Indonesia’s Marine Energy Potential in the Implementation of Blue Economy for Fisheries Communities

ESSAY

Indonesia’s Marine Energy Potential in the Implementation of Blue Economy for Fisheries Communities

BY NASYA KENZIA SYAIRA ALIFA | PUBLISHED FEB 1, 2022, 02:00 UTC

Maximizing the benefit of ocean resources| Unsplash/Duangphorn Wiriya

Natural resources are potentials that must be developed in order to provide benefits to the community. The utilization must pay attention to natural conditions so as not to damage the existing ecosystem. One of Indonesia’s greatest natural resources potential is that comes from the sea. Geographically, Indonesia is a country where two-thirds of its territory is water, making Indonesia one of the countries with the largest territorial waters in the world. For waters, Indonesia’s natural resources do not only come from marine animals, marine plants, and substances contained under the sea such as oil and coal, but also the potential of marine energy natural resources. Ocean energy is energy obtained through the mechanical movement of sea water, sea level differences and temperature differences. Due to its unlimited nature, it can be said that marine energy is a renewable energy source. Although Indonesia has great marine energy potential, this potential is not widely known by the wider community, so its utilization is not optimal.

The utilization of marine energy in a country is related to the blue economy. According to the World Bank, blue economy is a term that refers to efforts to encourage the use of natural resources found in the sea that are used sustainably and aim to increase the economic growth of a country. The correct and optimal implementation of the blue economy can help improve community welfare and employment growth while maintaining the quality of the economy and marine ecosystems.

One form of marine energy utilization that is very beneficial for the community is electricity. Ocean waves, ocean currents, tides, sea breezes, differences in salinity of sea water, and differences in sea water temperature can be converted into biofuels which will later produce electricity. The potential of marine energy into electricity is one of the alternative potential electricity producers, especially in small islands in eastern Indonesia that have not been affected by electricity. The presence of electricity in these small islands can improve the standard of living of fishing communities. Apart from being useful in everyday life, electricity can also help them in carrying out their lives as fishermen.

In terms of cost, the use of marine energy is more expensive than conventional electricity from petroleum and fossil fuels. If the conventional electricity tariff is Rp. 1,163,-/kWh, the electricity tariff generated from marine energy varies from Rp. 1.268,-/kWh for electricity from ocean currents, Rp. 1.709,-/kWh from ocean waves, Rp. 2,048,-/kWh from high tide and IDR 4,030,-/kWh from sea temperature/ocean thermal. However, the use of marine energy for electricity is considered better than conventional electricity. First, marine energy has a longer use value and will never run out, and can speed up small islands to get electricity without having to wait for conventional electricity installations.

References

Atmojo, A. T., Purwanto, & Setiyono, H. (2017). KAJIAN POTENSI ENERGI ARUS LAUT SEBAGAI ENERGI ALTERNATIF UNTUK PEMBANGKIT LISTRIK DI PERARIAN SELAT LEMBEH, SULAWESI UTARA. Jurnal Oseanografi UniversitasDiponegoro, 305-312. Biro Komunikasi. (2017, April 21). Peluang Pengembangan Ekonomi Biru untuk Kemajuan Indonesia. Diambil kembali dari Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi: https://maritim.go.id/peluang-pengembangan-ekonomi-biru-untuk- kemajuan-indonesia/
Ferial. (2011, April 25). Pengembangan Energi Arus Laut. Diambil kembali dari Direktorat Jenderal Energi Baru Terbarukan dan Konversi Energi: https://ebtke.esdm.go.id/post/2011/04/25/138/pengembangan.energi.arus.laut
Ferial. (2016, April 14). Potensi Energi Laut Indonesia Menjanjikan. Diambil kembali dari Direktorat Jenderal Energi Baru Terbarukan dan Konversi Energi: https://ebtke.esdm.go.id/post/2016/04/14/1188/potensi.energi.laut.indonesia.menjanjikan
Luhur, E. S., Muhartono, R., & Suryawati, S. H. (2013). ANALISIS FINANSIAL PENGEMBANGAN ENERGI LAUT DI INDONESIA. Jurnal Sosial Ekonomi Kementerian Perikanan, 25-37.