Harvesting Energy from the Sun

The sun is crucial as a source of energy for living things, including plants, animals, and humans. It is an abundant, free, and inexhaustible source of energy, except at the time of judgment. The word "sun" is mentioned 25 times in the Quran and is the name of one of the chapters mentioned by Allah in the Quran. This suggests that Allah intended to signal that there is something for humans to explore through the sun (Asy-Syams).

An American Muslim and environmental activist, Ibrahim Abdul Matin (2012), in his book Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet, refers to renewable energy as energy from heaven. According to him, energy from heaven originates from above, meaning it is not extracted from the earth and is renewable. "Extraction causes imbalance (causes climate change), while energy from above is like energy from heaven." 

By 2024, solar power production will reach 453 GW. With wind power generation added, the two sources will account for 97.5% of the total renewable energy, making them the dominant renewable energy source. With wind power production reaching 114 GW, or about a quarter (25%) of solar power, solar energy is crucial due to its competitive cost and rapid development. China is currently the world's leading producer of solar PV. 

China's ambition is to build a "solar great wall" designed to meet Beijing's energy needs. The multi-year project, expected to be completed by 2030, will be 400 kilometers (250 miles) long, 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and reach a maximum generating capacity of 100 gigawatts. Currently, the project is reported to have reached a capacity of 5.4 gigawatts. Since 2024, China has led the world in electricity production from solar panels. As of June 2024, China led the world in operating solar power generation capacity with 386,875 megawatts, representing about 51 percent of the global total, according to Global Energy Monitor's Global Solar Power Tracker. The United States ranked second with 79,364 megawatts (11 percent), followed by India with 53,114 megawatts (7 percent). 

Even Elon Musk has been saying it for years, and it's something solar energy pioneers already know: the sun has enough energy to meet all our energy needs. The problem lies not only in ensuring that people have the technology to harvest the sun through solar panels, but in cities and urban centers, one of the biggest issues is storage and what to do with excess energy when the sun is shining, which is why batteries for storing that energy are so important. Consumers and businesses, when possible, typically feed energy back into the grid, where they receive cash or credits for their contribution.

But harvesting solar energy is of course not only done with solar panels (solar PV). Trees or plants also harvest solar energy and convert it into other energy sources, namely biomass-based. Renewable energy sources derived from plants (bio-energy) are also in line with QS. Yaasin (36): 80. To produce these energy sources, whether such as wood, fruit, seeds or other parts of the plant, plants carry out photosynthesis. In addition to water and carbon dioxide (CO2), this photosynthesis process requires sunlight. 

Plants, through the process of photosynthesis, store energy from the sun in the form of biomass, and this is likened to a battery. This green battery of plants can be used as a very large energy source; for more details, read here. Unlike harvesting solar energy with solar panels (solar PV), which is highly dependent on the weather, resulting in intermittent electricity supply, or likewise with wind, which sometimes does not blow, biomass energy from plants will produce stable electricity. Once converted into biomass and harvested as an energy source, the energy will always be available. And to generate electricity from solar panels (solar PV) to overcome weather problems and prevent intermittent electricity supply, very large batteries are required, and currently not available. 

Indonesia is believed to be a tropical country, the biomass heaven. This needs to be translated into more concrete terms so that it can be understood, implemented, proven, and optimally utilized. Its potential is immense and should be used to support the well-being of its people. The simple diagram below illustrates the many possibilities in this tropical "biomass heaven." 

The availability of raw materials is a vital and absolute must for various biomass processing processes to be carried out and be sustainable. On the other hand, there is a huge potential for land that can be utilized for this purpose, amounting to tens of millions of hectares, namely critical land / marginal land, dry land and post-mining land (coal mines, tin mines, nickel mines, copper mines, gold mines and so on). In more detail, it is estimated that for critical / marginal land reaches 24.3 million hectares (Times Indonesia, 2017), while dry land reaches 122.1 million ha consisting of dry acid land covering 108.8 million ha and dry climate dry land covering 13.3 million ha and post-mining damaged land reaching 8 million hectares. Energy plantations or biomass plantations need to be created in these areas and can even be used for various food crops. In fact, currently there are plant species that can only be economically viable in these lands. 

The Quran, as a source of knowledge, teaches how to obtain renewable and sustainable energy that will save humanity and the earth. By delving into and studying the verses of the Quran in detail, we will uncover various important guidance for navigating life. This should motivate and inspire humans, especially Muslims, to conduct beneficial scientific research. Applying existing resources, in line with Quranic guidance, and developing and refining efforts to harvest solar energy must continue. Furthermore, the Quran provides a solid moral, ethical, and legal basis for the balanced and responsible development of science and technology. 

The Quran explicitly emphasizes the importance of knowledge. This is evident in the first verses revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which contain the command to read, and the story of Adam being taught the names of all things, signifying humanity's superiority through knowledge. The Quran encourages travel and observation, thus opening minds to scientific discoveries. The Quran provides guidelines to ensure that the knowledge developed is used for good and does not conflict with moral values. 

OPT Pellets for Biomass Power Plants and BECCS in Japan and Europe

As a tropical region known for biomass heaven, there are numerous sources that can be utilized for biomass pellet production, particularly OPT pellets or oil palm trunk pellets. This potential is certainly in line with global decarbonization efforts to save the earth from climate change and global warming. Indonesia is currently the world's largest palm oil producer, with approximately 17 million hectares of palm oil plantations. Of this area, 9 million hectares are managed by private companies, 550,000 hectares are owned by state-owned companies (PTPN), 6.1 million hectares are owned by smallholders, and the remainder remains unverified. Crude palm oil or CPO productivity has stagnated over the past five years due to the slow pace of replanting, which is around 45 million tons per year. Therefore, replanting, especially for smallholders, must be encouraged.

Most palm oil companies affiliated with GAPKI have conducted replanting periodically or once a year with an area of ​​4-5%. The palm oil companies that are members of GAPKI are 731, while according to BPS 2023 the number of palm oil companies in Indonesia reached 2,446 companies, spread across 26 provinces. Meanwhile, in smallholder palm oil plantations, replanting is very small, namely in 2024 alone with a target of 180,000 hectares (around 3% of smallholder palm oil plantations) but the realization is less than 40,000 hectares (0.7% of smallholder palm oil plantations) and even because it is so far from the target set in 2025 the government's target for replanting smallholder palm oil plantations was reduced to only 120,000 hectares (around 2% of smallholder palm oil plantations).

With an average of 125 trees per hectare of palm oil plantation, each tree yielding an average dry weight of 0.4 tons, this yields 50 tons of dry biomass per hectare. For an area of ​​10,000 hectares, this translates to 0.5 million tons of dry biomass, and for an area of ​​100,000 hectares, this translates to 5 million tons of dry biomass. Optimistically, Indonesia could achieve 5% replanting, or 820,000 hectares, which would yield 41 million tons of dry biomass per year. Malaysia, with 5% replanting, or 285,000 hectares, would produce 14.25 million tons of dry biomass per year.

For a more practical calculation, let's consider the average palm oil company group in Indonesia with five palm oil mills and 50,000 hectares of palm oil plantations. With annual replanting of 5% of the total plantations, 2,500 hectares are replanted annually. This replanting will produce 125,000 tons of dried oil palm trunks. This volume will then be used to produce oil palm trunk pellets, or OPT pellets, assuming 3% loss during the production process. This yields 121,250 tons of OPT pellets per year.

Using a Handymax vessel with a capacity of 25,000 tons per shipment, five shipments are required, or using a Panamax vessel with a capacity of 50,000 tons per shipment requires two shipments plus one Handymax vessel. Alternatively, using a vessel with a capacity of 10,000 tons per shipment requires approximately 12 shipments per year. Shipments with large capacity handymax and panamax vessels are suitable for the European market, while smaller vessels, namely 10,000 tons/shipment, are suitable for the Japanese market.

Japan, with around 290 biomass power plants, should technically be able to move towards BECCS more quickly, but it's just a matter of policy and regulation. Installing CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) units in biomass power plants makes the plant's operation carbon negative, or carbon (dioxide) removal (CDR) or Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR). Furthermore, Europe has a successful example of BECCS implementation, namely the Stockholm Exergi BECCS project. This Stockholm project, based on sustainable biomass fuel, has secured one of the world's largest carbon sequestration agreements with Microsoft.

Furthermore, policy support for biomass power plants with CCS/BECCS or those capable of CDR/GGR is also increasing, as in the UK. This includes the indefinite extension of support for biomass power plants to allow time for plants to transition to BECCS. Modifications and retrofitting of existing power plants will eliminate millions of tons of CO2 annually while still generating electricity from renewable sources. This potential can only be maximized with government support for the transition to BECCS.

Replanting Palm Oil Plantations in Indonesia to Maintain Palm Oil Productivity and Potential Utilization of Oil Palm Trunk Biomass Waste

One way to maintain or even increase the productivity of palm oil plantations is through replanting or rejuvenation, which is absolutely necessary. Old palm oil trees will decline in productivity, making them uneconomical. In keeping with the gradual planting of palm oil trees, replanting palm oil plantations is also carried out in stages and periodically. Furthermore, the use of superior seeds is also necessary, and one way to produce superior oil palm seeds is by using high-quality planting media, such as biochar. For more details, read here.

Palm oil companies generally replant 4-5% of their total land area annually. However, smallholders generally do not replant properly. This is due to the cost of replanting and the 4-5-year waiting period for fruiting to resume. However, because old palm oil trees naturally decline in productivity even with additional fertilizer, replanting is the only solution. Of Indonesia's approximately 16.8 million hectares of palm oil plantations, 9 million hectares are managed by private companies, 550,000 hectares are owned by state-owned enterprises (PTPN), 6.1 million hectares belong to smallholders or smallholders, and the remainder has not been verified. Specifically for replanting, the government is targeting 180,000 hectares per year for smallholders, but by 2024, only 38,244 hectares had been realized, far from the target.

Even in 2025, implementation of the replanting program will remain low, reaching only 11,777 hectares in the first quarter. Based on this reality, the government has finally lowered the annual replanting target from 180,000 hectares to 120,000 hectares. To accelerate the replanting program, the government could provide additional replanting funds to smallholder farmers. This additional funding would ideally come from business profits, specifically from the utilization of palm oil waste. Various biomass-based products are produced from the processing of palm oil waste.

For businesses based on the utilization of oil palm trunks, business readiness factors, both technologically and market-specific, require careful assessment. With an average hectare of palm oil plantations containing 125 trees, each tree having an average dry weight of 0.4 tons, per hectare yields 50 tons of dry biomass. For an area of ​​10,000 hectares, this translates to 0.5 million dry tons, and for an area of ​​100,000 hectares, this translates to 5 million dry tons. Optimistically, Indonesia could achieve 5% replanting, or 820,000 hectares, which would yield 41 million dry tons of biomass per year. Malaysia, with 5% replanting, or 285,000 hectares, would yield 14.25 million dry tons per year.

The issue of biomass waste from palm oil trees, which covers thousands of hectares, also presents a unique challenge. With the vast volume of old palm oil trees, utilizing them to create value-added products is crucial. This vast volume allows biomass processing plants or industries to be established and operate optimally without worrying about raw material shortages. Products such as pellets, briquettes, and biochar are made from this old palm oil trunk biomass waste. Old palm oil trunks, which are often left abandoned on land, should be utilized to create these useful, value-added products.

For a presentation on palm oil replanting, click here.