Exploring New Ideas to Improve Geothermal Direct Use in Indonesia

Abstract

Geothermal energy can be utilized for other direct use applications such as bathing, heating, drying agriculture products, and tourism objects. As one of the countries with vast geothermal energy potential, Indonesia can take advantage of its geothermal energy resources for both indirect and direct use. Unfortunately, geothermal direct use application in Indonesia is currently under-utilized compared to its geothermal potential and still behind some other countries. The purpose of this study is to summarize and discuss the current geothermal direct use applications in Indonesia, whether it is established facilities (i.e., thermal bathing in Cipanas or coconut drying in Way Ratai) or facilities that are still undergoing construction and development (Lahendong Geothermal Edu Park, etc.) through literature review and interviews. The discussion will cover several aspects, such as the direct-use application, facilities' impact on various stakeholders, operation duration, and any identified challenges. The summary is then compared with worldwide applications to seek any potential room for improvement or generate new ideas that might be applicable in Indonesia. These new ideas are then analyzed and ranked using a simple decision analysis tool. Finally, this paper is expected to provide a thorough summary of various geothermal direct use facilities around the world and demonstrates the possibilities of similar application and improvement in Indonesia's geothermal fields. The Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is used in this study for decision-making. The results show that coffee and rice drying are the best direct use facility ideas to implement in Indonesia.