HME Masuk Desa?
Community service is one of ITB's three pillars. HME embodies this in concrete work and action, with the PALAPA village electricity project. Like previous PALAPA projects, PALAPA III has its own story.
PALAPA III
The PALAPA 3 HME ITB project which will be carried out in Sukabakti Hamlet, Girimukti Village, Bojonggambir District, Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java has a long-term goal of "Building an energy independent village by utilizing various local potentials" and a short-term goal "as a means of approach and community service to foster social sensitivity and as a forum for the application of electrotechnical science for HME ITB students in particular and ITB students in general". Based on one of the main problems of Sukabakti Hamlet, Girimukti Village, namely the lack of access to electricity from PLN, which makes residents take the initiative to pull cables as far as +/- 1 km from other villages. Pulling cables that do not meet standards has claimed lives because it is very dangerous if touched by residents, therefore here HME ITB students are trying to provide a solution by building a PLTS (Solar Power Plant) in Sukabakti Hamlet.
This Solar Power Plant Installation is also used for Street Lighting, Electric Pumps, Public Toilets, as well as electricity sources for public facilities (Mosques, Elementary Schools, etc.) that already exist in Sukabakti Hamlet. In addition to the PLTS Installation and its utilization, Biogas will also be used in order to utilize livestock manure to reduce the use of firewood in cooking, health education by inviting the nearest health center in the village, and research on OpenBTS Installation which is expected to be used for cellular communication and provide Internet access to the village as a learning tool for elementary school children in Sukabakti Hamlet. Of course, the various plans above will be carried out by students together with residents from the concept stage to the implementation in the field. This is done because the PALAPA project, chaired by Kharisma Surya Gautama (13207117), is a means of increasing students' social sensitivity so that interaction and good relationships with local residents are prioritized in the project implementation process.