Knowledge of Local Communities Affected by the Development of Geothermal Energy
Hasbullah Malau, Hidayatul Fajri, Pandhu Yuanjaya, Boni Saputra, Karjuni Dt Maani
Universitas Negeri Padang, Universitas Negeri Padang, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Negeri Padang, Universitas Negeri Padang
Abstract
Geothermal, in the global discourse, is said to be one of renewable and environmentally friendly energy. This has made the development of rapid progress in the last few years, one of them in Indonesia. Even so, the discourse is not well explored to the local community. Thus, they assume that geothermal energy is the same as other non-renewable energy and that it has an impact on their social acceptance. This study aims to determine the perception of local people about the development of geothermal energy, especially their perception of the sustainability of the surrounding environment. This research is a case study in South Solok Regency, Indonesia. We use a mixed-method namely survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews to get the views of local people about geothermal energy development. The results showed that local people have low knowledge of geothermal energy. This is caused by poor public communication by the government about the technology involved in the production of geothermal energy so that uncertainty about environmental and social impacts is a factor affecting the perception of local communities.
Keywords: Perception, Local Knowledge, Social Acceptance, Geothermal
Topic: Environment, Health, and Safety