Perpustakaan Digital ITB

ABSTRACT: Energy plays an important role in achieving sustainable development. Almost all activities need energy. Unfortunately, energy accessibility in rural areas, particularly in developing countries is still low, included in Indonesia. Rural electrification program-connecting rural areas to national grid as an effort to increase energy accessibility in rural areas has been done since few decades. However, due to geographical and topographical condition, most of rural and remote areas in Indonesia can not be reached by national grid. Around 47% of rural households in Indonesia have not been electrified yet. Locally based energy development through decentralized energy system based on renewable energy technologies, among others solar, biomass, wind, micro hydro, and geothermal energy, is promising to fulfill low energy demand in rural/remote areas. Unfortunately, the result of this effort is still not significant. In the past rural electrification was conducted by top-down approach which emphasizes more on technical rationality. This approach showed many failures in promoting locally based energy development, because generalization approach can not encounter the complex issues in rural areas. Energy service is expected not only to increase energy accessibility in rural areas, but also to be associated with sustainable development-social, economic and environmental dimensions. Therefore, rural energy planning becomes more complex and planning approach might be shifted from technical to communicative approach which is emphasized on process oriented by involving many actors in formulating plan. This approach is expected to be able to grasp the real problem in grass root level by increasing the role of local government and community in planning process. This research explores the key success factors of developing local energy resources in rural/remote areas, actors involved in developing local energy resources and how rural communities are involved in developing local energy resources. The research shows that decentralized energy planning, integrated energy planning to other development sectors and community participation are the key success factors of decentralized energy system based on renewable energy.