Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Surabaya, in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University (HWU), United Kingdom, held a virtual program titled “Blue Energy and Blue Economy.” The program ran from June 20 to 30, 2022. The collaboration was initiated in 2021 and sponsored by the Going Global Partnership, British Council. The program focused on the implementation of alternative energy and sustainable economic empowerment for communities in coastal areas. This year, Aquatera, a leading renewable energy–based company in the UK, joined the collaboration to share its reputable experience.
The opening remarks were delivered by Opened on Monday (20/06/2022), and the virtual program was attended by the ITS Surabaya team, HWU team, and representatives from Aquatera Ltd. The program was opened directly by Dr. Eng. Trika Pitana, S.T., M.Sc, the Dean of the Faculty of Marine Technology, ITS Surabaya, and by Dr. Joanne Porter, Deputy Director at the International Center for Island Technology, HWU. In his speech, Dr. Trika Pitana emphasized the objectives and the overall series of activities in this program. “In this program we have professors and professionals who have a lot of experience in implementing blue energy, and I believe participants can take a lot of lessons and experiences to learn from the case studies conducted in Orkney, Scotland, and Indonesia,” explained Dr. Joanne Porter in supporting Dr. Trika’s remarks.
The virtual program involved more than 70 participants and was composed of 41 students from ITS Surabaya, 7 from HWU, and the rest from various universities in Indonesia. The participants are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of important aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG number 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 14 (life below water). As a follow-up program, the second stage of this program consists of a field observation visit, which will be conducted in August in Larantuka, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. Through this activity, it is hoped that the team and program participants will get direct experience from the community and local stakeholders, so that they can identify problems in the field and develop a roadmap for the implementation of blue energy and the blue economy in Indonesia.