Environmental protection in Indonesia

Environmental protection is starting to become significant in Indonesia, but very slowly.
A lot of the concern is plastic bags, and there's now a push to getting rid of them.
The shops must now charge a small fee for the bags, but are allowed to give them away at the moment if the customer refuses to pay.
The move is being accepted (slowly), so I'm seeing more and more people with reusable bags.
Most of Indonesia still doesn't much care, so rubbish gets tossed anywhere.
There is still little enforcement, but I can see that changing shortly.

I would echo Fred's comments on this…slowly, yes, Indonesia is improving year by year with its efforts towards environmental protection as well as wildlife management.

Public service campaigns through TV work very well here.  For many it's just a simple matter of getting educated about the effects on the environment their activities can have.

For example, shortly after I moved to Bali 17 years ago they began a campaign to end bomb and cyanide fishing…which was a common and highly destructive practice.  Once the fishermen understood that the destruction of the coral reefs by bombs and poison would inevitably result in the complete eradication of fish in their area…this practice stopped.   

Another example is the preservation of sea turtles.  Local sate made from turtle meat used to be very popular, and in some particular temple ceremonies, offerings of sea turtles were regarded as necessary.  Today, while it would be possible to find some poached turtle meat, its use as food is very rare, and no longer a part of temple ceremonies. 

Lots of NGO and local organizations have sprung up across Indonesia in recent years…all of them focused on “going green” or one aspect of wildlife conservation or another.  Here in Bali it was the Ubud Rotary organization which was responsible for the first waste recycling plant located in Gianyar.  That was made possible by a grant from the Swiss government.  There are many more examples I could cite. 

The Green School here in Bali, which is world renown, has done incredible work in this regard, and to further illustrate Fred's comments about plastic bags, this is a “Ted Talk” put together by some students of The Green School:

https://www.ted.com/talks/melati_and_is … gs_in_bali

For certain, and without any doubt, Indonesia is committed and moving in the right direction.  While there is plenty of work still needed, Indonesians have every right to be proud of their achievements thus far, while looking forward to an even greener future.

I don't really notice any difference at all about the use of plastic bags except they charge you for them now. But it seems everyone is still using them pretty much, at least where I live.

I always get plastic shopping bags from the supermarkets and I recycle them by putting rubbish in them such as children's diapers and other rubbish and putting them in my dustbin for the garbage men to take away.

However, I'm not that into recycling and stuff.

"However, I'm not that into recycling and stuff."

Nakal, nakal, nakal!   

It's never too late to start...

We create very little waste, so recycling is not at the top of our list, but we do use plastic carrier bags as bin liners.
Since we're using a lot less plastic bags now, we're going to have to find a cheap alternative, perhaps recycled paper bags.
One thing of note here, recycling is a poor man's business as much as big business, as we all see with the poor collecting plastic bottles and card from bins in order to earn the pittance they get from selling them one dealer up the chain.

And very reminiscent of our own cultures Fred, thinking of the rag pickers of times past. 

I remember as a kid them coming around my old neighborhood one a week to make their collections…and so now it's the much the same in our village, as they come to collect plastic bottles, tin cans, newspapers, cardboard boxes and glass bottles.

Before I moved to Indonesia I was a little more active in recycling because in many condos they provide recycling bins. But living in a house in a community here in Indonesia there are no recycle bins where I live. They are voting for a new Chairman so maybe the new one will do something about that. We get the garbage guys coming around every day and usually they will split open our large bin liners to empty out all the rubbish into their cart along with the small plastic bags with diapers and food etc. These two guys, sometimes there is only one of them, have to pull that cart about 3 kilometers up and down small hills to dump it off. It's really backbreaking work, but of course it gives them a job and a small salary which everyone in the community contributes to each month. We also give them tips, Rp20,000 a couple of times a week. Lots of other people give them tips so they probably do quite well, but man is it a hard job.

Is there actually an alternative to using plastic bags? I mean for potato peelings and thrown away fruit and veg and diapers, We cannot put them into paper bags because they'd get all soggy and the bottoms would fall out.

What would be really good if the the garbage guys or the people who work at the rubbish dumps do the sorting out and recycling. Maybe they are already doing it. Perhaps our city should get more active on this.

Ubudian wrote:

And very reminiscent of our own cultures Fred, thinking of the rag pickers of times past.

I'd almost forgotten the rag and bone men that used to go around with a horse and cart.
There was a British comedy about them called, Steptoe and son.

Hansson, you raise a good point, specifically that of the unique challenges that are specific to large urban environments versus smaller towns and villages.

For example, food waste. 

Here in Bali, there is no problem or issue with food waste, and I doubt there are many garbage disposals installed as part of anyone's kitchen sink here.  I surely haven't seen one.  Food waste is collected for the pigs, or used to make compost for farmers.  But, how could that be done for a hugely populated city like Jakarta? 

No question that plastic is the worst of the garbage that pollutes our oceans.  All one has to do is Google “plastic bag islands” and see for themselves.   

Challenges, challenges, and more challenges.

In an obscure way indonesia is very good at recycling materials through the amount of different scavengers there is, each one having their own particular type of product to collect beit paper or plastic. I was once told that 1kg of plastic was worth 2000 rupiah. Sadly though the money collected from these recycling activities is not really enough.
As for household waste I pay 15,000 a month for my rubbish collection. If we throw something bigger we pay them to take it away or let them have it knowing they will sell it on if they can.
There was recently an article in one of the newspapers about how Jakarta was planning to deal with its electronic and white goods waste such as fridges etc as it has finally been identified as a problem.
I was going through a town on the train yesterday called Purwakarta where they stack up the old train carriages as they become redundant. It made me think about the New York metro where they drop the aluminium bodies into the sea once the trains reach the end of their life and the carriages become breeding grounds for crabs and things. If that was possible here that could be good for all. If.

Thanks Mcleod. But actually we have garbage men that come around every day to take away our rubbish. And they don't differentiate between recyclable and non recyclable with is really great. But I will pass on your suggestion about a compost heap and maybe they can set one up down at the dump and start selling compost fertilizer and make some extra income.

Actually a lot of recycling goes on with the garbage that we throw out. It happens anywhere between when those small rubbish carts are left alone for a while to when they arrive at the dump. It is quite common so see old and obviously very poor people sitting beside a garbage cart sifting through the garbage for plastic bottles, tin cans and anything of value that they can sell.

Sad as it may be, it keeps these people busy and allows them to generate a small income. It's actually quite ironic that many better off people don't like to see things like this, whereas those poor struggling people need this kind of work to survive.

A similar thing happened when people felt sorry for the old men who operate pedicabs and tried to get them banned without realizing that these "old men" needed the pedicabs as it was the only way they could earn an income. Needless to say, they were allowed to continue with their pedicabs.

This is one of the things that I admire in Indonesia, the fact that poor and struggling people will do any kind of work in order to survive or support their families.

As for Bali, it is way, way more clean these days than when I first moved here over 17 years ago.  This truth is acknowledged by virtually every long term expat on Bali that I know. 

Back in those days it was common to see streets littered with garbage, especially during the rainy season.  It was also common back then to find road side garbage dumps in more remote areas.  The same would apply back then to Bali's beaches…very often being disgustingly polluted with all sorts of garbage.

Anyone who takes the time to review forum posts or blogs from those day will see unending criticism (accurate and justifiable) regarding “ugly Bali.”

As I've already said, once there is enough awareness/education which centers on the negative economic effect this has…change eventually comes. 

Responsibility for the ecological and environmental “health” of Indonesia is best when it is the responsibility of the particular Province…and not the national government.  Local management of these issues has proven to be far more effective, cost efficient, and with clear and obvious results.

Roy, I guess people describe Bali as ugly once they see Kuta beach and the rubbish that piles up on that, not realising it comes from Java and also not seeing the amount of work put into keep that beach clean ongoing.
Also people forget that most western countries had systems in place which are run from taxation and years of governance where as Bali and the rest of Indonesia is still working that out but is getting there. I have been through Bali lots of times and I always find it clean and tidy. Of course there is 'fly tipping' but can anyone tell me in which country that doesn't happen? The fact you see the school kids wandering around with brooms or brushes tells you that everyone is concerned and takes responsibility for keeping things clean and therefore the next generation will have pride in its country. Something that would do well here.

“Roy, I guess people describe Bali as ugly once they see Kuta beach and the rubbish that piles up on that, not realising it comes from Java and also not seeing the amount of work put into keep that beach clean ongoing.”

I mostly agree Luke…but in truth, not all that garbage that used to…and continues to pile up on our beaches in Bali, is from Java, or other islands.  Plenty of it comes from Bali.     

This problem is not close to being fully resolved…but, these days, early AM beach clean ups are far more common, and a daily activity than they ever were.  In many sea side villages of Bali these days, beach clean up is just a part of daily compound and temple clean up. 

What differentiates Bali from many other parts of the world is that here…folks take charge of the areas (villages/kampungs) where they live.  Very little of Bali's efforts to keep its beaches clean, or to keep Bali “green” has anything to do with official governmental regulations or control.  Rather, the incentive and understanding of the economic consequences of apathy are truly at the most micro level imaginable.   

Very simply, when village “A” in east Bali sees its neighbor's Village “B” (with a daily cleaned beach) hosting a good number of regular daily tamu…buying beers and food from their beach side warungs…village “A” catches on to reality very quickly.

Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981 when the beach road was just a dirt track that ended at Halfway Beach. The importance of keeping Kuta Beach clean more than any other beach in Bali cannot be understated. Should it ever be considered a "dirty" beach it would have a massive effect on tourism.

Hansson wrote:

Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981 when the beach road was just a dirt track that ended at Halfway Beach. The importance of keeping Kuta Beach clean more than any other beach in Bali cannot be understated. Should it ever be considered a "dirty" beach it would have a massive effect on tourism.

Really?   

Then without me saying too much more (in total disagreement), I guess I'll let the photos speak for themselves...photos clearly taken well after "early morning":

https://weather.com/travel/news/trash-s … s-20140123http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2013/12/27 … Kuta-Beachhttp://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011 … pital.htmlhttp://www.balisubak.com/2014/05/during … -hell.html

And believe me, there are plenty of more links I could easily provide. 

I can't help myself from often wondering…have you actually ever been to Bali?   

Sorry for my direct post, but I grow tired and impatient of folks who clearly don't know Bali, but yet pretend else wise.   

“Should it (Kuta beach, Bali) ever be considered a "dirty" beach it would have a massive effect on tourism.”

Just for the record...tourism in Kuta, Bali is these days a mere fraction of the areas producing tourism revenue.   That's just simple fact and easily documented on the internet (if you do your homework), or better yet...consult directly with the Bali Office of Tourism.   

But the overall point is that there is a movement to try and make it better and to fix it, thats what I am suggesting.
In Jakarta, the process is also the same with more people employed to deal with garbage and more focus aimed at district heads to improve things and make it cleaner all round which again is happening albeit slowly. I am involved in the clean up that happens once or twice year by all the men in neighbourhood through sweeping and declogging waterways and other places and it does have an impact. It is a case of 3 steps forward,2 back but each step forward is a step in the right direction

OK McCleod, so how long have you been living in Bali (Ubud)…or in other words, how indepth is your perspective of the problem?  That is the singular question I would ask you.

Do you have any memories of Jalan Raya in Ubud being covered with garbage during any January or February of years past?  And I do mean covered. 

“Bali is getting a reputation as an island that is full of garbage and this WILL impact tourism negatively if things are not better managed.”

I totally disagree. 

At one time…yes, but now…not at all to the degree that it once was.

And trust me…this is near and dear to my heart as well, and that is precisely why I've put my money where my mouth is insofar as supporting NGO, local, and Rotary efforts into this issue for more than 17 years...and so have a large number of other long time expats.  These are Ubud expats (and other based areas of Bali) who prefer to be part of the solution...and not the problem. 

“Sorry, but all the garbage in Bali does NOT come from Java.”

I agree…and I have stated the same in an earlier post.  Moreover, this has been proven by analysis of the garbage. 

“…lots of great things happening such as the Bali Green School, Bali…”

Again, totally agree, and I've touted the Green School on this forum more than anyone…over and over and for a long time.  Have you seen the Ted Talk by two students of the Green School?

So, what are you personally doing about it? 

That's a question initially posted in the starting post of this thread by Kenjee…

“How do you personally commit to improve the environment in your daily life?” 

It's a valid question.  And for those expats truly committed to Bali being "home" it's a responsibility as well.

"But the overall point is that there is a movement to try and make it better and to fix it, thats what I am suggesting."

Agree Luke...and it's wonderful to hear this from you guys in Jakarta!   

Cheers, Roy

OK, so back to you McCleod, since you significantly edited your prior post with links.

Let's take those links one by one…this one first:

https://www.instagram.com/p/-pBIJNKiMg/

Does that really look all that bad to you…or in other words, how does that image compare to the images of Kuta Beach I posted earlier?

Yes, the nightly burning of waste in traditional Balinese villages is a nuisance…no doubt about it.  However, fire is purification in Bali, so there is a long time cultural precedent for burning that which is impure on a regular basis.  Given our high air quality…are you going to suggest that this is a serious problem? 

On my list of “things to work on” that is near the bottom.  Seriously, you need to put things into perspective. 

Now, to your other link, that one being in Sanur after a downfall of rain:

https://www.instagram.com/p/_lnON5KiKp/

A) The blog entry isn't dated, and B) you clearly haven't been in Ubud all that long, as that photo is nothing…and I mean nothing compared to what you would have seen in Ubud on Jalan Raya on most any day in January or February ten or more years ago.  I'm serious, and just ask any Ubud area expat you can meet at Nuris or the Fly Cafe and they will tell you exactly what I am telling you now. 

Sorry, but if you want me to take your comments, observations, and photo documentation seriously…then you need to get serious.

And by the way, nobody on this forum, especially me, EVER says, "Bali is some kind of utopian paradise with no problems."  However, that being said I am always very happy to point the way to Ngurah Rai, for passage out of here for those who clearly would be happier elsewhere.   

That's great...and selamat.

But you didn't answer my question relating to how long, and how indepth is your perspective on Ubud, or Bali in general concerning this matter.

This matters...because I'm thinking about what we are potentially coming to...like serious future complaints over a cigarette butt found on the road...etc., etc.

Lord help the person I first hear that complaint from!   

Cheers, Roy

Ubudian wrote:

Hansson wrote:

Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981 when the beach road was just a dirt track that ended at Halfway Beach. The importance of keeping Kuta Beach clean more than any other beach in Bali cannot be understated. Should it ever be considered a "dirty" beach it would have a massive effect on tourism.

Really?   

Then without me saying too much more (in total disagreement), I guess I'll let the photos speak for themselves...photos clearly taken well after "early morning":

https://weather.com/travel/news/trash-s … s-20140123http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2013/12/27 … Kuta-Beachhttp://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011 … pital.htmlhttp://www.balisubak.com/2014/05/during … -hell.html

And believe me, there are plenty of more links I could easily provide. 

I can't help myself from often wondering…have you actually ever been to Bali?   

Sorry for my direct post, but I grow tired and impatient of folks who clearly don't know Bali, but yet pretend else wise.   

“Should it (Kuta beach, Bali) ever be considered a "dirty" beach it would have a massive effect on tourism.”

Just for the record...tourism in Kuta, Bali is these days a mere fraction of the areas producing tourism revenue.   That's just simple fact and easily documented on the internet (if you do your homework), or better yet...consult directly with the Bali Office of Tourism.   

Consult directly the Bali Office of Tourism? Do my homework?

Roy, Roy, Roy. If you'd read those newspaper links carefully you'd see that those photos relate to winter months and storm tides and are not representative of how Kuta Beach looks most of the time. And if you look very very carefully, you can see bulldozers (more than one) cleaning up the mess on the beach which just goes to show that the beaches are not like that all the time. It also mentions that most of that crap comes from a nearby river in Bali swept along Kuta Beach by storm tides. So those photos were taken in exceptional circumstances, and are certainly not the norm. Oh...you didn't know that? But if you'd venture down to Kuta Beach yourself you can probably see yourself that it does not look like a war zone.

And if you'd care to do your own homework you will learn that Kuta Beach is cleaned up most mornings. I do not know if you are familiar with Kuta, I know it is quite far from Ubud, but if you get there in the early morning you yourself can see the beaches being cleaned up.

Furthermore, if it helps I can actually (try) to upload some lovely photos of Kuta Beach full of sunbathers and surfers and hardly any rubbish on the beach at all.

“Roy, Roy, Roy. If you'd read those newspaper links carefully you'd see that those photos relate to winter months and storm tides and are not representative of how Kuta Beach looks most of the time.”

And, if you read my post, Hansson, you would have read this:

“Back in those days it was common to see streets littered with garbage, especially during the rainy season.  It was also common back then to find road side garbage dumps in more remote areas.  The same would apply back then to Bali's beaches…very often being disgustingly polluted with all sorts of garbage.”

A) I am talking about the past, and B) I made it clear that the problem then was exacerbated by the rainy season.  And just for the record, the rainy season here in Bali is from October through March…or roughly one half of the year. 

Yes, I know Kuta quite well as my family owns some properties along Jalan Legian.  You might keep to mind that this has been my 24/7 home for a bit more than the past 17 years, and not just a place where I spent some time now and then.

“Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981…”

Baloney!  And I stand 100% behind my prior post.

I do not know whether you were in Bali in 1981, but if you were then you'd have seen people cleaning the beaches in the early morning. I think I wrote my first magazine article on Bali in 1984. And I distinctly remember the beaches were cleaned by women in the mornings. But what do you remember about Bali in the early eighties? I have very fond memories from back then.

I also have Balinese family and they also own property in Kuta, Jimbaran as well in other parts of Bali. But either of us having family in Bali proves nothing.

Look Roy, nobody is saying that you don't know a lot about Bali. I am sure you do, especially as you tell us you lived there 24/7 for many years. I too have lived in Bali 24/7 although not nearly as long as you have. Seventeen years in a village near Ubud must have brought you lots and lots of rich experiences and knowledge and it is great that you can share that wonderful experience with the rest of us.

I think it should be pretty clear that my problem is with this comment…

“Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981…”

The fact is, and it's an inarguable fact, is that Kuta Beach has not been cleaned every morning of every day from 1981 to present. 

If you wanted to say something like, “back in the early 80's when I used to spend a lot of time in Kuta they cleaned the beach every morning” then fine…no problem, and good to know that tidbit from 35 years ago.  But you are sadly mistaken to presume that Kuta beach was cleaned every morning in the last decade and a half.   

Do you see my point? 

Projecting your fond memories of Bali from 35 years ago to just as recent as 5 or 10 years ago is neither useful, or accurate unless you make it clear that you are only reminiscing about days long, long gone.   

These days it is much better all over Bali, and that's been my whole point all along in this discussion. 

Your post #18 was written in direct opposition to mine, (post #17) including your gross exaggeration of the present status and importance of tourism in Kuta.  Obviously, as someone who is acutely aware and knowledgeable about Bali, (present day and for the past 17 years), I cannot let grossly inaccurate statements about my home stand without correction.  I would presume, and expect that if I made similar misstatements about Bandung, that I would hear from you. 

“Stick to what you know” has always been a useful guide for me.   

Calm down Roy....

No worries.  I'm as calm as a sleeping cat. 

I only wanted to straighten you out regarding our discussion.  Facts matter to me. 

Cheers!

http://www.jejamo.com/325-ton-sampah-pe … -baru.html

“Padahal produksi sampah di Pantai Kuta pada hari-hari biasa sekitar 250 ton, sehingga pada perayaan tahun baru ini ada peningkatan sekitar 75 ton,” katanya sebagaimana dilansir Antara.

New year was a bit of a mess, but the seemingly normal 250 tonnes is a bit bad by anyone's standards.
I wonder how much is down to storm tides/weather, and how much is down to tourists with a lousy attitude.

Wow Fred. That really is amazing!!! The beach is so dirty and there is only one tourist on the beach surrounded by garbage.

I have to apologize to both Fred and Roy. I mean there was I naively thinking that storm tides were sweeping hundreds of tons of garbage from a nearby river towards Kuta Beach and creating this awful mess, and you have proven to me that it may be caused by tourists with a lousy attitude. Tourists who dump thousands and thousand of plastic bags and sticks and broken branches and other garbage on Kuta Beach. It is so sad that Kuta Beach is no longer clean. I can actually remember quite a long time ago, last November actually, seeing a clean Kuta Beach.

Thinking positively, I wonder what the authorities intend doing about tourists who create such a huge mess on Kuta Beach. My recommendation is to have a team of people who clean up the beach in the early morning, and when the amount of garbage gets really huge then use those mini-bulldozers.

I also believe the authorities should post guards at the entrances to the beach and prevent tourists from bringing sticks and broken branches onto the beach as not only does it look unsightly but can also be dangerous.

Come on Hansson, let's get serious and not factitious.   OK?  Can we do that?

The garbage that regularly accumulates on Kuta, (and virtually every other beach on Bali) is sourced both from Bali, (all parts of Bali) and from other islands.  As I've said before, this is fully documented by studying the origins (when possible) of said trash which washes up on the beaches of Bali. 

There is no particular river that feeds all this trash, rather it is all a function of the very strong (and I might say notorious) Bali currents and tides, particularly during the wet season.       

During the day hours, anyone who goes sailing or fishing on Bali waters can see this junk floating on the surface…only later on to be washed up on the nearest shores. 

To some extent, yes, tourists, especially the party crowds that frequent Kuta are also to blame, and this is self evident by a simple beach walk in the late afternoon or early evening when the beach at Kuta empties out.  Locals are also contributors to the problem.

Ubudian wrote:

I think it should be pretty clear that my problem is with this comment…

“Kuta Beach has been cleaned every morning for as far back as I can remember, which is going back to around 1981…”.

The fact is, and it's an inarguable fact, is that Kuta Beach has not been cleaned every morning of every day from 1981 to present. 

If you wanted to say something like, “back in the early 80's when I used to spend a lot of time in Kuta they cleaned the beach every morning” then fine…no problem, and good to know that tidbit from 35 years ago.  But you are sadly mistaken to presume that Kuta beach was cleaned every morning in the last decade and a half.   

Do you see my point? 

Projecting your fond memories of Bali from 35 years ago to just as recent as 5 or 10 years ago is neither useful, or accurate unless you make it clear that you are only reminiscing about days long, long gone.   

These days it is much better all over Bali, and that's been my whole point all along in this discussion. 

Your post #18 was written in direct opposition to mine, (post #17) including your gross exaggeration of the present status and importance of tourism in Kuta.  Obviously, as someone who is acutely aware and knowledgeable about Bali, (present day and for the past 17 years), I cannot let grossly inaccurate statements about my home stand without correction.  I would presume, and expect that if I made similar misstatements about Bandung, that I would hear from you. 

“Stick to what you know” has always been a useful guide for me.   

Roy you are absolutely right. When I said "every morning" there is actually no way that I would know if it was every single morning from 1981 to 2016. I should actually have said "I remember on most mornings seeing ladies cleaning up Kuta Beach.....".  Well spotted Roy.

However, in all fairness, I used to surf a lot and spent a lot of time on Kuta Beach and I remember most mornings seeing groups of ladies cleaning up the litter. Why back in those days I sometimes stayed at Poppies Cottage I and remember paying $21 a night and it was considered expensive back then. I also stayed at Komala Indah also in Poppies Lane I and I think I paid $2.50 a night to share a room with another surfer. How cheap things were back then. We were like four surfers, me, a couple of Brits and an Aussie. We also surfed at Uluwatu and Nusa Dua when the winds were offshore. I actually bought a secondhand original Haiwaiian Lightning Bolt board in Kuta shaped by Doug Warren in Haiwaii which was a terrific board for bigger waves. Same kind that Gerry Lopez used to ride.

But whenever I am in Bali I do still see women cleaning up the litter on Kuta Beach in the early mornings, every time I go to the beach, and it reminds me of back in the early eighties and what a great job they are doing.

I will be in Bali later this week so can have a look to see if they still clean the beach in the mornings. If the condition of the beach is as bad as some of the photos I've seen then I won't stop long at the beach.

Here's a good article about solar-power development in Bali.

Solar power has a lot of potential (If you'll forgive the electricity joke), but it's still very expensive as far as home installations go.
Before it really takes off, we'd have to see low voltage equipment with external PSUs become the norm.
Many of the new generation of TVs and other electronic kit runs on 12 to 18v (5v for low power computers and mobile phones), but need 220v because they're designed with an internal PSU, so you have to invert the power from your battery, wasting a lot of power for nothing.

You can buy and install a Wika Solar Panel for your home for around Rp14 million. That's not a large one but enough to give you hot water for showers and for washing the dishes.

Hot water for showers - why? It's about 30 degrees outside, so not a lot of point.
I've seen the heater panels, but I'm unimpressed at the idea.
Electricity panels have 'potential'.

Fred wrote:

Hot water for showers - why? It's about 30 degrees outside, so not a lot of point.
I've seen the heater panels, but I'm unimpressed at the idea.
Electricity panels have 'potential'.

Living in Bandung our water supply is basically mountain water and is freezing cold compared to what you folk get in Jakarta or wherever, and the early morning temperatures vary from around 19  to 22 Deg C. We built a house for the in-laws and when you get to a certain age you prefer hot water showers rather than ice cold showers. Of course some old people have no choice and must make do with cold showers, but in Bandung Fred the water is very cold, I mean really cold. Same goes for the kids in the morning, it's freezing cold and very unpleasant for them. So, Rp14 million isn't a lot of money to have a bit of luxury.

The alternative is to do as many people do, boil a huge pot of water and fill a small tub with warm water and pan it over the body to wash the soap and shampoo off your body. But if you are unlucky and drop the pot of boiling water someone could get seriously scalded.

And if you have a bathtub in your home, I would prefer to take a bubble bath in hot water rather than freezing cold mountain water.

We also choose to use hot water to wash our dishes and cutlery because it is more hygienic and kills germs. Again, the choice would be boiling a pot of water to fill the sink or washing up in cold water.

For my in-laws, the electricity bill is very small, not only because they use a Wika, but also because all the lights in their house use LED bulbs. For ourselves, we installed an Ariston Water Heater which I think has a 25 or 30 litres capacity, so we get instant hot water for showers. I should clarify that when I say "hot" shower, I actually use a mixture of hot and cold water together to get a "very warm" temperature of water.

I know that some people prefer to use fans as opposed to aircons, because arircons consume a lot of electricity and they dry out the skin. But we turn our aircons on at around 2 - 3pm in the afternoon because that is when it starts to feel very warm and because we like to feel comfortable. We always use aircons at night, although a couple nights back there was a power cut for a couple of hours and we were fine even without the aircons.

I suppose it depends mostly on personal preference. But I would hazard a guess that if you yourself lived in Bandung that you would install a Wika or Water Heater or boil water every morning to mandi. By the way, it shows on Yahoo Weather that the temperature is 23 Deg C as at 6.10pm this evening.