TREE Programme in Germany

TREE Project: Committed to accelerating the implementation of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency globally

Active involvement of Indonesian industrial and governmental participants

Berlin, 09/03/17 - Indonesia has a huge potential for renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, the proportion of renewable energy used in the overall energy mix is only about 5% at present. Through its National Energy Policy, the Indonesian government has set itself the goal of increasing this proportion to 17% by 2025. The current low utilization of renewable energy has several causes, including high investment costs, building, lack of financial support, lack of local manufacturers for renewable energy equipment and shortages of professional resources.

The removal of the latter obstacle is the aim of the TREE project (Transfer Renewable Energy & Efficiency), initiated by the Renewables Academy (RENAC) in Berlin. A total of 300 engineers and decision makers from 14 countries – among them Indonesia - are currently attending one-week seminars in Berlin, in order to train in renewable energy and energy efficiency. TREE is funded by the International Climate Protection Initiative of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. As a provider of continuing education on renewable energy, RENAC specializes in spreading German know-how internationally. Germany belongs to one of the few countries that already have many years of experience in this field. "From the TREE course I expected to gain knowledge about renewable energy from the cutting-edge technologies implemented in Germany." says Marlina Pandin, TREE participant from the Agency of Research and Development for Energy and Mineral Resources at Indonesia's energy ministry. Similarly Herman Huang, Business Development Manager of Shell Technology Venture: "My expectation was to know the latest trends and knowledge of renewable energy."

In addition to the technical training in the RENAC training center, where solar thermal, photovoltaic and energy efficiency components from leading German manufacturers are available for practical exercises, political and economic strategies are taught to the participants. Marlina Pandin: "The TREE seminar has helped me to understand not only the technological aspects of RE, but also various aspects such as funding, culture and global and local issues in developing and implementing RE". "I am really interested in the Feed-in Tariff which has been successfully implemented in Germany" was the motivation for participating in TREE given by Andriah Feby Misna from the Indonesian Directorate General of Electricity and Energy Utilization, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Andriah Feby Misna is also responsible for promoting the energy efficiency and conservation program (EE & C) in Indonesia in the New-Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Directorate. "My expectations from TREE are enhancing my knowledge on Energy Efficiency (...); in general, developing countries still use energy inefficiently" she says, explaining her interest further. The energy saving potential in Indonesia has been estimated at 10-30%. The subject of energy efficiency in buildings and in industry and commerce are other topics on the TREE agenda.

The TREE knowledge transfer does not end with the seminars in Berlin. Within the project's context, a global network is being established, in which energy experts from 3 different continents are represented. There is also the opportunity to further participate in distance learning. In April/May, in-depth seminars will be offered again in Berlin. "This training is very useful for our broader knowledge and for improving our capability in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency", was the assessment of the seminar from another participant from Indonesia at the end of his stay in Berlin. Herman Huang, will be starting his own company in Indonesia in the near future, focusing on renewable energy projects: "A project like TREE increases the economic and social exchange between Indonesia and Germany."

Further information: www.tree-project.de; www.renac.de; contact me by e-mail