While green energy may be a buzzword that gets tossed around the social media and business worlds with alacrity, it is much more than the environmental cause du jour for Pak Lam Brian Chan (LA’11) — green energy is part of his family business.
Chan took over as CEO of P.T. Rimba Palma Sejahtera Lestari (RPSL) nearly a year and a half ago. Bloomberg calls the Indonesia-based company a developer and operator of biomass power-producing units, a type of energy production that Chan says makes good business and environmental sense. He leads the Indonesia branch office and spends most of his time with the biomass power plant, currently revamping its overall design as well as managing day-to-day operations and meeting with potential investors.
Indonesia, which has signed the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and work toward climate neutrality by the end of the century, has concerns about deforestation from the palm oil industry and paper and pulp companies. Chan sees his company’s work in biomass as a key step toward more efficient and environmentally friendly energy production. “We are not chopping down the rainforest to generate power,” he says.
RPSL generates power by utilizing biomass waste collected from Indonesia’s rubber wood plantations and palm oil mills that would eventually rot in the open, releasing greenhouse gases.
“We are repurposing waste to generate electricity in an otherwise power-deficit country,” Chan says. “Biomass is superior to fossil fuels because it doesn’t add to the overall carbon balance above ground. If you burn coal, you are releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The carbon released from burning biomass can be converted back into biomass in just a few years.”
Emil Cheung, an NBA commentator and sports host in Hong Kong, grew up with Chan and says his friend’s success comes from his willingness to go the extra mile. “Brian is a really independent person, but he respects the people around him, which makes him an easygoing character,” Cheung says. “He’s always willing to try new things.”
“We are repurposing waste to generate electricity in an otherwise power-deficit country.”
—Pak Lam Brian Chan
Chan says green energy production is still in its infancy in Indonesia but is growing in demand. He hopes to expand his company’s work, creating a biomass plantation on soil barren from open-pit mining and deforestation and producing organic fertilizer for farming and soil rehabilitation.
“There is no perfect source of energy,” Chan says. “It really depends on where you are located and what kind of resources are available to you. Indonesia is near the equator — the warmth and humidity create a perfect environment for vegetation to grow. Biomass makes sense here.