Scholarship / My leadership experiences in various renewable energy projects as a government research engineer [NEW]

Hi everyone! Greetings from Indonesia. My name is Arya. I would like to have my essays reviewed (although it is already being submitted weeks ago). Could you please give feedback and input to this? Thank you very much, stay healthy and have a blast day!

My Chevening Essays : Part 1 - Leadership and Influences

Prompt : Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (minimum word count: 100 words; maximum word count: 500 words)

Leadership and influence

Leadership is not about the position but the influence. My leadership experiences in various renewable energy projects as a government research engineer served as a testament.

In 2019, I joined a project of 2000 cubic meters co-firing biogas. This project belongs to PT. P***** V (P** V), Pekanbaru and is related to Indonesia's research priority. This project required an instrument and control system facility. Therefore, I initiated a research proposal to develop this in a year, obtained a 1.3 billion rupiah grant from Indonesia's Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education, and led a team of 8 researchers from various backgrounds. We are required to submit the engineering documents and appoint a contractor for this project. A series of challenges rocked our boat during the project execution. For example, the tight project deadline, improving my team's knowledge of this subject, late purchased materials, and construction progress delay by the contractor. Undeterred, I used my expertise and experiences from my previous project to navigate those problems. I helped our contractor by identifying items that had long-time inquiries and ordered them quickly. I also gave them directions on doing parallel construction works with other sections, such as mechanical and piping. On the other hand, I also directed my team on how to create those documents. To make their jobs easier, I assigned each document related to each member's undergraduate background. Furthermore, I invited a professional trainer and created a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) training that helped them dive deeper into this project. Moreover, I held a monthly meeting to check the progress and convey our suggestions to the contractor to improve their work. Finally, we finished this project with a flawlessly operated instrument and control system and 12.4 billion rupiahs per year as potential revenue for P**** V[1].

Secondly, I was involved in a team that built a methanol synthetic prototype in 2019. This program served as a Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This project examines the probability of producing methanol from syngas using a catalyst. However, the prototype's frequent leaking halted the research. The team must prevent the leak since it can cause explosions and suffocation from carbon dioxide. My institution's credibility was at stake as our efforts went south. Doubt started creeping in as the group standstill and ran out of ideas. Fortunately, I remember my experience that a leak test by international standards can ensure safety. Therefore, I managed to convince them of this idea to proceed with the research. I gave them directions to check and monitor the leakage point meticulously. Finally, we have done the leak test safely and successfully produced methanol with 0.5% per volume. I collaborated with each research team (biogas and methanol) to create a nationally accredited journal publication. [2] [3]

After all, I aspire to be a Chevener who steered Indonesia's transition towards the renewable energy era and positively influenced our environment.

Source :
[1]https://www.bppt.go.id/berita-bppt/bppt-bersama-ptpn-v-ubah-limbah-cair-kepala-sawit-menjadi-sumber-listrik-terbarukan
[2]https://ejurnal.bppt.go.id/index.php/MIPI/article/view/3865
[3] ejurnal.bppt.go.id/index.php/MIPI/article/view/3857

Scholarship / One act of kindness will eventually lead to another compassion. Relationship-building - Chevening [NEW]

Hi everyone! Greetings from Indonesia. My name is Arya. I would like to have my Chevening essay reviewed (although it is already being submitted weeks ago). Could you please give feedback and input to this? Thank you very much, stay healthy and have a blast day!

Prompt : Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (minimum word count: 100 words; maximum word count: 500 words)

Relationship-building and shared learning

I believe that one act of kindness will eventually lead to another compassion. It also applies in the research world.

In 2018, 1** civil servant candidates from various cultures and races in Indonesia were recruited as research engineers at ***. Accordingly, I formed a cohort as a melting pot to accommodate their transition from the candidate of civil servants to official civil servants. Furthermore, I gathered their aspirations and concerns, facilitated their administration needs, and conveyed them to our liaison officer. Therefore, this cohort is helpful for our graduation. I then maintained our connection through forming an organization within that group, creating a gathering event, and social media group for coordination. I also gathered a donation fund for cherishing members' special occasions. Up until now, we are still connected and sharing helpful information through social media.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, I worked as a civil servant with a research engineer role at the N*** in Indonesia (****, formerly known as ****). I was involved in a wasted oil to fuel facility construction. This facility was the first and the only one in Indonesia. Specifically, this facility is in B****, S****, with a 20 ton/month production capacity and worth 4 billion rupiahs. Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry and Environment had appointed **** as the project executor.[1] Consequently, a temperature monitoring system worth 35 million rupiahs for this facility is required. Hence, I was assigned to build and commission that system. It uses Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software for monitoring temperature inside the reactor. I shall do a Modbus address programming to make this software work. However, a bug in the programming caught me in a deadlock. Little did I know that the network I established before comes in handy. One of my fellow researchers is a programming specialist. With the deadline looming before my eyes, he was willing to assist me by decoding the program in a night. Finally, the temperature monitoring system worked seamlessly, delivering the on-time and successful project execution.

This project also creates another wonder. Moreover, it employs and educates ten locals from underprivileged backgrounds to use this state-of-the-art facility. Until now, I still discuss any problems and give solution with them related to the project through the WhatsApp group. As a result of keeping our client's trust, another maintenance project for this facility worth hundred millions rupiahs is awarded to us in October 2021.

In the future, I will love to contribute to Chevening Alumni Association Indonesia and Chevening Connect. I want to engage as a committee, mentor, or speaker to share my experience. I also want to discuss and connect with other alumni in the energy sector. Furthermore, I'm dreaming of collaborations to build a renewable energy facility or giving recommendations to energy policies. I believe that these will positively impact Indonesia and even globally.

Source :
[1]https://rri.co.id/banjarmasin/ekonomi/1110701/dlh-kalsel-upayakan-formulasi-tepat-mengolah-oli-bekas-menjadi-bahan-bakar?utm_source=terbaru_widget&utm_medium=internal_link&utm_campaign=General%20Campaign

Scholarship / 'Self-development is paramount for research engineers'; Chevening Essay: Part 3 - Studying in the UK [NEW]

Hi everyone! Greetings from Indonesia. My name is Arya. I would like to have my essays reviewed (although it is already being submitted weeks ago). Could you please give feedback and input to this? Thank you very much, stay healthy and have a blast day!

Prompt : Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future. Please enter new information and examples here and not duplicate the information you have entered on the work experience and education section of this form (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

Studying in the UK

The future of renewable energy lies in control engineering and the Internet of Things (IoT). These will ensure a thriving, safe, and smooth operation. Currently, my role as a research engineer urges me to delve more into that subject. Despite working as ten years seasoned professional, my experiences are mainly in instrumentation, lacking in control engineering. Besides, the IoT has been famous for renewable energy facilities' online monitoring worldwide, yet still rarely used in my country. Therefore, my study objective is to implement control engineering in renewable energy with IoT applications in Indonesia.

Self-development is paramount for research engineers. Therefore, I'd published numerous research papers in the nationally accredited journals[1] and joined various training related to instrument and control implementation in renewable energy. I also held a professional qualification in electrical engineering from Lembaga Pengembangan Jasa Konstruksi (LPJK). With all being said, obtaining a master's program is mandatory in my profession.

I was enthralled to find Advanced Control and System Engineering Program from the University of Sheffield fit my study objective. They have collaborations in renewable energy research with the Drax Power Station[2]. Furthermore, their Industrial Training Program (ITP) course will allow me to enhance my expertise through hands-on practice in that institution. Moreover, two courses perfectly supported my vision to build an online, safe and reliable control system: industrial automation and cyber security for control systems. I'm also interested in studying with Dr. P*** as an expert in industrial automation with a similar interest in renewable energy real-time monitoring.

Meanwhile, the same program at the University of Manchester gives a deep theoretical approach combined with extensive software and laboratory work immersion. Joining this particular program will provide a chance to expand my proficiency in the control software LabVIEW. Also, I'm keen to study with Dr. ***c, which will give me more understanding of control in biogas or biomass process, which is among renewable energy forms. They have also developed advanced control engineering software to monitor and improve renewable energy processes, which I intend to emulate.

The Automation and Control program also provides me with an enticing and quality option. At Newcastle University, the Distributed Control System course is the only one in the UK, offering current insights into modern control technology. Moreover, one of the dissertation topics provided is a control system design for renewable energy. In addition, they provide a test bench for simulating any possible scenario in its actual application.

Uniquely, these control engineering programs are only available in the UK. Besides, a record-breaking 43% usage of renewable energy for electricity in the UK outpaced fossil fuel usage in 2020[3]. This record sets an example, and I'm also interested in learning about its know-how implementation in Indonesia.

To sum it up, a fully-funded master's degree by Chevening Scholarship in control engineering will help me bridge my knowledge gap. I hope to contribute to Indonesia's renewable energy research development through my expertise while progressing my career in the future.

Source :
[1] scholar.google.com/citations?user=-CqeSVoAAAAJ&hl=id
[2]https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/energy/news/university-sheffield-researchers-help-bring-green-industrial-revolution
[3] energy-uk.org.uk/publication.html?task=file.download&id=7993