How vocational high-school students understand geothermal energy

Abstract

Indonesia has the highest potential of geothermal energy in the world with 28,5 GW. However, the utilization ratio is low with around 6% only. This situation occur since there are several geothermal energy targets failed to be achieved. The development of geothermal energy has several problems and one of them is rejection in the community when geothermal development begins. To overcome this situation, an increase in community understanding of this technology usage needs to be conducted. Therefore, the objective of this study is to discover public understanding by exploring the knowledge of vocational high school students about geothermal energy. This is conducted because they are young people who are part of the community. Their knowledge plays an important role in selecting energy sources for the country in the future. This study uses a triangulation strategy model that combines quantitative and qualitative methods. Respondents were students in Indonesia with a case study in Karanganyar Regency, Central of Java. Knowledge is measured by an indicator of the level of understanding of geothermal technology.