NZMATES News

February began with the first field trip since the pandemic started. The trip was made to conduct field surveys and technical assessments on the feasibility of building new solar PV mini-grids.

Divide into two teams, Aru team and Tual team. The Tual team spent two days in Desa Mangur Niela (8-9 February) and Desa Tiflen (10-11 February). While the Aru team spent three nights in Desa Ujir (8-11 February) and one night in Kolaha (11-12 February).

As part of NZMATES effort to strengthen local renewable energy capacity in Maluku, NZMATES held a Renewable Energy Basics Training for Vocational High School (SMK) teachers on Thursday, 27^th January 2022. 

Indonesia EBTKE ConEx 2021 Forum is an integrated event dedicated to driving the growth and development of sustainable energy in Indonesia. The event presents an opportunity for all stakeholders, such as the government, private sector, as well as international and national organisations, to stay informed about the latest updates and innovations in renewable energy. This year, NZMATES hosted a virtual class on Wednesday 24th November, “Lessons Learned on Sustainability of Renewable Energy Mini Grids”.

As part of its efforts to encourage greater participation of women in Maluku’s renewable energy sector, NZMATES has conducted its first Women in Energy Initiative, held in June and culminating in a public webinar on July 15, 2021. 

The “Pūngao Pattimura Mini-grid Training Lab” is now fully installed at the Engineering Faculty of Pattimura University and the system has received its commissioning certificate. 

The Programme Steering Group (PSG), made up of New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT, represented by the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta), along with PLN, EBTKE, and NZMATES as the Secretariat, recently held its fourth meeting on May 5.

NZMATES presented the programme’s progress so far, key achievements, and work plan until October 2021. PSG members had the opportunity to discuss these updates and priorities, and in particular highlighted the importance of fund-matching activities and O&M needs for solar power plants in Maluku. 

The 9th Indo EBTKE ConEx 2020, organized by the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society (METI) and fully supported by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, was recently held virtually due to the pandemic.

Two NZMATES team members, Deputy Programme Manager Safitri Yanti Baharuddin and Renewable Energy Technical Specialist Kurnia Setiawan, were invited as speakers in two separate sessions.

In order to strengthen long-term renewable energy capacities in Maluku, NZMATES has engaged with Pattimura University (UNPATTI) since the beginning of the programme. Various collaborations have come to fruition, including guest lectures from the New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia, and from Infratec Engineer Dr. Andrew Crossland, as well as NZMATES supporting Electrical Engineering Lecturer Antoni Simanjuntak to attend a 4-week Training of Trainers course on off-grid solar PV, that led to the creation of an off-grid solar PV course in the campus.