In the OCEANO 2023 Renewable Energy Case Study competition, the Champione Team from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (UI), Nadzwa Adzlia Chinara, Arifah Bening Saptana, and Inggarjati Qolbun Salim, emerged as the first winner. The students utilized paraffin as a material for producing electrical energy in the design of the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system.
The victory was thanks to case study-based research on the Energy Storage System that must be modified according to demand.
Paraffin is a hydrocarbon compound that is widely used because it has an important role in industry, crafts, and daily use. Paraffin is derived from crude oil that has gone through a refining process. It has unique properties, such as low reactivity and high stability. In addition, paraffin is an affordable and readily available hydrocarbon chemical.
According to Nadzwa, the project started by utilizing solar as an alternative energy source to address the energy crisis that has become a global concern. Although Indonesia supports the concept of net zero emission and solar energy, the high tariff of solar energy utilization makes people prefer electricity from PLN, which has a limited supply. Therefore, Team Champion created an affordable and sustainable TES system.
TES was designed by Team Champione using photovoltaic (PV) panels and inverters, with paraffin as the energy storage medium. Paraffin is an economical alternative to expensive ESS lithium-ion batteries for solar energy use in Indonesia. The use of solar panels in this TES system utilizes photo-capture of sunlight, which then generates electric current through the photovoltaic effect.
“Paraffin is used in the solar panel innovation because it can produce twice the energy compared to conventional methods. The TES system with paraffin media can also save energy costs, as it can divert energy consumption. Paraffin that melts and solidifies produces energy, so heated paraffin can produce twice the energy. In addition, the risk of leakage when the paraffin solidifies at room temperature is also very low,” Nadzwa said.
The innovation produced by the Champione Team at the event initiated by the Marine Engineering Study Program, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS) in September 2023 received appreciation from the Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU. “Solar energy utilization is an important and increasingly relevant topic today because solar energy is an unlimited source of energy. This innovative idea from FTUI students considers economic aspects and environmental sustainability. Hopefully, this innovative idea can be implemented as an alternative to the use of solar energy,” he said.
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia