Optimization and Integration of Renewable Energy Sources with Regional Tourism Potentials to Improve the Welfare of Local Communities

ABSTRACT

Indonesia is a country with a tropical climate and has tens of thousands of islands. One of the challenges is that archipelagic countries generally have limited local resources and high energy import costs. Renewable energy technologies in most islands are often not running and are unsustainable due to the many problems involved, one of which is the lack of clarity on management and generating assets. As a result, power plants generally only run for a short time and do not provide electrical energy for the community. In addition to the unavailability of electricity, the COVID-19 virus certainly also affects activities, especially people who rely heavily on the tourism sector as their main livelihood. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how an island could survive in this force majeure situation, both from the sustainability of renewable energy and the tourism sector. This research aims to explain what factors affect the sustainability of renewable energy in supplying electricity to the community in the long term and will present the interrelation between the tourism sector and the presence of renewable energy technology. The method used is an in-depth interview and questionnaire with a Likert scale. The research was conducted on the island of Mecan and the obtained data were simulated in the form of CLD (Causal Loop Diagram). The results indicate that renewable energy sustainability on Mecan Island has made access to electricity available throughout the day and has improved the welfare of residents.