A group of young university graduates from various disciplines have innovated an electric boat for river and lake transportation in Indonesia. Their idea was translated into a design that utilizes renewable energy (RE), incorporating a hybrid system combining synthetic gas-powered generators to charge electric batteries and solar panels installed on the boat’s roof.
“This will be an electric-powered, low-emission boat with simple technology, making it suitable for villages with rivers and lakes in Indonesia,” explained Arief Noerhidayat, Managing Director of Comestoarra Bentarra Noesantarra, during a discussion at the Center for Technology & Innovation Studies (CTIS) on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, as stated in a press release.
In his presentation, titled “Electric Boats for Indonesia’s Waterways”, moderated by Dr. Ridha Yasser, Assistant Deputy for Energy and Telecommunications at the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Arief introduced a waste-to-energy technology called TOSS (Technology for Waste Processing at Source) to produce biomass pellet fuel for electricity generation. The raw materials come from various organic waste sources, including water hyacinth.
These biomass pellets are then fed into a gasifier to produce synthetic gas, which is used to power an electric generator. The electricity generated is stored in batteries, which are then used to power the boat’s propeller, making it ready to sail. The boat also has an additional electricity supply from solar panels installed on its roof.
“We have developed a mini gasifier to produce synthetic gas, which is then used to drive an electric generator. The electricity produced can reach 10,000 watts, 25,000 watts, and even 50,000 watts. This is ideal for electrifying villages,” said Arief, whose startup has already developed biomass-powered gasifier plants generating 10,000 watts in Palembang and 30,000-50,000 watts in Klungkung, Bali.
The electric boat idea caught the attention of PT Pupuk Sriwijaya Palembang, which assigned Arief and his startup, Comestoarra Bentarra Noesantarra, to create a prototype with funding support from its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. The electric boat was used for transportation along the Musi River, on the Pulau Kamaro – Palembang City route.
The electricity generated was equivalent to the energy from fuel costing Rp 3,800 per liter. The boat was tested using Pertalite gasoline, which is sold at around Rp 13,000 per liter in the Musi River area. If the boat requires 5 liters of Pertalite per day, the fuel cost would be Rp 65,000 per day. In comparison, using biomass pellet energy costs only Rp 19,000 per day. The test results showed that the electric boat operated excellently, leading to the construction of a second electric boat for transportation in the Musi River.
Discussion participant Dr. Ali Alkatiri, Assistant Deputy at the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), strongly supported the initiative as a solution for rural business development. SME business consultant Trihandoyo MSc welcomed Arief’s explanation that local communities had already been trained to maintain the electric boat equipment, as its technology is relatively simple. Both agreed to propose a presentation before Minister of SMEs, Maman Abdurrachman, to push for funding mobilization for electric boat development across Indonesia, including through CSR funds.
According to Arief Noerhidayat, the total cost for building the boat, including the engine, solar panels, and gasifier, is around Rp 141 million. As a follow-up, moderator Dr. Ridha Yasser plans to include this product in the E-Catalog of the Government Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP) so that it can be accessed by ministries, agencies, and local governments at the provincial, district, and city levels.
Arief further explained that the gasifier’s raw materials come from water hyacinth, which is considered an invasive weed and an environmental nuisance, commonly found in hydroelectric dams such as Rawa Pening in Central Java, as well as the Saguling and Cirata Reservoirs in West Java, and Lake Toba in Sumatra. By utilizing water hyacinth as biomass fuel for electricity generation, this innovation not only produces energy but also helps clean lakes from invasive weeds.
He added that the calorific value of water hyacinth is approximately 4,000 Kcal/kg, which is sufficient to generate synthetic gas to power an electric generator and charge the electric boat’s battery.
Source : https://environews.asia/electric-powered-boats-for-lakes-and-rivers-in-indonesia/
