31/03/2010 (Giunandra) - The sentence above is a statement declared by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with credible input s from Rahmat Witoelar, when Indonesia attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Is the statement politically-marinated? It could be. For scientists, the statement might be categorized as a challenging brainstorming of theoretical concepts and scientific applications. But for well seasoned diplomats, these statements can be likened to be a ‘Public Diplomacy’ which may brighten the image of Indonesia in the international society.

Here it is, a combination of science and social studies. 2010 is the precise time to look forward for Indonesia to realize its hopes. Together, with arms crossed, the true ambition in front of the nation’s eye will soon come true.  Diplomacy between nations are considered as a social interaction, carbon reduction technology and energy demand  issues can be classified scientifically environmental, while appropriate application of environmental economics in the future is the real challenge of future economics. Social, Environment, and Economical relations, known as the ‘Three Pillars of Sustainability’.

Although there were many things which needed to be criticized, I will focus on the development of the Third Pillar, the Environment, since Indonesia’s role is significant especially in developing renewable energy resources to avoid unrenewable energy resources depletion.

United States of America has begun to reduce its dependence on natural resources with trusted technologies in the form of energy without carbon emissions, such as Solar Energy Generating Systems in Nevada. Brazil has started to make ethanol as gasoline additives with the aim to increase the percentage of iso-octanes inside an ethanol + gasoline mixture.

Then, how about Indonesia? Again and again, action plan and fast acts are needed in order to fulfill the promise of preventing carbon emissions increasion percentage in the atmosphere, and for a better Indonesia. The sun always shines the emerald country. Geothermal is in every single cracks inside there. The biofuel raw materials are everywhere. Strong winds blows alongside the coast. The only thing to do is creating people with ingenious minds, to develop every single potential of Indonesia.

Indonesia’s significant potential in developing renewable materials is undoubtful, it can be seen from the nation’s geographical, astronomical and agronomical location. Each of them restores their own strength.

Biorenewable resources mostly descend from the agronomical strength. Until now, Indonesia through large companies such as Wilmar International, Sinarmas, and Sampoerna Agro occupied top positions in Crude Palm Oil production, and competitively compete with Malaysia. Discussing about oil palm is about criticizing the effectiveness of process undertaken to form the Crude Palm Oil itself. From all steps of crude palm oil production, there is only 25% which can be used to produce Crude Palm Oil useful in food-related materials, such as cooking oil, etc. And what can be done with the residual 75%? This is the time for Indonesian Scientists to think holistically, like what Hemingway in his every single poems.
75% rest of the production is cellulose, complex macromolecular polymers formed from monosaccharide. Scientists called this as Biomass, or biological residues resulted from every industrial process. Pure ethanol which is made by pure combinations of disaccharides usually arise conflicts and contrapositions between energy production and food resources availability. On the other hand, renewable energy generated from biomass is often referred as the Second-Generation Biofuels, which uses non-food crops or inedible waste products and does not divert food away from human or animal food chain.

I’ll show you how it works :