Scientists that Light up Indonesia

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Ahmad Agus Setiawan

When he was in elementary school in Yogyakarta, Ahmad Agus Setiawan was impressed by a story told by his teacher. He told about a scientist who was able to brighten areas in Indonesia that were still dark. Years later, it turns out that Agus grew into a scientist as told by his teacher.

"I remember the story from my elementary school teacher, Pak Sumardi, who was full of enthusiasm. He said, \'Indonesia is an archipelago country. Who else can unite if not the scientists\'," said the 44-year-old man who is usually called Agus, at the end of July, in Yogyakarta.

He continued his story. At that time, the teacher pointed to the top of Mount Merapi. The peak was clear because it was daylight, but it would not be visible on a dark night. The teacher was convinced that one day a great Indonesian scientist would come out and turn darkness into light. "I think scientists are great, aren’t they?" recalled Agus, who admired scientist and third president of Indonesia, BJ Habibie.

The story from his teacher stays firmly in Agus\' memory. He dreamed of becoming a scientist and desperately pursued that dream. The result, he really became a scientist who brought light to areas that were still dark in Indonesia. He carried out research on renewable energy. The results have been applied in a number of villages and remote areas in Indonesia and affected areas. He also persevered in pushing the central and regional governments to be more serious in using renewable energy.

Thanks to his hard work, Agus is now an expert in the field of renewable energy systems and planning in Indonesia. His expertise is recognized at the national and international level. In April 2019, for example, he was appointed head of the New Energy Laboratory at the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Physical Engineering at the School of Engineering, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta. He was invited as an expert panelist in the energy sector during the presidential candidates debate in the 2019 Presidential Election. In addition, along with 16 young scientists from ASEAN countries, he received the ASEAN Science and Technology Fellowship in 2018.

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Ahmad Agus Setiawan

"Here, we are expected to be able to encourage policy makers to use more science-based approaches in policy making and decisions," said Agus, who received the 2014 Habibie Award and the 2011 Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable Economic and Social Development.

Solar power

Agus applies renewable energy through the solar-powered water pump system. This application is the result of his research when he was a doctoral student at Curtin University, Australia. He designed and developed a mini-grid hybrid power generator and water supply system, a new system that uses renewable energy sources through voltage-controlled inverters.

This laboratory-scale research was brought for a trial run with UGM students who are members of the Physics Engineering Student Community Center (Kamase) guided by Agus and was applied in Panggang village, Gunung Kidul regency. As a result, this team won the Gold Winner in the 2007 Mondialogo Engineering Award competition.

The competition, which was held by UNESCO and Daimler, sought technology applications from engineering students that require cooperation between developed and developing countries to address the sustainable development issues that were included in the MDGs.

After earning a doctorate, in 2009 Agus fully applied the solar-powered water pumping system through the UGM field work program (KKN-PPM) that he guided. Rural problems such as lack of water and electricity in the villages and remote areas can be overcome with this technology, by utilizing solar power. The program was sought by the Ministry of Research and Technology to be implemented in other areas, such as West Nusa Tenggara, Jambi, Jember and Marampit Island, which is in the borders of the Philippines-Indonesia.

This UGM lecturer was able to prove that renewable energy, especially solar power, could be the answer to overcome energy challenges in Indonesia, which until now still relies on fossil fuels. He criticized the use of fossil energy that is still subsidized, while renewable energy is still not. In fact, in 2025 the target of using renewable energy reaches 23 percent.

Agus is optimistic that the latest energy can continue to grow in Indonesia. As a scientist, he contributes ideas through more advanced renewable energy surveys, such as hybrid solar systems, smart grids (microgrids) and solar/photovoltaic power systems. He is also involved as a consultant for renewable energy implementation policies at national and regional levels.

Agus claimed that he still had a goal to continue his research in several leading centers of renewable energy technology in the United States, Japan, Germany or other European countries. He continues to remember his dream to illuminate Indonesia through renewable energy technology.

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Ahmad Agus Setiawan

Ahmad Agus Setiawan

Born: Yogyakarta, 16 August 1975

Education:

Bachelor in Electrical Engineering, UGM (1999)

; Master in Renewable Energy, Department of Energy Technology, KTH-The Royal Institute of Technology, Swedia (2002); Doctor in Renewable Energy System, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Curtin University, Australia (2009)

Jobs: Head of Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Nuclear and Physical Technology, Faculty of Engineering, UGM (2019-present); Supervisor of Student Activity Unit, UGM: Unit of Scientific Logic and Interdisciplinary

Awards: Professional Achievement Award Science & Engineering, Curtin University Alumni Achievement Award 2018; US-ASEAN Science & Technology Fellow, USAID and ASEAN Foundation, 2018

; Habibie Award 2014 in Engineering, The Habibie Center, 2014

; Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable Economic and Social Development in 2011

; PII Engineering Award 2010 ADHICIPTA PRATAMA from Indonesia Engineers Association