DiBiCo Business Design Training Packed Swimmingly

Fast extension of biogas technology development in recent years has proved the utility of biogas plants not only in providing clean fuel for cooking and power generation but also in reducing the environmental pollution by reducing the significant volume of waste. However, biogas technology development holds various challenges, and its successful implementation depends not just on the installation of a suitable system but also on the operation and maintenance of that system. A major barrier in this regard is the lack of knowledge about sustainable business modeling and skilled service providers offering support to project developers in the pre-feasibility or early-development stage, conducting a risk analysis, and implementing such business models.  Therefore, and in order to accelerate the development of new biogas projects, RDI together with partners from Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Latvia with the targets of importing emerging and developing countries, including Argentina, Ethiopia, Ghana, and South Africa, worked together to implement the "Digital Biogas Global Cooperation program (DiBiCoo)”.

One of the implementations was the execution of DiBiCoo Business Design Training in Indonesia. It was held in hybrid format on 13 - 14 April 2022 at Aston Pasteur Hotel Bandung, West Java. This training’s objective was to strengthen entrepreneurial skills among renewable energy/biogas service providers and project developers, by helping them improve their business skills in general, and increasing their success in the marketing of biogas projects to financing institutions, and governments, clients, partners, and investors. Business Design Training consisted of an introduction to the business model and design for the biogas industry, a country-specific (local biogas market) session, and a coaching/consultation session.

Introduction, as well as exercise on the business model and design, were assisted by Indonesia’s local trainers, Abdul Hadi from Concord Group and Jaya Wahono from Clean Power Indonesia. Participants also received feedback and the opportunity to consult their project ideas with international trainers who joined virtually from Berlin—Joerg Geier and Daniel Pietsch—and Attila Kovacs from European Biogas Association.

The agenda was also filled with a sharing session on the Local Biogas Market and Business Model such as by Prof. Udin Hasanudin from  Lampung University, the Bio-CNG case by Concord Group, Sei Mangke Biogas Plant by PT Pertamina, and Biogas Cassava Processing Waste by PT Asindo Tech on the first day. Meanwhile, on the next day, the second-day sharing session was completed by biogas actors from small scales such as the case from Gassification Mentawai by Clean Power Indonesia, the development of small biodigester btPT SWEN IT, and the BIRU project by Yayasan Rumah Energi. After it was finished, the upcoming agenda was a Result Presentation and Discussion and Coaching Session on Module 1 and 2 (conducted Hybrid with International trainers).

All and all, the training ran smoothly and participants were actively participating during the process. Hopefully, the training would have impacted the participants to understand more about the biogas business design. In the upcoming time, there will be other DiBiCoo activities such as Study Tour and Matchmaking Workshop to enhance cooperation and collaboration between Indonesia’s biogas stakeholders and European biogas technology providers.

Author: Martha Verena and Nadiya Pranindita