Addressing energy injustice in rural landscapes: Community leadership, indigenous villages, and micro-hydro diffusion in Indonesia

Abstract

The rapid development of renewable energy projects provides opportunities to livelihood around protected forests in rural areas. Living remotely with limited access to electrification has compelled villagers to establish renewable energy projects based on available resources. However, few studies have investigated actors' roles at the science-policy interface of such community-based renewable energy projects. This article describes the successful implementation of renewable energy projects in an indigenous village, Kasepuhan Ciptagelar, in Mount Halimun Salak National Park, Indonesia. Expert interviews and document analysis using the theoretical framework of the research-integration-utilization model revealed the role of various actors in the development of renewable energy projects in this indigenous village. Combining scientific research with indigenous information increased the villagers' acceptance of and willingness towards sustainably managing micro-hydro projects. Furthermore, grassroots community leaders successfully introduced the use of micro-hydro projects. Based on these results, we suggest employing a collaborative approach involving actors at different levels of energy and forest governance (local, regional, national, and international) as a promising tool to tackle energy and environmental injustice.