2009, Dissertations, Academic -- Doctorate -- Western Australia, Ahmad Agus Setiawan https://trove.nla.gov.au

This doctoral thesis is a study on the application of a voltage and current controlled Voltage Source Inverter (VC-CC VSI) in an AC coupling minigrid hybrid power and water supply system by utilizing renewable energy resources available in the particular locations, especially designed for remote areas and emergency relief conditions.

Providing a reliable and sustainable power supply with appropriate environmental considerations to remote areas, especially in developing countries, is the main aim of this research. There have been many natural disasters in the past five years during the course of this thesis, primarily the Aceh Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, and followed by many others, such as the earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006, the Padang earthquake in 2007, and an earthquake in Manokwari, Papua, early this year. All of these disasters have been in Indonesia alone. Some other disasters in other regions include: the Maldives, a country formed by a group of natural atolls located to the southwest of India (with around 80 percent of the total landmass less than one meter above sea level), which was affected by the Asia Tsunami 2004, the China earthquake in 2008 and the cyclone in Burma in the same year. Such catastrophes usually result in the affected areas being isolated, particularly if the events happen in remote locations. Most of these areas usually suffer from destruction of their vital infrastructure, such as power and water supplies. These occurrences demonstrate the need for an appropriate and environmentally-friendly solution to the lack of power and water supplies in remote areas as part of disaster response and reconstruction.

In this research project, evaluation was carried out on a prototype novel modular AC coupling minigrid hybrid power and water supply system (MHPWS) with laboratory scale experiments and attempted project implementation in two case studies: Republic of Maldives and Indonesia. The system proposed consists of: renewable energy generators, such as Photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine; a diesel generator as a back-up with a power conditioning and energy storage system; and a reverse osmosis desalination plant to produce a clean water supply as deferrable load.

This thesis covers the theoretical analysis, modeling and simulation of a minigrid hybrid power system implementing a voltage and current controlled voltage Source inverter using PSIM software. Case studies of real conditions in two remote areas that have experienced natural disasters recently were undertaken - one in the Maldives (Tsunami 2004) and the other in Indonesia (Earthquake 2006). The case study modeling in the Maldives was done by using HOMER software from NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), USA. The experimental works on the prototype of a 5 kVA mini grid inverter and a reverse osmosis desalination plant as a deferrable load rated at 5.5 kWh/​day were conducted in the industrial partner precinct, Regen Power Pty Ltd, and in Curtin University of Technology premises, to verify the idea of providing power and water supplies to remote areas.

The research works in the Maldives involved a successfully implemented project with a consortium of the industrial partner Regen Power Pty Ltd and other overseas renewable energy companies, such as the Daily Life Renewable Energy, Singapore and Leonics, Thailand. The Hybrid Renewable Energy Pilot Project implemented at North Thiladhunmathi Atoll, Uligamu, was formally inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Maldives on January 7, 2008. The development of the wind/​PV/​diesel microgrid system in remote islands in the Republic of Maldives was co-funded by the Department of Energy, USA. The project proposal on "Development of Sustainable Power and Water Supply for Remote Areas and Disaster Response and Reconstruction in Indonesia", won an international Mondialogo Engineering Award 2007 - an intercultural dialogue and partnership initiated by Daimler and UNESCO to promote sustainable development in developing countries. This international student project partnership was the result of an intercultural dialogue and exchange between two student groups from Curtin University of Technology, Australia, and Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia - and continues to be part of an implementation process.

These two projects demonstrate that technological solutions to critical problems for the world's poor can be effectively achieved if careful consideration is given to the process of building partnerships and empowering local communities where the project is located in order to have a strong sense of ownership of the innovations. To ensure sustainable outcomes, involving the local communities from the beginning of the projects in the system design, during the project construction by using local labor and local resources, and after building the project is finished by maintaining good communication are vital to successful project implementation.

This thesis also presents a new hybrid power systems model based on an optimal control approach. This model incorporates several significant improvements when compared to existing optimal control models, and these advances have resulted from a series of other related research studies conducted at Curtin University of Technology. The new model adopts a more realistic approach to the actual applications of hybrid power systems with a very much improved modeling of battery/​energy storage and a more realistic diesel generator operation. These improvements are based on a careful study of the literature on other modeling and simulation tools from different research centers around the world.

Dr Ahmad Agus Setiawan, Universitas Gadjah Mada Electrical Engineering graduate, was granted an Australia Awards Scholarship in 2004 to complete his Doctorate at Curtin University with a focus on renewable energy systems.

Born in Yogyakarta, the only child of hard-working, although unskilled parents, Dr Ahmad Agus excelled in mathematics and physics at school, and succeeded in gaining entry to Universitas Gadjah Mada where he completed his undergraduate degree.

“I suppose, like many kids at the time, I always thought I’d like to be an engineer,” he mused.

After finishing his undergraduate studies in Yogyakarta, Dr Ahmad Agus joined the newly created Department of Engineering Physics, Universitas Gadjah Mada, in 1999 as Junior Lecturer. In 2000, he received the Swedish Government scholarship STINT to complete his master’s study in the field of Sustainable Energy Engineering at KTH (the Royal Institute of Technology) in Sweden.

Later, Dr Ahmad Agus heard from colleagues and friends about the high reputation of the Australia Award Scholarships and how they could enhance his engineering skills; he also wanted to improve his English.

“Strategically and geographically, Australia is the closest neighbour to Indonesia, so we all need to be aware of the importance of sharing a common future for this region.”

Dr Ahmad Agus applied successfully for an Australia Awards Scholarship and completed his PhD studies at Curtin University in 2009.

“Returning home to Universitas Gadjah Mada after completing my PhD study, I was asked to take—and elected to—the position as Vice Head for Academic Affairs, and later as the Vice Head at the Department of Engineering Physics, a position I held until April 2011.”

In May 2011, Dr Ahmad Agus began his post as Manager of Student Affairs, Research and Community Services at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

In 2014, he was appointed as Head of Alumni Affairs at the university level—a position he held until early 2015, when the newly elected first female Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati, appointed him to his current position as Head of Student Creativity Centre at the Directorate of Student Affairs.

Dr Ahmad Agus is also actively involved in the Institute for Research and Community Services within the University, where his main activities involve a national project on Energy Self-sufficient Villages in Indonesia.

“And because the topic is very important to me, I am also an active member of Masyarakat Energi Terbarukan Indonesia (or METI), the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society.”

On 22 December 2010 in Jakarta, Dr Ahmad Agus was among 13 individuals and 7 institutions honoured at the Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia – Institution of Engineers Indonesia –Award. He won the prestigious Adhicipta Pratama Emas in the Engineering category, given to individuals under 35 for their achievement in technology deemed beneficial for the development of the nation and state.

Dr Ahmad Agus is regarded to be successful in developing water elevation supply system using solar energy, implemented in Banyumeneng I, one of the areas in Gunung Kidul Regency suffering from shortage of clean water supply.

Using capital from the Mondialogo Engineering Award (MEA) in India that the concept won in 2007 as a collaboration project between two groups of students at Curtin University and Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr Ahmad Agus installed the system. Realizing that ease of access to water sources tremendously impacts the social-economic dynamics of a region, he made sure to involve community service students across disciplines from Universitas Gadjah Mada as well as the local community.

“The water pumping system is now able to supply 7,800 liter of water per day and meets the need of 118 families. Since 2009, they no longer have to walk four kilometres for water,” smiled Dr Ahmad Agus. The water pumping system is currently being replicated across the nation.

Dr Ahmad Agus was awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable Economic and Social Development in 2011 and most recently, the Habibie Award for Engineering in 2014.

Amid his busy life as a lecturer and researcher in Indonesia, Australia Awards Scholarship recipient and Curtin graduate Dr Ahmad Agus Setiawan is remarkably enthusiastic about one of his job’s requirements – community service. This is in large part because it’s his own award-winning technology that he’s busy implementing in remote communities across his home country, Indonesia.

For his doctoral studies at Curtin, Setiawan designed and developed a mini-grid hybrid power and water supply system; a novel system using renewable energy sources through the application of a voltage and current-controlled inverter. He completed the work through the Renewable Energy and Power Systems Research Group, under the supervision of Emeritus Professor Chem Nayar, in Curtin’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

While Setiawan was working on his thesis, a host of natural disasters both in Indonesia and other remote locations – the Aceh tsunami in 2004, the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006, the Padang earthquake in 2007 and the China earthquake in 2008 – underscored the need for his work.

“Such catastrophes usually result in the affected areas being isolated, particularly if the events happen in remote locations,” Setiawan says. “They made me realise that the small islands of Indonesia and other remote locations need an appropriate environmentally friendly solution to the lack of power and water supplies, as part of disaster response and reconstruction.”

The prototype – consisting of renewable energy generators, a diesel generator and a reverse osmosis desalination plant – was tested in laboratory simulations at Curtin and at industrial partner Regen Power. It involved two case studies: the Maldives and Indonesia.

Now, as part of his academic role, Setiawan is working with local communities in Indonesia to implement the technology. Working with engineering students from Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada, Setiawan’s project engages communities in in-situ design of the plant; uses local labour in project construction; and will, ultimately, employ local residents in maintenance of the technology.

“This project really brings home the importance of building partnerships and empowering local communities,” Setiawan says. “Wherever the project is located, I want communities to have a strong sense of ownership of the initiative.”

In 2008 the mini-grid technology was formally inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Maldives. The research also received a Mondialogo Engineering Award from UNESCO and Daimler in 2007, among other awards.

Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia (PII) kembali menganugerahkan PII Award kepada beberapa individu dan Institusi. Tahun ini PII Award dianugerahkan kepada 7 Institusi dan 13 perorangan yang dinilai berprestasi di bidang teknologi dan kerekayasaan di Indonesia. Hal ini merupakan penghargaan tertinggi dari Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia yang diberikan sejak tahun 1990 kepada putra-putri bangsa yng berprestasi. Acara penganugerahan yang dihadiri para insan pegiat ilmu mewakili seluruh nusantara, di gelar di Auditorium Gedung BPPT, Jakarta, Rabu 22 Desember 2010 dengan puncak acara yang ditengarai dengan Pidato PII bertajuk Membangun Kembali kemampuan Engineering Nasional oleh Mantan Presiden Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.

Saat memberikan pidatonya, BJ Habibie mengatakan, hampir semua pusat perbelanjaan di Indonesia dipenuhi barang-barang luar negeri. Hal itu berarti rakyat Indonesia harus membayar ongkos pekerja luar negeri untuk memenuhi kebutuhan mereka sehari-hari, katanya. Tersisihnya produk dalam negeri menciptakan defisit jam kerja antara pekerja di Tanah Air dan di luar negeri. Ironisnya, kondisi itu terjadi saat banyak masyarakat Indonesia mengeluhkan kecilnya lapangan kerja dan naiknya pengangguran. Membeli produk buatan dalam negeri itu sama dengan mengamankan lapangan kerja serta menjamin pemerataan dan kesejahteraan bangsa, ujarnya. Defisit jam kerja itu dapat diatasi dengan meningkatkan daya saing industri manufaktur melalui pemanfaatan sumber daya manusia dan teknologi. Langkah ini membutuhkan perencanaan jangka panjang yang konsisten serta produk hukum yang melindungi industri dan mengamankan pasar dalam negeri. Ini bukan proteksionisme, tetapi untuk menciptakan lapangan kerja. Negara-negara lain juga melakukannya, tuturnya. (Kompas, 23/12)

Dalam kesempatan sambutannya, Menteri Koordinator Perekonomian M Hatta Rajasa mengatakan, bidang rekayasa (engineering) Indonesia mengalami perkembangan pesat pada era 1980-an. Kini, potensi perekayasa Indonesia harus dibangkitkan kembali agar bisa memberi nilai tambah hingga mampu bersaing secara global. Peningkatan daya saing industri manufaktur harus ditopang oleh kualitas sumber daya manusia yang memadai. Namun, hal ini masih sulit karena hanya ada 16.435 insinyur per Mei 2010 dari 237 juta rakyat Indonesia atau 0,006 persen ujarnya.

Penghargaan PII Award 2010 diberikan kepada individu dan industri berprestasi dalam bidang teknologi dan rekayasa. Penghargaan diberikan dalam lima kategori (Life Time Achievement, Engineering, Sustainable Engineering, Coorporate Technology Achievement dan Adhiwarta Rekayasa). Untuk kategori Lifetime achievement diberikan kepada Wiratman Wangsadinata dan GM Tampubolon.

Untuk kategori Engineering (Adhidharma Profesi) diraih oleh Sriani Sujiprihati, Bambang Wydiyatmoko, L.T.Handoko, kemudian untuk kategori Engineering (Adhicipta Rekayasa Individu) diberikan pada Ratno Nuryadi, Dasep Ahmadi, Andreas W Yunardi, Johanes Adi P, Samudra Prasetio; selanjutnya kategori Engineering (Adhicipta Rekayasa Perusahaan) kepada Pusat Teknologi Industri Proses BPPT, PT.Krakatau Steel, PT.Industri Kereta Api; kategori Engineering Adhikara Rekayasa Individu, diberikan kepada Wiratman Wangsadinata, Terip Karo Karo; untuk kategori Engineering Adhikara Rekayasa Perusahaan diraih oleh PT. Wijaya Karya dan kategori Engineering Adhicipta Pratama oleh Ahmad Agus Setiawan, Johnny Setiawan.

Sedangkan kategori Sustainable Engineering Individu diberikan Nuryanto dan kategori Sustainable Engineering Perusahaan diberikan kepada PT Pembangunan Perumahan, PT.Pasadena Engineering Indonesia. Sementara itu, kategori Coorporate Technology Achievement di raih oleh PT. Industri Kereta Api dan terakhir, kategori Adhiwarta Rekayasa diberikan kepada Redaktur Senior Kompas Ninok Leksono. (PII/ck/humasristek) KRT, 23 Desember 2010.

A team of Curtin students has won the 2007 Mondialogo Engineering Award for their hybrid-powered system for producing clean water in disaster areas. ‘The concept is quite a promising business because we can implement it everywhere because renewable energy is usually available everywhere.'

The electrical engineering students are the first Australians to win the award, which drew 3,200 competitors from 89 countries. Their winning prototype involves combining available renewable energy such as wind and solar power with a diesel generator to pump water from underground reservoirs then purify it using reverse osmosis. The competition required developing and developed countries to team up to generate sustainable development for the developing country.

Ahmad Agus Setiawan, Susanne Sugiarto and Yu Zhao had conducted research on the project for their PhD and Masters studies before hearing about the competition. They partnered with an Indonesian university because of the history of problems resulting from tsunami disasters in 2004 and 2006 as well as costly dry-seasons in some areas.

‘In some parts of Indonesia it can be dry ... in Yogyakarta there is an area that has water scarcity every year and they have to buy water from nearby cities and it’s costly,’ Team Leader Mr Setiawan said. ‘Our group in Curtin did the research and the group in Indonesia worked to find the appropriate place for it.’ Since being presented with the award and $50,000 prize at a ceremony last December in Mumbai, India, Mr Setiawan and Ms Sugiarto have begun to implement the proposal.

‘Our partner university will employ a group of students to the chosen area for about two months ... we have to think about how the community can participate in the system and how they can maintain the system itself,’ Mr Setiawan said. The concept is quite a promising business because we can implement it everywhere because renewable energy is usually available everywhere. ‘There are many potential customers like the military, who go to harsh areas – they still need water and power and this kind of technology is quite promising for this application.’

Mondialogo is a partnership initiated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Daimler, the owner of car company Mercedes Benz.