Allies. It was the right moment for Indonesians to declare independence.

Indonesian fought for independence very hard. Since 1600s the Dutch has colonized Indonesia. The resistances were usually sporadic and local in nature therefore the Dutch easily defeated them using advanced warfare technology. The Dutch also implemented “devide et impera” strategy to break the cultural bonds between Indonesians.

Spirit of Nationalism was raised in Indonesia in the early 1900s. Young national thinkers and founding fathers have pushed all components the nation to unite and fight against the Dutch colonization. WW II has brought Japan to Indonesia. They defeated the Dutch in Indonesia. Since 1943, Indonesia was under Japanese “ruthless” colonization. But our time come when the Allies defeated Japan in 1945. Indonesians proclaimed the independence.

There was one important factor that played great role in the independence of Indonesia. The enemy was obvious i.e. the Dutch or the Japanese. Because of that, resistance spirit is very high. People did the resistance without any “hidden agenda”. It was always came from the heart. All sacrifices are for the country and independence. There was “spiritual factor” in it. People believe in God the Almighty and with pure intention, God has helped Indonesian to be independent. There were many martyrs died during the fight for Independence.

After the declaration of Independence, the Dutch tried to go back to Indonesia with the help from the Allies. The Dutch has done two military aggressions between 1945 and 1949. The conflict was settled in Den Haag in 1949. For the Dutch, 1949 is the year when they “gave” Indonesia independence. For us, 1945 is the year we finally proclaimed independence. No one gave it to Indonesians except the Indonesians them selves.

After the independence, Sukarno, our founding father, has indicated that there is one big hard to defeat enemy. This enemy is “our selves”. It is very hard to defeat our selves. It is very hard to make one self not being selfish. It is our problem now. One can see that national achievements are decreasing in quality from year to year. In the 60s, Indonesia was strong and solid in all aspects e.g. sports and military. In the new century, Indonesia has come to the lowest point of National history. Corruption and low economic performance and many poor people are some of many signs. Indonesia is not “seriously” considered as a powerful nation anymore. One can always say, Indonesia is now the victim of new colonialism.

It is true that controlling one’s self and greed is very hard. It needs spiritual strength within every person and most importantly the leaders. The leaders must know the way, show the way and lead the way. They must set standards and examples. The strength from God Almighty is very important. If all are based on God then the result will be good.

With all my weaknesses, I tried to start changes from home. I believe that a nation acts like a body and family is the cell. If the cell is in good condition, the body will be healthy. If the family is strong and everybody in it has strong character, the nation will also be strong. Like “ayah Edi” said “Indonesia Strong from Home”. Let’s go back to our families and set the high standard from home.

Free yourself to be the best.

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.

How the School Kids Celebrate Independence Day

Met those kids in Lombok on the way to Bayan. If you go to Lombok Island, try to drive early in the morning from Senggigi to Tanjung. Along the coastline you can find many beautiful sceneries. Take motor bike or if you will bicycle. Do not forget to bring camera. If the sun allows, there are many beautiful sites to take photographs.

Few (or Many?) Unpatriotic People

Saturday is a perfect day to meet the neighbors and do small chat. This small chat has actually given me an insight from an “industry player”. The industry is power industry. As you might already know, PLN has the monopoly of the industry and according to what we face right know, they are in trouble. Indonesia is facing energy deficit period. The demand rises faster than PLN’s ability to generate power (but who knows the truth?).

This “deficit” issue has created some waves in the national level because the government decided to go for 10.000 MW coal fired power plants and then is planning for a nuclear power plant also. The discussion here is mainly concerning the first option (10.000 MW).

This neighbor of mine said that hydropower will not be the first priority of PLN if PLN still monopolize the business (despite huge hydro power potential in Indonesia – I mean huge). He is on the opinion of full market driven power industry (just like what is planned in the “dead” Law No.20/2002). Why? It is because hydropower needs only little operational cost. The water, you do not have to buy. There is no fuel transport etc. In short, hydropower is the cheapest to operate (except maybe compared to nuclear AFAIK). According to him, this condition is not good for the industry A.K.A. PLN because the company cannot “make” money out of the government’s subsidy.

Let’s see thermal power generation. I define thermal power plant as any generator that burn fossil fuel (coal, oil, gas etc.). Thermal generator needs huge amount of money to operate and maintain. The fuel is already costly and someone can “play” with his authority to get the best “deal”. Maintenance is also costly and for some cheaply constructed power plants, the frequency of maintenance might be higher than the high quality power plants. Thermal power plant has one big benefit. It is easily started, especially the gas fired power plants. This characteristic has made the gas fired power plants usually act as “peaker” or power plants that operate on peak hours only.

So, why the government wants to build 10.000 MW coal fired power plants? It is believed that Indonesia is coal rich country (high Sulfur ones). It is argued that high sulfur coal is not sellable to export market thus Indonesia should use it at home. From this point of view it is very clear that “only the bad ones are for our people”. The 10.000 MW project is huge and one can imagine how much coal is needed. This creates “project” for certain people in “certain” position. There are chance to make “money” from many vendors available in Indonesia.

But why Chinese products? Chinese can deliver the power plant fast. I once talk to an expert of BPPT, he mentioned that Chinese products (coal power plant) is always in custom mode. Although they have the same product number but the same part still have high probability to be not compatible to each other. It is not like buying a Japanese car. When the spark plug is broken, one can buy the same type and it is just plug and play. Chinese power plant is not like that. This condition creates a scenario of “high cost” maintenance, especially if one considers the quality of Chinese products. High quality European/Japanese power plant will need least maintenance and somebody cannot make “money” of it. Chinese products are also cheap. It is cheap in front but costly at the end.

So I suspect “money and greed” has driven this 10.000 MW policy. The decision maker is not realizing the financial burden afterwards. This will just make “corruption” and “power abuse” atmosphere thicker. The policy will not solve energy situation in Indonesia. It will just make the government position worse and the worst situation is bankruptcy. Few people has made the whole nations suffers and who get the benefits? The Chinese off course! Indonesia’s competitive position against China will be lower and lower and lower. Those people that pass this policy have no patriotic spirit at all.This country is already sick, but I still have hopes. How? Support renewable and keep on protesting on unfriendly and non pro-people policy. One more thing, support KPK in battling corruption.

Bad "Recruitment" Practice

Recent months are the time for registered parties to “recruit” candidates for legislative election 2009 (DPR/house of representatives). Why I use the word recruit? It is just very strange that candidates are not “native” members of the party or somebody that has “career” in the party. One of my neighbors has just been recruited by party #1. He will represent West Java. He is actually labor activist therefore he has vast networks of labor unions in West Java. Usually, labor activist would represent labor party (is there any Labor Party in Indonesia?) but in his case he is not.

Second person that I know is my sister in Law. Her husband is an activist in one of the big parties in Indonesia. He has career in that party and he has he political knowledge and skill. He represents his party in South Sumatera, where he was born. I believe this recruitment system. Somebody from inside the party that has skill, knowledge, and maybe consciousness should represent the party in the election. However, in the case of my sister in law, her recruitment is becoming very strange recruitment process. Due to his activist husband, one party (other than the party of her husband’s) offered her a candidacy spot for regency level election. She is an architect, so far does not have any experience with politics (except politics in the work), and I believe does not have the skill for political job. On the way to work, I saw a banner saying that this party is opening for registration for candidates of 2009 election. What a funny idea of recruitment, especially for such important position.

There are things that I can learn from those two different cases:

• Parties just want to recruit somebody that potentially can collect many votes despite his/her background and maybe his/her consciousness
• Parties do not do internal candidate development (maybe the established parties do it)
• Parties want it instant. As long as they won the voters’ heart, they do not care who is on the podium and do the oration
• Parties do not care with the background of the candidates (either he/she has the knowledge, the skill, objective and maybe some consciousness about good things for the people)
• Parties do not develop their supporters/voters from the grass root (or maybe they do not have the capacity to do that)
• Democracy in Indonesia is still in the premature stage (education is needed).

I am afraid that 2009 election result will just be the same as the results of past years. Corrupt parliament, incompetent people’s representatives, power hungry people’s representatives and bunch of people that only cares for his/her own business and do not have the vision and strategy for development and progress.

However, despite of all those things, I will vote. I will choose well. One vote does matters. One vote can change the whole thing. The crucial thing is that one has to know very well to whom his/her vote should go. Let’s welcome 2009 election with hopes and excitement.