The University of New South Wales

Critical Review
Hasan, M.H., Mahlia, T.M.I., N., Hadi, 2011, A review on energy
scenario and sustainable energy in Indonesia, Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews 16 (2012) 2316-2328

Palupi Tri Widiyanti

15 July 2014

Critical Review of Hasan, M.H., Mahlia, T.M.I., N., Hadi, 2011, A review on energy
scenario and sustainable energy in Indonesia, Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews 16 (2012) 2316-2328.
Name

: Palupi Tri Widiyanti

Course

: Introductory Academic Program: Academic English Skills

Teacher

: Anisha Gautam

In the article A Review on Energy Scenario and Sustainable Energy in Indonesia Hasan,
Mahlia, and Nur (2012) discuss energy utilization and its sustainable resources in
Indonesia. The main purpose of this article is to urge the government, as well as nongovernment agencies and the public to use renewable energy in order to secure energy
supply in Indonesia in the future. In detail, the authors deliver information about
Indonesias energy scenario, including the consumption and supply of energy, energy
resources and potencies that Indonesia has to maintain sustainable energy. Overall, this
article is very helpful to manage the current energy usage and arrange the sustainability of
energy in the future. The paper will examine the argument presented by Hasan et al. that
some points could be developed by adding relevant information. First, this paper will give
a brief summary of this article within the scope of energy scenario and energy mix applied
in Indonesia. Secondly, the paper observes the primary data relating to energy
consumption, distribution and resources in this article. Thirdly, the paper argues that this
article passes less evidences of the implementation of renewable energy. Next, the paper
moves on to explore other potential energy sources that could be used in the future.
Finally, the paper discusses how the use of energy will have an impact on the
environment.
According to Hasan et al. (2012), the energy consumption in Indonesia is expected to
increase by 2030. They believe that energy supply plays an important role in developing
countries; specifically in Indonesia development has been increasing in many sectors, such
as the transportation and industrial sectors which need a huge supply of energy.

Population growth is also a factor. The authors further find that the existing reserves of
fossil fuel cannot meet the energy needs in the future.
The authors then examine the energy mix applied in Indonesia by describing each energy
resource in terms of its consumption, production and availability. The primary resources
are crude oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower and renewable resources namely geothermal,
biomass, solar and wind (2012, page 2319). Due to previous problems, the authors
recommend that the government in Indonesia promote self-energy supply through the
diversification of energy resources including renewable energy resources.
It is interesting to note that the authors assert that the rising of the energy consumption
in Indonesia needs to be overcome by providing alternative energy which is widely
available in this country. The supporting data strengthens the authors argument that
Indonesia has a great potential for renewable resources as substitutes for fossil-based
energy. For example, the authors describe the existing facilities that exploit hydropower
and geothermal (2012, page 2322-2324). With regards to other resources, namely
biomass, solar and wind, the authors introduce the potency of its availability and
utilization. This particular information is very useful for government and non-government
agencies that are concerned with developing an energy system in Indonesia.
However, some information related to the implementation of renewable energy in this
article is not mentioned clearly. The authors often propose that readers to refer to other
articles attached in the reference section. This leads to an ineffective understanding of the
article. When explaining about the implementation on renewable energy, specifically
biomass, wind and solar, for instance, the authors state that some evidences can be found
in certain reference (2012, page 2323-2325). This would be better if the authors present
such information so that the article would be more informative.
Another point to consider is that the authors only note five major energy resources that
are consumed in Indonesia. This may indicate that the greatest energy reserves are come
from those sources. However, Indonesia also has other potential sources, namely coal-bed
methane, nuclear and ocean wave. According to Mujiyanto and Tiess (2013), reserves of
2

coal-bed methane in Indonesia are more than twofold of its total natural gas, while
nuclear and ocean energy contribute to a twentieth of total energy in Indonesia by 2025.
These new potential sources could support the Hasan et al. article because it provides
more diverse of energy resources. This would be beneficial commodities that can be more
explored and utilized in the future.
The discussion about the Indonesia energy mix in this article was very comprehensive as
the authors mentioned five main energy sources in Indonesia clearly and the
environmental issues briefly. It is quite accommodating for the government to arrange
energy policy and other agencies to conduct further research related to energy in the
future and investor as well. Unfortunately, the authors do not mention the environmental
problems posed specifically. They only argue that the increase of fossil fuel consumption
escalates the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and can be decreased by using
natural gas. This information can be clarified further by adding some benefits regarding
the use of renewable energy in the energy mix program. This program would be
environmentally friendly because the use of renewable energy releases less GHG emission
than fossil fuel. Based on the low scenario (efficient scenario) from the Indonesian
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the intensive use of renewable energy and its
proliferation in a wide range of diversity would provide lower GHG emission (Mujiyanto &
Tiess, 2013). Mujiyanto and Tiess (2013) also notice that this would give more durable
energy reserves and ensure energy supply in the future. Therefore, Hasan et al. could
strengthen their argument by mentioning the benefit of the implementation of renewable
energy to the environment.
In summary, this article presents attractive explanations about the variety of energy
sources which are consumed in Indonesia present days and its prospect to fulfil the energy
needs in the future. However, this article would be more informative if the authors could
update the energy sources, and enclose the information about environmental issues
related to the use of either fossil fuel or renewable energy. If these recommendations
were heeded, this article would be more applicable for government, non-government

agencies and society to take action in order to keep the sustainability of energy in
Indonesia.

References
Hasan, M. H., Mahlia, T. M. I., & Nur, H. (2012). A review on energy scenario and
sustainable energy in Indonesia.(Report). Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 16(4), 2316.
Mujiyanto, S., & Tiess, G. (2013). Secure energy supply in 2025: Indonesia's need for an
energy policy strategy. Energy Policy, 61, 31-41.