One of the key considerations for the planning and implementation of eco-industrial parks is the management of the energy demands of the park using renewable sources. Not only do renewable energy installations contribute to national targets, but the provision of non-fossil fuel based energy has also been welcomed by a growing number of tenant companies looking to meet their own environmental and social commitments vis-à-vis their clients. Installing renewable energy in Industrial Parks is also seen as a way of stimulating job creation within the park and for the benefit of surrounding communities.

While the different renewable energy technologies have all seen unprecedented growth, solar energy in particular has exploded globally, in part thanks to an 80% drop in cost in the past decade (World Economic Forum 2021). While different systems exist to harness solar energy, including standalone, rooftop and solar farm systems, due to the space availability within the park, rooftop areas were chosen as the location for mounting the solar panels.

This is no less true in GEIPP partner park Batamindo Industrial Park in Indonesia, where a new rooftop solar power plant is scheduled to enter into full operation in April 2022. The plant is run by the Batamindo Investment Cakrawala which manages the Park’s infrastructure and services, including existing power plants, water and wastewater treatment plants and telecommunications facilities. The project was initiated in 2019 after an assessment of the potential of using rooftop areas on existing infrastructure facilities. The first step in the wider adoption of rooftop solar PV was to reduce the internal power usage in the powerhouse through the estimated 472 KwP power generated by the rooftop solar PV installation. The project is currently in the final phase of reliability tests before entering full operation. These reliability tests are conducted to further investigate the real-life operation and its analysis provides some precautions and real-life risk management to mitigate and adjust should it be necessary.

The roll-out of rooftop solar PV within Batamindo Industrial Park also shows the strong role of Industrial Park Management in catalyzing green initiatives within parks. In fact, studies on eco-industrial parks have consistently highlighted the importance of a centralized management model with dedicated responsibilities and functions ranging from common infrastructures and services management, coordination of various stakeholders and attracting investment for the long-term financial sustainability of a park. For further information about different EIP management models, you can consult the UNIDO EIP Handbook (pp. 42-51).

Want to find out more about the implementation of Rooftop Solar PV in Batamindo Industrial Park?

JOIN OUR BEST PRACTICE WORKSHOP: IMPLEMENTING ROOFTOP SOLAR PV IN ECO-INDUSTRIAL PARKS

The Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme is convening a workshop as part of its Best Practice Series to generate knowledge from present and past experiences of implementing Rooftop Solar PV systems within Industrial Parks, from assessing the feasibility, to planning the installation, to quantifying the benefits from the Park and beyond. One of the case studies that will be presented will be the experiences in Batamindo Industrial Park.

The workshop’s main objective is to facilitate peer-learning among EIP stakeholders based on experiences to date and focusing strongly on technical aspects and practical implementation of rooftop solar PV systems in eco-industrial parks. While each country has a different context, many issues and challenges are common across countries and regions.

The session will take place on April 7, 2022 between 1:30-3:00 pm CEST. Live interpretation will be available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese and Indonesian.

Register Here