TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ricky Amukti from Traction Energy Asia said the source of the capital city’s pollution problems come from three aspects; transportation, power plants, and waste.

"The largest air pollution contributor comes from transportation, which constitutes 50 percent; while 30 percent come from the West Java and Banten coal-fired power plant; and the rest come from waste," Ricky said in a webinar discussing Jakarta's air pollution problems on Thursday, October 7, 2021.

Ricky cited data stating that there are 16 million motorcycles and 3.6 million cars that pass through Jakarta, which include Banten and West Java, the data excludes the population of public transportation. All of the aforementioned motor vehicles produce emissions and need a large amount of fuel to operate, which in the end creates air pollution.

He believed that there are solutions to overcome these problems and insists that local governments need to produce a grand design to tackle the issue. Amukti offered stakeholders to replace traditional fuel with a more environmentally friendly alternative or completely transition to electric vehicles.

Amukti also mentioned the use of cooking oil that can power biodiesel-powered engines. He said that there are potentially 12 million liters of biodiesel fuel annually from used cooking oil waste from households, and MSMEs, excluding industries and restaurants.

Citing a study by the Royal Academy Engineering, he said that "Emissions from used cooking oil are 80 to 90 percent lower compared to what is currently used."

As an electric source, Jakarta can make use of rooftop solar panels which are generally modular and applicable across Jakarta's urban environment. Amukti argued that one megawatt from the solar panels can reduce greenhouse effect emissions by 1,226 CO2e annually.

MOH KHORY ALFARIZI