Cheap Renewable Energy for Community in Rural Area Seminar

On 29 September 2017, Center for sustainable system (CSS) Widyatama University as a institutional partner of RDI invited researchers of RDI to join with their workshop. The theme of the workshop was "Renewable Energy: Energy Mudah, Murah, & Maslaha". CSS invited Ujang Koswara as the speaker to talk about his experience as a sociopreneur who involved in many project related to utilize renewable energy, particularly for communities in rural and remote area.

Ujang Koswara was a entrepreneur who involved in many project for energy utilization, particularly for communities that did not connected to the main grid (National Electric Company Grid). He has different perspective in utilize the renewable energy. As he believe that is better to have 10 watt today than 100 watt the next 10 years. Based on this statement, he develope many product that increase the efficiency of energy. For instance, one of the famous product, LIMAR lamp. This lamp is LED lamp and only need 1 watt energy but has shine better than 15 watt conventional lamp. It use accu as the energy resources for 5 LIMAR lamp. It only need to recharge once a months for about 30.000 IDR. It really helpful for the communities, especially for the area that did not connected to main grid and only need lighting in the night.

This approach has different perspective than the popular approach. It use much simple technology that communities understand. Ujang koswara have different approach in his project. As entrepeneur, he did not sell the product to goverment but to private company through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Furthemore, mostly he employ people who have limited formal education. He also tried to involved vocational school and military in training their member thus they can make a simple LIMAR lamp and their system. However, this approach have their advantage and disadvantage that we could understand through further research from beneficiaries and provider perspective.

While Meeting

While Presentation