Oktoviano Gandhi received his Master of Physics degree from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, in 2015. He is currently working towards a Ph.D. at the National University of Singapore (NUS). On the research front, Oktoviano has worked on the engineering aspects of solar cells and modules, all the way to analysing policies’ impact on energy intensity. Through Alva Energi, the company that he co-founded, Oktoviano is now channelling his expertise in solar energy, rural electrification, electricity grid planning, and energy policy to promote renewable energy development in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. He was invited as a Leader of Tomorrow to the 49th St. Gallen Symposium.

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After your Master’s degree in physics at Oxford, you became very interested in renewable energy. How did this come about?

In Oxford, physics is very theoretical, and it seems removed from the real world. And I really wanted to do something more practical. I strongly admire the people who are doing this very fundamental research because they are truly building our knowledge about the world, yet the applications will only be usable in about 20 to 30 years. Like Einstein’s theory of relativity: now it is used a lot for example in GPS, but the knowledge has been there since the 1915/1920s. So whilst studying I went to Brazil to the University of Sao Paolo for an internship in energy policy. There, I gained so much knowledge about energy policies and how energy is a very important necessity for everybody. Also, I saw the significance of energy for economic development. Brazil is quite similar to Indonesia in terms of development and its agricultural society. And I wanted to bring what I learned back to Indonesia to somewhat contribute to my home country.

Now coming from physics, what I understood most was nuclear. Yet nuclear is a bit more controversial. Even very advanced societies have had horrendous accidents. And in less developed countries it is even more risky as the safety precautions are often not as strict. Solar energy has the strong advantage of being very modular. You can have very small quantities for a house or a village, but you can also power a whole city. Nuclear energy has to be used in a large-scale powering; in smaller communities this is not an option.

In many developed countries everyone has access to energy and the people take it for granted, yet in many parts of the world there are millions of people who do not have access to electricity or even clean water. These people need the energy and I believe that solar energy could be a solution for these kinds of communities.

Whilst doing my research I saw that your business Alva Energi has its slogan: “Energy for All”.

Yes, I was just talking to another participant, and he mentioned that usually people assume renewable energy is something reserved for more developed countries as they have the resources to invest in it. However, countries that are less developed or even war torn need the access to electricity and water. Solar energy which is so modular may even be portable so in fact this electricity can be highly useful to them.

How did Alva Energi come about?

There was never an “aha” moment. I would say it was more a continuous learning process. After I came back from Brazil, I continued my Master’s in the UK, and I was thinking what I should do with my life now that I’ll have my degree. It was clear to me that I wanted to go into energy but that was just about it. At first, I wished to get a job in solar energy somewhere. But at that time in the UK solar energy companies were either very small and therefore could not sponsor my visa or they were large companies starting off in the field of solar energy, but they would only hire people with 10 to 20 years of experience – experience which I still do not have now. And that led me to thinking if I want to position myself as a solar energy expert later on, I should consider also doing a Ph.D. in it to get the knowledge and the credentials. Whilst doing my Ph.D. in Singapore I ordered solar panels online to learn how they work. I started with simple things like charging my phone with them additionally I began participating in community projects to learn more about the underground circumstances. To help these people, I believe a top down approach would be wrong I needed to also understand their needs.

Whilst visiting some Indonesian islands for a community project we realized that there were already systems like solar panels donated by different government entities. But the problem is that it’s a top down approach. Government entities come deliver and install the systems, and then they leave without any transfer of knowledge. The people didn’t have access to capital needed to buy components, or they didn’t know where to get them or how to fix the panels. So that’s where we started, we organised capital and fixed the systems. We try not only to get the broken systems working again but to teach the people about the maintenance and how they can repair certain parts of the systems. We are trying to do more and more of what we think is meaningful and can be sustainable for the people and ourselves.

What are future plans for Alva Energi?

I believe the gathering of knowledge will never stop. Like the speaker earlier just mentioned you must always continue learning or you will be eaten, and I do not want to be eaten. At the moment unfortunately we are all still part-time. I will be finishing my Ph.D. In July and August and then I will go full time into Alva Energi and I would say that will be the start.

There are still quite a lot of barriers for a large-scale electrification implementation. We will keep on trying to create an impact partnering with more NGOs and more government officials trying to scale it with funding of the local government. Currently, Indonesia is still more focused on fossil fuels because there are still many strong players in the fossil fields with influence in the government policies and of course they want to keep their piece of the cake. However, the cake is expanding, and people need more energy as the economy is developing and I think it is important for renewable energy to also take a part of the cake. So that it is more sustainable, and it goes more into the capital for purpose as renewable energy is not only a short-term solution.

Is there any advice you could give to other young people wanting to make an impact?

At the end of the day, like NIKE says it “Just do it”. I believe a lot of people have great ideas they wish to implement, yet they don’t do it because nobody likes uncertainty. But a lot of us have the privilege that even if the paycheck doesn’t come, we won’t go hungry or have to sleep under the bridge so why not make use of that privilege if you have found your way of making impact. Take up the courage and go.

But I believe everybody makes an impact no matter if they start their own business or do research or work in a company. Starting your own business is not the way for everyone. There is a carrier guide that I find very useful called 80’000 hours. It’s from an organisation based in Oxford and it tries to find a customised solution for everyone wanting to make an impact.

Caroline Monstein