University of Twente takes part in GEOCAP project to generate energy from the warm undersoil of volcanoes in Indonesia

Enschede, Netherlands, 23-10-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Researchers from the ITC Faculty of the University of Twente are working on generating energy from the warm undersoil of volcanoes in Indonesia. Due to a fast-growing population and rising prosperit, the demand for electricity in Indonesia is on the rise. Energy from the warm undersoil of volcanoes, also called geothermal energy, offers a sustainable solution. The UT is working together with ten partners from both Indonesian and Dutch governments and businesses as part of the GEOCAP project. On 24 October UT President of the Board Victor van der Chijs will, together with ITC dean Tom Veldkamp, visit the technical university of Bandung ITB, on of the project partners.

In 2050 the energy requirement of Indonesia will most likely be thirty times as much as it is now. Currently the country is gaining a lot of energy from fossil fuels, mostly diesel fuel and coal. Generating this energy is bad for the environment and the health of the population. Geothermal energy from the undersoil of volcanoes offers a much cleaner and more sustainable alternative. Because Indonesia lacks the capacity to generate geothermal energy at a large scale, the GEOCAP project was set up. The Earth System Analysis department of the ITC Faculty of the University of Twente is coordinating the project. As part of this project the ITC is working together with ten partners, including geothermal energy companies from Indonesia and the Netherlands, the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Utrecht University, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), WWF Indonesia and Indonesian universities. Programme coordinator Freek van der Meer, UT Professor of Earth Subsurface Systems Analysis: “Geothermal energy is viewed as one of the most promising sources of clean energy. Indonesia’s position is incredibly unique; inside a ring of volcanoes, an incredible source of geothermal energy. GEOCAP is a capacity building programme; the ITC Faculty possesses a lot of knowledge and experience in the field of geothermal energy. We share this with Indonesia through joint geothermal energy programmes. We learn from each other in these programmes. As a result of the project we are further expanding our network in Indonesia.”

Visit
This week, UT President of the Board Victor van der Chijs will visit several important Indonesian partners of the UT. During the entire trip, sustainable energy will be an important subject. On 24 October he will visit the technical university in Bandung, ITB, one of the partners collaborating in the geothermal energy project. Additionally, van der Chijs will visit a geothermal energy installation at the Tangkuban Perahu volcano on 25 October.

GEOCAP
GEOCAP stands for Geothermic Capacity Building Programme – Indonesia-the Netherlands. The GEOCAP project will run until mid 2017 and is financed through climate funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided via the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta. More information can be found on the project website. Victor van der Chijs: “GEOCAP is a fine example of how the University of Twente is contributing to the sustainable energy supply of Indonesia with innovative technology.” In addition to this geothermal energy project, the University of Twente is also working on several other projects in Indonesia in the field of sustainable energy, such as solar energy.

About the ITC
The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) is one of the University of Twente’s faculties. This is where research and teaching takes place in the field of geo-information sciences and earth observation, with an emphasis on application in developing countries. Students from all over the world come to the ITC to attend its educational programmes. The goal of the ITC’s activities is the international exchange of knowledge, aimed towards capacity building and institutional development in developing countries and rising economies.

Note for the press
For more information you can contact Freek van der Meer at +31 (0)53 487 4353 or UT Science Press Officer Kim Hovestad at +31 (0)6 224 362 74.

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University of Twente takes part in GEOCAP project to generate energy from the warm undersoil of volcanoes in Indonesia