Tag: indonesia

SBS Lab Members Visit Net Zero Carbon Community Sites in Makassar Indonesia

Nathan Kurtz on

SBS Lab members Wangda Zuo, Leah Marucci, and Nathan Kurtz traveled to Makassar, Indonesia for a week-long field study as part of the Net Zero Carbon Community (NZCC) project. The team quickly learned that the project is having major snowball effects within the communities. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels were installed in four locations across the city to allow the communities to reduce energy usage for their fish farms. In Indonesia, the utility grid is almost 80% comprised of fossil fuels, so reducing utility usage can significantly reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, from the energy savings, the communities can reduce their spending which they are immediately putting back into expanding to more fish tanks, and hydroponic systems.

This project has been going on for 6 months and all four installations across 3 sites are fully up and running with online monitoring that can be integrated with the city command center. Over these 6 months our tUS-Indonesian team comprising of Universitas Gadjah Madah (UGM), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) and the City of Makassar has successfully selected sites and procured, installed, and commissioned all equipment. We are deeply thankful for the long-lasting collaborations with UGM and ITB. We are also greatly thankful for the generous support from the U.S. Department of State (DoS), National Science Foundation (NSF), City of Makassar, and Penn State College of Engineering.

Additional news posts can be found on the project webpage and Prof. Zuo’s LinkedIn post 1 and 2.

Professor Wangda Zuo Presents at the Symposium on Accelerating Science, Technology, and Circular Innovation in Southeast Asia

Nathan Kurtz on

Lab Professor Wangda Zuo participated in a joint session at the “Symposium on Accelerating Science, Technology and Circular Innovation in Southeast Asia: Smart Cities Innovation, Biotechnology, and Circularity” in Vientiane, Laos. He held this session with our Indonesian collaborators Rachmawan Budiarto from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Donny Koerniawan from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) about our Smart Garden Alley and Net Zero Carbon Community (NZCC) projects in Makassar, Indonesia. They presented on July 19, 2024. This symposium was a great opportunity to share ideas with our colleagues in the ASEAN region. It is great progress in renewable energy, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and smart transportation being made by researchers and entrepreneurs.

Prof. Wangda Zuo Speaks at Makassar Low-Carbon City Meeting with Metaverse

Nathan Kurtz on

Prof. Wangda Zuo presented at the Makassar Low-Carbon City with Metaverse. This event was opened by Mayor Mohammad Ramdhan Pomanto and Helen Santiago Fink from US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership. Five international experts shared their experiences in achieving low-carbon cities by working on waste, energy, and water systems. The passion for a low-carbon city was evident as more than 1000 participants attended this event in person and online.

We are thankful for the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) towards our joint US-Indonesian team as we work with the City of Makassar on smart garden alleys over the past three years. We look forward to extending this collaboration to look into net zero carbon cities for Makassar.

SBS Lab Members Visit Makassar, Indonesia

Julia Ho on

This December, Professor Wangda Zuo and undergraduate researcher Nathan Kurtz visited Makassar, Indonesia as part of their collaboration with the city in the NSF-funded Smart Garden Alley Project. During their visit, they met with many project collaborators and community organizers to learn more about Makassar’s ambitious plan to create circular economies – which have the potential to generate less material waste and pollution, increase sustainability, and decrease burdens on marginalized communities – in city alleys. With the help of the city, Makassar residents have improved drainage, created community and hydroponic gardens, and have started fish farms in alleys. Residents have shared the produce, fish, and lobster harvested from these alleys within the neighborhood and have also sold them to cover garden maintenance costs. The SBS Lab is analyzing sensor data with AI to help residents ensure optimal garden conditions.

During their visit, Professor Zuo also talked with researchers from the Institut Teknologi Bandung and the Indonesia University of Education to learn about localized sustainable improvements for Indonesians, including low cost cool roof technologies. We thank everyone involved with the visit for their hospitality, especially Mayor Moh. Romdhan Pomanto, Donny Koerniawan, and Beta Paramita. We look forward to more productive collaboration!

We also thank the National Science Foundation and the US Department of State’s US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership for their generous funding.

Picture: visiting Institut Teknologi Bandung and the Indonesia University of Education.