Business Review – More than 70 thousand Indonesians have enjoyed the benefit of manures as the source of energy for their cooking needs. The use of animal manures such as cows, pigs, and poultries, have been produced through BIRU (Domestic Biogas) reactor.

At the moment, BIRU energy, the program launched by HIVOS in collaboration with Yayasan Rumah Energi (YRE) and SNV have constructed 14,173 BIRU reactors and has become one of the programs of the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (DJBTKE).

As a government apparatus, DJBTKE performs coordination and encourage local governments with potentials in biogas development to actively participate in developing BIRU program in their respective territories. The program which was initiated in 2009 by the Embassy of the Netherland, embraced local institutions as partners to develop and promote a form of modern and sustainable renewable energy for the people of Indonesia.

With the support of the Embassy of Norway and EnDev (Energizing Development) program, presently BIRU program works in 9 provinces in Indonesia namely: Lampung, West Java, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara (Sumba), and target the expansion of operational coverage in a minimum of four provinces during 2015.

Through BIRU reactors, beneficiaries will no longer have to worry about the volatility of conventional fuel prices as they have now been able to fulfill their energy needs, direct from their livestock stables. “Presently we have our own source of fire to cook and for lighting,” uttered Sriyatun (35 years old), an inhabitant of Lembu Village, Bancak, Semarang.

There are 96 biogas reactors in her very own village which have brought her village to fetch the title of Energy Self-Sustaining Village at the provincial level of Central Java back in 2014.

Other than such benefits, the outcome of 2013 survey, revealed that BIRU users stated that the surrounding of their residential areas have been healthier: less smoke (79%), cleaner kitchen (72%), cleaner animal stables (69%). “The odor level is reduced up to 75-80%. No more protests from the surrounding neighbors. We are content with Domestic Biogas,” said Abas (54 years), a meat poultry farmer from Sodo Village, Sodo, Pakel, Tulungagung, East Java who started poultry farming business back in 1999 with a population of 1,000-2,000 birds.

Prior to using BIRU biogas, according to Abbas, his business faced protests due to the foul odors affecting the surrounding community.

Along with more than 50 partner organizations as well as more than 1,200 trained construction workers and supervisors, BIRU program has improved the potential of biogas sector for further development and generating plenty of benefits for livestock breeders, farmers, and Indonesian people. Hivos, YRE, SNV along with the DJEBTKE are committed to consistently promote renewable energy to bring clean and high quality energy into reality in which they are easily accessible by Indonesian people.

During 2014, BIRU program had successfully constructed 2,729 unit of reactors, increasing the quantity to 14,173 unit of reactors since 2009. East Java is the province with the largest number of BIRU reactors, with a total of 6,937 units, with 832 of them were constructed in 2014. Total BIRU reactors constructed in other provinces subsequently are West Nusa Tenggara 2,923 units; Central Java and D.I. Yogyakarta 1,612 units; West Java 1,283 units; Bali 803 units; South Sulawesi 279 units; and Lampung 134 units. Meanwhile, in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, 202 units of reactor has been built in conjunction with the participation on Sumba Iconic Island program.