BALI : Towards a Green Island

Since 28 October 2019, the Government of Bali has already issued a Governor’s decree No. 45/2019 regarding Bali Clean Energy. This decree is hopefully the expected solution for the Energy Crisis in Indonesia in general, and in Bali in particular. Electricity in Bali island is majorly supplied by power plants in Java island from the very beginning, where most of the power plants generated with oil or coal. Ironically, the national oil reserves have already run out since 2019 and now Indonesia is a net oil importer country, while coal reserves will also be washed up by 2025. This critical condition has also been anticipated by the Government of Republic of Indonesia regulation No. 79/2014 to revise the previous President’s decree No. 5/2006 regarding National Energy Policy. Bali has nine local governments with eight regencies (Badung, Tabanan, Karangasem, Klungkung, Jembrana, Buleleng, Bangli, Gianyar) and one municipality (Denpasar), which is also the capital city of the province. The island's primary economic source is tourism which suffered the hardest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic causing hundreds of hotels to close and most of supporting tourism industries to be shutdown. This has forced Bali to change its tourism orientation from urban tourism to rural tourism which promotes homestay that will strongly influence the concept of renewable clean energy planning throughout the island. Governor’s decree No. 45/2019 strongly dedicated for the use of solar power, but unfortunately there are only two solar power plants in the island; PLTS Bangli with 1 MWp On-Grid and PLTS Karangasem with 1 MWp On-Grid. There is also ongoing construction of a new steam power plant in Celukan Bawang, Buleleng Regency, northern part of Bali which is projected to produce 780 MW of 6 generating units. It has been starting in 2013, and units 1-3 have been operational in 2015 with a capacity of 380 MW. However, the continuing development is still in the public debate because the steam power plant is based on oil and coal, and the maximum capacity still cannot meet the installed capacity of 1200 MW and beyond planned by the State Electricity Company of Bali region (PLN-Bali). Another renewable energy power plant using mini hydro (water) is PLTMH Buleleng with 2.2 MWp, while existing rooftop PV powerplant in the community is about 1.3 MWp and 0.07 MWp off-grid. Therefore, the shortcomings must be fulfilled with the renewable energy where the Decree will involve community participation in the use of solar panels for their homes and buildings. The paper presents strategic planning of the use of renewable clean energy for the island, particularly solar power. Difficulties and potentials of the solar photovoltaic panels are elaborated as also discussed in a special task force supervisory team of Bali Clean Energy for the Decree implementation, established by the Governor of Bali. All the stakeholders are invited in the task force; provincial leaders (Governor, Vice Governor and Secretary of the province), inter-departments government officers (Energy & Mineral Resources, Public Works & Spatial Planning, Environment & Forestry, Industry & Trades, and Law & Regulations, Research & Innovation Agency of Bali, Regional Development Planning Agency of Bali), State Electricity Company of Bali Region (PLN-Bali), academicians, governor's experts unit, Center for community Renewable Energy (CORE), Green Building Council Indonesia representative Bali (GBCI-Bali), and communities represented by cooperative community business units (Koperasi). In short, this team model resembles a collaborative-participative planning process.