Hydropower Revival in Java's Tea Gardens

Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, large areas of West Java's mountainous rainforests were transformed into tea gardens. The volcanic soils, high rainfall, and cool climate of this region proved the perfect environment for such plantations (Figure 1). During this period, many tea factories were powered by small hydropower plants (SHPs). The location of the factories on tea estates was often determined by the availability of a suitable site for the SHPs. This renewable form of energy was the perfect match for the moderate power requirements of tea factories. However, after the peak in tea production at the beginning of the 20th century, a gradual decline in production took place in West Java. Unfortunately, this period also saw the degradation of the many SHPs that formerly powered the factories. Today most of the plants in the old factories have been destroyed, dismantled, or replaced by Diesel gensets. Rising fuel costs and increased consumer awareness are now providing the right environment for a revival of indigenous hydraulic resources

Hydropower · Java · Renewable energy · Cavitation Phenomena in Pumps · Environmental Science · Water Systems and Optimization · Ecology

• Over a century of small hydropower projects in Indonesia

  Open Access•Naufal Rospriandana, Paul J Burke et al.•Energy Sustainability and Society•2023

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