Digitizing Renewable Energy Potential in Indonesia
A Strategic Map to Accelerate Investment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33116/ije.v9i2.374Keywords:
Critical land biomass, energy transition policy, geospatial data accessibility, investment decision-making, WRF FDDA modelingAbstract
Indonesia is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 in response to the global climate crisis caused by dependence on fossil fuels. Achieving this goal depends on having reliable baseline data, especially field-validated and accessible maps showing renewable energy potential. Currently, these maps are only available in static formats, making them difficult to use. This study updates the static maps by creating an interactive geoportal to improve data transparency and accessibility. The process includes three main steps: development, integration, and validation. During development, the wind energy map is generated using the Weather Research and Forecasting Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation (WRF FDDA) model at a 5 km horizontal resolution and interpolated to a 1 km grid using ordinary kriging. The solar energy map uses a similar method, with added land suitability analysis. The hydropower map is based on the dependable flow Q90, in accordance with SNI 8396:2019. The bioenergy map includes urban waste biomass, using Net Caloric Value (NCV) data, and biomass from crops grown on degraded land. All these maps are combined into a single, publicly accessible interactive geoportal. What makes this study unique is the integration of diverse renewable energy data sources into a single national geoportal, and the first consolidated documentation and evaluation of an operational national system of this kind, something not offered by global platforms such as the Global Wind Atlas or the Global Solar Atlas, or Indonesian studies that mostly assessed a single resource type in isolation. This geoportal provides a centralized and accessible database of Indonesia’s renewable-energy resources, improves the analytical basis for national and regional energy planning, is intended to reduce resource-risk uncertainty for investors, and supports Indonesia’s transition from target-based renewable-energy policy toward data-driven implementation.
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