Geothermal Energy: Resolution for Future Energy on Geoscientists Perspective

Nowadays, the need of energy has become one of the most important thing. Every aspect
in daily life needs energy, for instance transportation, manufacture industry, and many more. The
increasing of human population will be equal with the increasing of energy demand. Now, lots of
countries still rely on the energy source that come from fossil energy, like oil and coal. Oil
reserves is predicted will run out in few decades. That make consumer to think another ways for
energy, renewal alternative energy in this case. These day, unconventional energy like CBM
(Coal Bed Methane), shale gas, hydrate gas, is being developed but its production has not been
developed well in Indonesia.
Indonesia doesnt have to worry about energy scarcity. Indonesias region is in the
strategic position which located in pacific ring of fire zone, therefore Indonesia has an enormous
geothermal potential. Geothermal is a renewable energy produced with almost zero pollution.
Imagine earth is a big kettle with perforated cap and you boil water in there. Then the water will
start to evaporate, adding pressure to the kettle. The steam then will try to escape through the
hole on the cap. In geothermal process, those steam will flow through pipes to activate the turbin,
then it will generate electricity. "With Indonesia increasingly having to import oil, coupled with a
growing electricity demand, it is critical that it diversifies it base for electricity generation," said
Chris de Lavigne of consultancy Frost & Sullivan. "Indonesia has the potential to become the
world's largest producer of geothermal." (Reuters, 2014)
Indonesia is geologically located in between three earth crust contact,
those are : Europe Asia crust, Australia India crust, and Pacific crust, which
take a role in the process of volcanos formation in Indonesia. This geological
condition indicate the availability of geothermal. Geothermal manifestation
in Indonesia is no less than 244 locations that spread over Sumatera, Java,
Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Sulawesi, Halmahera, and Papua. All show
abundant geothermal energy inside it.
Geothermal exploration and exploitation has already proceeded into
electric current for 3% or 807 MW from amount national total electricity
consumption. The electricity has produced from seven fields at Kamojang,
Darajat, Wayang Windu and Salak in West Java; Dieng in Center Java ; Sibayak in North
Sumatra and Lahendong in North Sulawesi.
The chance of geothermal developing which has enormous reserve, is possible if every
people want to understand about the problem that will be faced. The capability of PT. PLN
(Persero) for this basic need is limited, so are the consumers. In the other side, its important to
understand that Require Rate of Return (RRR) for developer havent reach yet, especially for
investors. Government plan to increase the cost of electric current to around 7 cents US$/kWh in
2005, those will faster the reach of RRR.
Government has a program which push the use of renewable energy, however the policy
in decreasing fossil fuel energy from 50% in 2004 has become 25% in 2025 demand to cut

subsidized of fossil fuel energy, so the cost will be normal. Especially for geothermal energy is
targeted from 807 Mwe in 2005 become 9500 Mwe in 2025.
There is some prove about geothermal exploration and exploitation that it have been
done. Here are steps of geothermal operational activity such as the preface, exploration, drilling,
quality control, exploitation and usable.
Geothermal operational activity needs some discipline like geology, geophysics, and
geochemistry. Geologist have a role in the investigation of structural geology and stratigraphy in
geothermal region which purpose to understand rock spreading, structural geology, and
geological history on geothermal system. Beside geology, geochemistry is also take a role on
geothermal energy which study about geothermal potential region by looking at its component of
soil and gases that formed by hydrothermal activity. Therefore, an interpretation about
geothermal reservoir temperature, system, and characteristic can be used for a greater goods
from the result.
Geophysics itself also take a role in geothermal exploration. Geothermal exploration
divided into three stages, first is geothermal field mapping, localizing geothermal potential, and
injection well and production well installation planning. In these exploration stages, such
geophysics method like Gravity, Magnetics, Vertical Electrical Sounding, Audio
Magnetotellurics, Self Potential, and Well Logging are used.
Gravity Survey used to observe rocks density, the closer the rocks to the heat source is
more likely for it to have a higher density. Magnetic survey is used to observe magnetic field
anomaly, heat source surroundings usually have low magnetic field anomaly. VES and AMT/MT
survey used to observe rocks resistivity according to its depth, cap rocks are usually have low
resistivity. SP survey used to find any indication of water flow and its direction. Well Logging
used to measure pressure and temperature below surface.
Geothermal development in Indonesia are led by big companies like, Pertamina
Geothermal Energy (PGE), Chevron Geothermal Energy (CGS), Chevron Geothermal Indonesia
(CGI), Star Energy, and Geodipa Energy, with producing field in Java and North Celebes. Yet,
there is still a lot geothermal field in Indonesia which still under development.
The main problem in developing geothermal energy in Indonesia is its distributing
process. Distributing geothermal energy around with high temperature is quite troubling, when it
travel in long distance, the temperature drop will cause it harder to transform it into electricity.
Geothermal field remote sites like in conservation area in Cisolok are also causing problem. The
high risk involved in geothermal exploration makes it failure ratio increases accordingly. In order
to push the failure ratio smaller and smaller, people who are interested in this field should have a
sufficient knowledge in volcanology, because geothermal sites are harder to predict than anybody
thinks.

Reference:

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Reuters, Thomson. 2014. Indonesia Clears Path for Geothermal

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