The Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Brawijaya (FTUB) enthusiastically welcomed the visit of the Electricity Research and Development Center (Puslitbang Ketenagalistrikan) team of PT PLN (Persero), in an important agenda that took place on Thursday (24/4/2025). This activity was held in the FTUB Dean’s Leadership Meeting Room and became a strategic momentum in the development of new and renewable energy research, especially the use of hydrogen technology.

During this visit, a symbolic handover of the 1000W Fuel Cell Set from PLN to FTUB was carried out. This device will later be used as part of the development of hydrogen-based vehicle technology being developed by the Apatte-62 Brawijaya Team. The handover is a symbol of the joint commitment between the academic world and industry in supporting the development of clean energy in Indonesia.

The event also served as the Kick Off Meeting for Prototyping Hydrogen-Based Vehicles (H2) which is part of a collaborative research and innovation project between FTUB and PLN. This project aims to develop energy-efficient hydrogen-based vehicles, which are expected to be a future solution for environmentally friendly transportation in Indonesia.

This activity was attended by a number of important officials in FTUB, including the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and the Head of the Entrepreneurship and Cooperation Agency. Also present were representatives from the Apatte-62 Brawijaya Team who will be the main implementers of the development of the hydrogen vehicle prototype.

In his remarks, the Dean of FTUB, Prof. Ir. Hadi Suyono, S.T., MT., Ph.D., IPU., ASEAN Eng., APEC Eng. expressed his high appreciation to PLN Puslitbang Ketenagalistrikan for the trust and real support given to FTUB.

“This is not only a form of cooperation, but also a joint commitment to developing technology that has a broad impact on society and the environment. In addition, with this collaboration, hopefully it will also give rise to innovations and achievements that the Apatte-62 team will get in the future,” he said.

Representatives from PLN Puslitbang Ketenagalistrikan, namely Achmad Nurfanani and Wigas Digwijaya also said that this collaboration is part of the company’s strategy in supporting the development of environmentally friendly alternative energy and supporting net zero emissions in the future. They hope that with the research and innovation capacity of FTUB, this project can become one of the national models in the implementation of hydrogen technology.

Meanwhile, the Apatte-62 Team welcomed this support as a new spirit to continue creating innovation. In recent years, this team has been known to be active in developing energy-efficient vehicles and has succeeded in recording achievements both at the national and international levels.

This visit and activity ended with a technical discussion and an initial review of the prototype development work plan. It is hoped that this project can run smoothly and become a new milestone in synergy between academics and industry in supporting Indonesia’s energy transformation towards a sustainable future. [drn]