Community behavior analysis of electricity consumption in rural areas (a case study of Batang Regency)

The need for electricity linearly increases despite the lack of accessibility to electric power, especially in rural or downtown area. Since electricity has several positive impacts such as supporting human activities, increasing competitiveness and improving the economy, lack of access to it could lead to an area being underdeveloped. The government expected that procuring a 35,000 Mega Watt generator would overcome this problem. However, from the consumer's perspective, it is important to avoid over or under design during the infrastructure development lead. This study aims to analyze the energy reserve needs from the villagers' own perspectives by determining peak loads, electricity consumption, and the reliability of the power distribution systems. The research took place in Batang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. It used interviews to deeply explore consumer behavior in energy consumption presented in commonly demanded factors, diversity factors, SAIDI and SAIFI values, and the respondent's understanding of energy saving. The results of this study revealed some unique characteristic behaviors of Batang electricity consumers based on their locations.