UNDERGRADUATE THESIS — Origins
[Development of Integrated Renewable Energy System Model for Rural Productivity Zone in East Nusa Tenggara](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/543/1/012070) *Presented at the International Symposium of Indonesian Chemical Engineering (ISIChem). Thesis advisor: Prof. Dr. Ir. Widodo Wahyu Purwanto, DEA.* CONTEXT - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) had a 78.3% electrification ratio, while 74.8% of its villages were classified as underdeveloped, despite abundant solar, wind, and biomass potential - Rural communities lacked reliable electricity for both household use and post-harvest processing of local commodities, limiting economic productivity METHODS - Techno-economic analysis using HOMER Pro for hybrid power system optimization - Simulation for household biogas using SuperPro Designer - Evaluated three ownership scenarios: separate, cooperative, and integrated - Assessed multiple financing schemes combining concessional loans, grants, and tax incentives, compared with business-as-usual scenarios - Assessed policy barriers to rural electrification - Conducted a comparative environmental analysis of mitigated CO₂e emissions FINDINGS - Designed a hybrid power system comprising a 95 kW photovoltaic array, a 78 kW wind turbine, a 200 kW diesel generator, and battery storage - Integrated power generation with a post-harvest cocoa processing facility (250 metric tons of wet cocoa per year, 32.9% yield) and biogas generation from cattle waste - The integrated ownership scenario, where one entity manages both power generation and productive use, was the most economically feasible, making 3 additional financing schemes viable - The hybrid system reduces diesel dependence by 130,163 L/year and GHG emissions by 80% compared to diesel-only generation; the cocoa processing system reduces firewood use by 96,800 kg/year and emissions by 23% - The publication's novelty lies in the business integration of productive zones based on local commodity potential with energy provision for productive purposes (income-generating activities), foregrounding socio-economic co-benefits RECOMMENDATIONS - Bundle energy access with local economic development to improve rural electrification outcomes - Reconsider PPA price-cap policy and explore Feed-in-Premium mechanisms to attract renewable energy investment - Divert fossil fuel subsidies or impose carbon taxes to finance rural renewable energy projects - Design multi-commodity processing units and expand productive zones from village to sub-district level to improve project economics