Towards a just energy transition in Indonesia (JUSTIN)

Project summary

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to promote a just transition in the energy sector of emerging economies, including sustainable development of local communities and local industries. This in turn will contribute to a cleaner environment through reduced greenhouse gas emissions, green growth, increased employment, inclusive resource governance and poverty reduction.
The project will generate new knowledge on how renewable energy (RE) procurement schemes in Indonesia can be designed and implemented to achieve key societal development objectives, which are replicable in other latecomer countries. The immediate goal is that this knowledge can lead to procurement policies for RE, which contributes to achieve a just energy transition in Indonesia, including inclusive engagement of public agencies and private sector actors.
The research will be guided by the overall question of whether and how the design of RE procurement policies can contribute to a just energy transition Indonesia? The project will apply a theoretical framework based on the sustainability transitions literature combined with literatures on RE project financing and risks, the global value chain perspective and transition governance to explore three interlinked (sub) research questions and related hypotheses.
The project will contribute to enhance the research capacity of the younger researchers involved through working jointly in Indonesia under the guidance of senior staff from Indonesia and Denmark, though co-authorship of research papers, though joint research seminars, and research stays in Denmark. The project will further enhance the cross-disciplinary insights and experience of the involved research partners on the intersection between RE transitions and sustainable development.
It will draw on in-depth fieldwork carried out in Indonesia based on qualitative research methods, such as interviews, documents, direct observations and project inventories.
Through direct engagement with key policy makers and stakeholders, the project will seek to ensure that local developmental impacts are prioritized and ensured in RE procurement schemes currently being implemented in Indonesia and internationally. The project will contribute to socially inclusive models of implementation by private companies involved in solar and wind power projects by cooperating with renewable energy associations in Indonesia and Denmark.

Outputs

First year report
The project is progressing in line with the initial research plan, which has been refined but still aiming at achieving its immediate objectives in terms of ensuring that procurement policies for large-scale RE can contribute to achieving a just energy transition in Indonesia.
The project has up to now achieved the anticipated outputs and the output ambitions have been raised in the consolidated research plan. One paper is accepted for publication in World Development, and seven other papers are planned. Other outputs in terms of research conferences, stakeholder workshops, policy briefs, and popular media outlets are proceeding according to the original plan.
Danish, Indonesian and South African (SA) partners have established efficient and trustful partnerships in the WPs and across WPs, and regular management meetings with the participation of most researchers have been held (8 meetings). Joint fieldwork with Indonesian, South African and Danish researchers was carried out for two weeks in January 2023. Fieldwork continued in Indonesia by Indonesian researchers and supplemented with online interviews with international companies, developers and investors, mainly carried out by SA and Danish researchers. The second joint fieldwork in Indonesia in WP4 was concluded in early June. Four researchers from partners will visit Denmark on a two-week research stay in August.

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