KOMPAS.com, JAKARTA – Domestic Biogas (BIRU) Program has been initiated since 2009, experience a significant growth. As of 2014, BIRU program has been widespread at nine provinces with a total biogas reactor installed reached a total of 14,173 units.

East Java is the province with the largest number of BIRU reactor at 6,937 units. Followed by West Nusa Tenggara at 2,923 units, Central Java and D.I. Yogyakarta at 1,612 units, Bali at 803 units, South Sulawesi at 279 units, Lampung at 134 units, and Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara at 202 reactors.

According to the Executive Director of Yayasan Rumah Energy, Lina Meutia Moeis, as of 3 February 2015, there are more than 70,000 people who have enjoyed the benefits provided by 14,173 BIRU reactors.

“They include the families of livestock breeders, farmers, and so forth. The benefit they enjoy are they no longer have to buy LPG gas to cook or to do other activities. They can now access affordable energy resources from domestic biogas,” uttered Lina in a written statement to Kompas.com, Friday (February 6, 2015).

Benefits of Biogas

Other than the benefit of affordable energy resources, from the results of survey conducted on 2013, BIRU users said that the surrounding of their houses have become healthier. According to them, the smoke in their kitchens are a lot less (79 percent), their kitchens are cleaner (72 percent), and their animal sheds are also cleaner (69 percent).

Other benefit of biogas is the waste (bio-slurry) has the potential to reduce the carbon between 2-7 tons of CO₂ per hectare annually. This is supported by initial report of Soil and More International in the feasibility study of the roles of biogas waste in supporting Climate Smart Agriculture in Indonesia.

Bio-slurry, both liquid or solid, is a very good organic fertilizer to fertilize the soil and boost the crop production. Several BIRU users have even turned the biogas waste as a mixture for vermicompost fertilizer, bokashi fertilizer, mushroom culture media, pond fertilizer as well as feedstuff for fish and eels, which so far have yielded satisfactory results.

BIRU is a joint program among Hivos, SNV, and Yayasan Rumah Energi, under the coordination of the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (DJEBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia.

The collaboration is established to encourage potential local administratives in BIRU development in their respective territories. The program which was actually initiated on 2009 by the Embassy of Netherland, embraces local organizations as partners to build and promote modern and sustainable new and renewable energy for the people of Indonesia.

With the support of the Embassy of Norway and EnDev (Energizing Development) porgram, this year, BIRU program will be expanded with additional operational territories to at least four provinces.