Geothermal projects `less attractive' for investors

Poor resource data, opaque tender processes and inadequate provisions in Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), have made investors shy away from developing geothermal power plants in Indonesia, an investment officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said on Wednesday. 

"I think the *Indonesian* government needs to tackle those problems seriously if it wants investors to take interest in its renewable energy sector," Jack Sidik told reporters in a discussion organized by the IFC, the World Bank's private arm. 

Sidik was referring to the second stage of Indonesia's 10,000 megawatt (MW) electricity program, which aims to generate 4,000 MW of electricity from geothermal-fired power plants by the year 2014. The first stage of the program was finalized earlier this year, using mostly coal and natural gas. 

Sidik said poor resource data made it difficult for investors to fix the price of electricity generated from the geothermal sites. 

"All of the geothermal sites have their complexities. For example, in one site, drilling a hole can result in the capacity to generate 24 MW of electricity. But in other sites, drilling a hole may result in a much lower capacity. 

"As a result, drilling costs will be different. So there is no one-fit-all formula. Each of the sites has its own characteristics that will then result in different development costs," he said. 

"Due to the poor availability of data, investors are not able to determine the size of a plant, its viability or return on investment. It *the poor availability of data* also makes it difficult for them *the investors* to enter into the PPA and receive financing from banks or other financial institutions," he said. 

The opaque tender process increases the perceived political risk, constrains the lender's participation and raises the costs of debt financing, Sidik added. 

"Also, there is no guarantee that investors who have already explored the possibility of developing one geothermal field will get the PPA in the end," he said. 

He added that sovereign guarantee was a must for foreign financing, while the price of electricity from one field should be set by taking into account future coal and gas price fluctuations. 

Indonesia's geothermal potential is recorded at 26,000 MW, exceeding the country's current total installed capacity of about 25,000 MW. 

But so far, it has only managed to develop 1,000 MW. 

Based on data from the IFC, Indonesia will need a total investment of US$24 billion to develop its geothermal potential until 2014. 

However, since the Indonesian government does not currently have access to enough funding, it must tap into the private sector for its financing needs. 

The IFC, which has allocated a total of US$300 million across the globe for developing power plants run on renewable energy sources, is looking into financing electricity generation projects in Indonesia. 

"But we are mainly focusing on clean energy options such as hydropower and geothermal. 

"Our main goal is to bring in other sources of financing into energy development. 

"We cannot finance the whole project. As a rule, we can only finance 25 percent at most of the total investment fund needed for every project," he said.

Joining up the digital dots

I’ve been playing with a great toy that I think opens the door part the way to changing the way we connect between the digital and the analog world. 
I’m not recommending you go out and buy it, necessarily. But it does conjure up visions of how we might work more efficiently. 
The gadget in question is the SmartPen, from LiveScribe (www.livescribe.com). 
It’s a pen with a small camera in it, that records what you write — well, the shapes of the letters, at least. 
You can then upload that to your computer, and it will take a decent stab at trying to convert your handwriting to text. 
Nothing too startling there; it uses the same technology from Anoto that a number of other digital 
pens use. But it also does something else, something that to me is hugely useful. 
Via a small microphone in the pen’s body, it records the audio of the conversation, lecture, interview or conference that you’re noting. 
So now you not only have your notes of the conference, but also a (pretty good) audio recording to go with it. 
Both can be stored on your computer, linked together. 
But that’s not the good bit. 
The good bit is that once the recording has finished, you can jump to any section of the recording just by tapping the pen on the writing or drawing you were doing at that particular moment. 
In other words, if the guy was saying “the world will end tomorrow at 4 p.m.” and you were writing “speaker apparently a lunatic, predicting end of world”, then tap on one of those words you’ve written and the audio will start playing at that exact point. 
How does it do this, you ask?
Well, as I mentioned, the pen has a small camera in it. And the paper is special, crowded with tiny dots in unique patterns that make it easy for the camera inside the pen to figure out where it is. 
Not just on the page, but in the timeline of the audio file. 
In other words, page, writing and audio are synchronized. 
Why is this a big deal? 
Well, for me, it means that I can jump around a meandering interview or conference to the juicy bits just by taking the briefest of notes. 
I can check I wrote down quotes correctly, or check I didn’t mishear or misunderstand someone. (Happens quite a bit, unfortunately.) 
If they’re drawing a diagram while talking at the same time, I can drawn the diagram while they’re doing it and transcribe what they’re saying later. 
Whether it’s a conversation in a bar or a conference, I’ve got an easily navigable record of what transpired. 
(And I can do all this either 
with the pen or paper, or on the computer.) 
Compare that with before: at best, a recording and some notes, with no easy way of gelling the two together. 
I’ve escaped the linear nature of audio by simply making a few notes in another medium. 
Which means there’s lots more afoot here. 
We currently spin between two worlds: The digital and the real. 
In the digital world, we’re used to jumping around to where we want to go. 
This is largely because of the hyperlink: We click on something blue and underlined on a web 
page because now we’re all used to that, without thinking what we’re really doing. 
That link could be to anything digital and Internet-connected: a video, a picture, a page, a file, a virus, a piece of audio, an RSS feed, an Internet-connected camera. 
But we’re still looking for a better way to hyperlink the real, i.e. analog world. 
This pen, in its small way, is an example of that future. 
Suddenly we’re away from the linear, forward-wind world of audio recordings, and into the hyperlink-to-the-juicy bit world of the future. 
Admittedly, there’s a long way to go. But I like the idea and I love the potential: Can’t remember what your mother-in-law was saying to you on the phone yesterday about how many spoonfuls of flower to add to the cake mix?
Just click on the word “recipe” you scrawled in the margin of your Skype phone call record, and it will jump to that part of the conversation. Can’t remember who you were discussing Sartre with and what they were saying? 
Just enter “Sartre” in your cellphone and it taps into your computer and trawls thro automatic transcription of the conversations you’ve had in the past month until it finds the word “Sartre”. 
Scary? A little. Powerful? Undoubtedly. 
The future? Not yet, but almost certainly. 
***
One reader writes: Allow me to share a thought on something. Since you are kind of diplomat bridging analogue and digital worlds hopefully you can provide a smart term for what I am looking for. 
A few years ago we said: “Why do you spend so much time on Internet instead in real life?” Everybody understood what was meant with “real life”, right? Nowadays Internet, connectivity and devices have become a big part of daily real life and I 
am wondering how to name that 
kind of life that is unconnected, non-digital, not flooded by devices and connections.  
Several words come to mind: unconnected life, analog life, traditional social life, off-line life. None sounds too good. So is there any existing term? How would you call it?  
I love life with the comfort of connectivity but also love life without devices and off-line, so I would appreciate to have a beautiful and smart word for this nice condition.
A good question. Any readers able to help? 
Loose Wire Service welcomes readers’ letters. Please write to jeremy@loose-wire.com Please indicate whether you’d prefer your name not to be used. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

Indonesian Traditional Taxi

Indonesian Cab (taxi) powered by (one)Horse-power. (Dokar) 
The horse drawn andong (Dokar) is a familiar sight at Indonesia

Bandung City

Bandung (formerly spelled: Bandoeng) is the third largest city in Indonesia and administratively it is the capital city of West Jawa Province. With population of over two million, everything moves in slower pace here compare to metropolitan life in Jakarta. Bandung is one of the most popular city in Indonesia for shopping and tourism. Bandung is located about 200 km in the south-east of Jakarta. It takes only 2 hours by car from Jakarta via Cipularang highway.Because of its beauty, Bandung is known as Parijs van Java. Kabupaten Bandung is the suburban area surrounding the city of Bandung.

It is situated in a high elevation (about 800 to 1000 meters above sea level), at 6°55′S, 107°36′E, the city has a population of around
2.1 million. Bandung is surrounded by the mountain range and a cool climate throughout the year. You can take a three-hours train ride with
nice mountain scenery.

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity)

WiFi stands for Wireless Fidelity. WiFi is a wireless technology like a cell phone. WiFi enabls computers to send and receive data to/from other computers indoors and outdoors, anywhere within the range of an access point. The access point acts as a hub for computers to communicate with each other. WiFi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11b or 802.11a to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. While the radius of each access point is normally no more than a fifty metres, it can be extended by using repeaters. The radius could be more than one kilometer if you use more powerful or directional external antennas.

PELABUHAN RATU BEACH

In Indonesia Pelabuhan Ratu is a lovely holiday resort, visited by holidaymakers from Jakarta and Bandung. The site is only three-hour drive from either city through cool mountain villages with picturesque sceneries. Pelabuhan Ratu - Cisolok is a 15 km stretch of breathtaking beauty with hills, mountains and very wide sandy beaches everywhere around, set against the deep blue Indian Ocean. Right next to stretches of white beaches, visitors will find thick tropical forests on rolling hills. Taking walks uphill enables the visitor to look down on the horseshoe shape of the bay's coastline, whereas at night hundreds of fishermen's boat-lamps are seemingly competing with the star-studded sky above, which is both enchanting and romantic. There is one four-star hotel, Samudera Beach, about 6 km from Pelabuhan Ratu, but several other smaller hotel and cottages are available at moderate rates.

At this virgin stage, this area represents unspoiled beauty in a typically tropical setting with hospitable inhabitants. Because of its proximity to Jakarta, more tourists visit this area from the capital than those from Bandung. Moreover, the highways to and from Pelabuhan Ratu have recently been greatly improved to assure the visitor of a smooth ride to enjoy the sceneries that pass even well. Good for taste, swimming, sun bathing and surfing.

 The picturesque fishery village, more than 50 kilometers southwest of Sukabumi, is home to the mysterious goddess of the South Sea, Nyai Roro Kidul. The legend tells that the sea in Karanghawu would have taken her, 14 kilometers to the west. Pelabuhan Ratu ('seaport of the queen') is located in a wide bay, which has had the name 'Wijnkoopsbaai'. During the weekends this village is overloaded with visitors from Jakarta. It's not advised to take a bath in the domain of the goddess, and especially not in green clothes. Green is the favorite color of Nyai Roro Kidul and wearing it is an invitation for her to take that person to the depths of the ocean.

Mount Galunggung

Mount Galunggung is a volcano with 2,167 m above sea level. It is located about 17 km from Tasikmalaya West Java. There are several objects offered, that is forest-tour in at least 120 hectares area under Bureau of Forestry management, hot water bathing place completed with swimming pool, bathroom and hot water tub facilities. Mount Galunggung is a volcano near to Tasikmalaya city. The volcano erupted in 1990 and spread its rain of ash to entire Indonesia and neighboring countries.

An easy trip from Tasikmalaya by minibus, motorcycle ride and then a two-hour walk is Mount Galunggung. An active volcano that erupted less than ten years ago is worth a look-see. Hike around the "Golden Crater" of Mount Papandayan, southwest Garut, which is an active steam-hissing volcano. The mountain is named after its bright-yellow sulfur deposits and gains its fame, or infamy, due to its highly active and potentially dangerous steaming geysers and poisonous gases. Be careful when walking around the volcano's rim.