Development of water hyacinth as an alternate biomass source for power generation: Saguling Reservoir Case Study

Abstract

Abstract Energy security consists of three aspects: the availability of energy sources, the affordability of energy supplies, and the sustainable development of new renewable energy. This paper proposed to help overcome energy problems while solving environmental problems using water hyacinths at Saguling Dam in West Java province, Indonesia. Using an integrated community empowerment approach, the scheme for using water hyacinth is to be developed into an energy source for electricity generation or other thermal energy sources. This scheme is a new concept in developing water hyacinths as an alternative to renewable energy. To ensure the sustainability of this scheme, community support and financial benefits must be established. The results showed that the scheme to use water hyacinth as a source of heat energy is a new scheme in addition to benefiting the community by encouraging local economic development and solving the problem of water hyacinth that disrupts the operation of the Saguling Dam. Utilizing water hyacinth as an alternative energy will improve the community’s economy, which will contribute to increasing the economic activities of a region. This paper steps to develop a design scheme for the use of water hyacinth as alternative energy, especially in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Finally, using water hyacinth as alternative energy can guide local communities to encourage them to use biomass resources as an incentive for regional economic prosperity.