The scarcity of fuel in Indonesia has been a topic of discussion in 2022. which has caused an increase in the price of vehicle fuel and made people who object to this hold large-scale demonstrations. but it turns out that this is not only experienced by Indonesia. Like in 2021, the European Union and the United States will be shocked by the shortage of coal supplies. Moreover, at that time it was approaching winter where in that season coal was needed for fuel as a body warmer.
Besides coal, the world is also facing a fuel oil crisis. This was revealed the International Energy Agency (IEA) that many countries in the European Union and the United States have increased demand for fuel oil and they are talking about a fuel crisis, gas crisis, and electricity crisis. Because of that, now a lot of researchers are researching alternative materials for fuel. This created many opinions, ranging from opinions about the use of natural fuels, nuclear to sun and wind. For this reason, the explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of this opinion is very necessary so that it will be considered in the future.
Natural fuels are fuels made from something readily available in nature such as trees, sap, leaves, wood, and others. In Indonesia itself, there have been many ideas for using this natural fuel. Such as those of Mohammad Alifi Rizky Fadhilah and Gerald Adityo Pohan from the Malang National Institute of Technology, who saw the influence of Biomass Briquettes with Wood Powder and Banana Stem Media as Alternative Fuels which were very effective as substitutes for fuel in Indonesia. They also argue that the use of sawdust and banana stems can also reduce waste that can potentially pollute water and soil. Besides them, Agus Sugiyono also discovered the use of biodiesel from oil palm.
There is also cob waste biomass by UB Surono and many more. However, these ideas have not been fully glimpsed by Indonesia. The reasons for the prohibition on excessive use of palm oil are somehow still being covered up to this day. Even though the use of natural fuels has the potential to maintain fuel supplies in Indonesia.
Then there is nuclear material which is atoms that have a natural reaction that makes the release and combination of these atoms produce great energy. Nuclear energy has practically endless energy. This is because one of the strongest nuclear reactors is the sun where the sun will not run out except for the end of the world. Because the reactor is the sun, the cost of generation is relatively low and its production also does not need to use in many factories because just one nuclear power plant can be used in almost 1 country. It is not surprising that many countries in the world have used this nuclear material as their fuel, such America, China, Europe, Russia, and many countries.
According to the Indonesian Parliament, Indonesia also has the potential to develop this fuel to make it an alternative fuel, but this fuel is still being studied further to ensure its safety for Indonesian citizens. Because the waste of nuclear material is considered dangerous to humans and all living ecosystems, even the effects of radiation waste alone can destroy living things in an instant. The existence of this nuclear plant is considered very dangerous for the country and its people because if an attack occurs this factory is an easy target for the enemy to annihilate the people of a country in an instant.
Apart from nuclear and natural materials, solar and wind can also be used as fuel sources in Indonesia. Seeing that Indonesia is a tropical country and is surrounded by the equator, the sun and wind intensity in Indonesia is more than in other countries. This makes Indonesia a high potential to make solar and wind the main source of energy.
Indonesia has used this method as a power plant, it’s just that it’s still personal and not evenly distributed throughout the country. This generator has also been frequently discussed by many parties in Indonesia, only the application and distribution of knowledge are uneven, so many do not understand the use of this fuel. But after that, some consider the durability of the use of electricity and wind. Because it is said that Indonesia is a tropical country where the intensity of the sun is high, but we also must not forget that the rainfall in Indonesia is also the same high. Until very often the light of the sun is covered by cloudy clouds. Whereas, turning on one lamp at night for 12 hours also requires the sun for 12 hours as well. It’s the same with the wind because the wind doesn’t always exist in Indonesia there are times when the wind comes from the sea and some from the land according to the climate.
After the explanation above on the trend and status of fuel in Indonesia, most of the status of use in Indonesia is still at the trial and research stage. In Indonesia today most of them still use fossil fuels which are increasingly running out. I hope that in future Indonesia will immediately determine the use of alternative fuels as permanent fuel before running out and fuel shortages occur in Indonesia. Therefore, it can have an impact on the country’s economy and Indonesian society.
By: BULANKU MAHARANI
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