Greenpeace, Indonesian govt light up Borobudur temple using renewable energy

An international environmental organization on Sunday night lit up the ancient temple of Borobudur on the outskirts of Yogyakarta--a UNESCO World Heritage site--using only renewable energy.

The event was undertaken during the closing ceremony of "Solarizing Borobodur," Greenpeace said in a statement. The event shows that Indonesia can achieve a cleaner and safer energy future, the group added. 

Among those who participated in the closing ceremonies include Sri Puryono, Central Java Governor Assistant on behalf of  Bibit Waluyo, Central Java Governor, and Dawn Gosling of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. 

All three pushed the ‘Energy Revolution’ button that lit up solar panels installed around Borobudur temple and the Climate Rescue Station, the group said in a statement. 

The station is a four-storey spherical structure used as a mobile museum to generate awareness about renewable energy solutions to combat climate change. It has been used around the world as a platform to tell the world that ordinary people can do something to stop climate change--but only if governments opt for a massive uptake of renewable energy (RE).

“We take this project as our inspiration to work towards a cleaner, greener and safer future powered by renewable energy which comes from nature such as the wind, the sun and geothermal energy which meet environmental sustainability standards. May today be the enlightenment of Indonesia’s renewable energy future to end the age or era of coal. We must move forward to the Energy [R]evolution now,” said Dawn Gosling, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Chief Operating Officer.

Indonesia is one of Southeast Asia's fastest growing economies and will need massive power generation in the future to meet the increasing energy demands of its population and industry. 

Unfortunately, Indonesia is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, particularly coal. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of man-made carbon emissions, and the single biggest cause of climate change. Coal also causes irreparable damage to the environment, livelihoods and health of the Indonesian people.

Due to Indonesia’s geography, the national electricity grid is quite fragmented, leaving one-third of its population without electricity. Currently, diesel generators--which are expensive and dependent on continuous fuel supply--are the only source of power for communities in remote areas.

“Decentralized, off-grid, small-scale renewable energy plants would allow local people to gain access to clean electricity and help them move away from expensive diesel or gas,” Hindun Mulaika, Greenpeace Climate and Renewable Energy campaigner said.-Interaksyon (October 29, 2012 3:24PM)