Villagers once had to rely on their own resources to light their homes. The well-off households bought mobile diesel generators, but the less fortunate had to make do with makeshift oil lamps, locally known as lampu tonggok.

Saodah, 65, and Aminuddin, 69, were among the less fortunate. They were born and raised on the island, before any sort of electricity or modern lamps were introduced.

The couple said that for lighting the locals would rely on fishing boats that would also visit Bengkulu city to buy kerosene and then sell it in warung (kiosks) on Enggano Island.

"We would buy kerosene at the warung to make our own bottle lamps, using Kratingdaeng bottles," Saodah told The Jakarta Post in May, referring to a brand of energy drink that uses a 150-milliliter glass bottle.

The lack of electricity meant that Saodah had no electrical appliances, such as a clothing iron.

"We used an iron that was heated using hot charcoal. We only used it for parties or celebrations," Saodah said.

Darkness eventually gave way to light in 2014, Banjarsari village received solar panels and batteries from the central government, which, it was hoped, would bring light into the village.

"This solar panels arrived, delivering affordable electricity to villagers' houses," Suprik, the village head of Banjarsari, told the Post in May.

When the Banjarsari solar panels were fully operational, they supplied electricity to around 170 households in the village, out of a total of 276 households.

Those connected to the solar plant paid about Rp 25,000(US$1.64) each month in maintenance fees, each house receiving 25 watts of electricity credit daily, which was enough for a few electric lamps.

Suprik said that by 2017 the solar panels in Banjarsari were only operable during sunny days, and by night time the charge stored in the batteries installed at the plant only lasted until about an hour after midnight.

Fast forward to 2023, the panels, located amid dense forests and open fields of sparse rice fields and shrubs, are covered with moss and debris.

As no villagers have the knowledge or skills to operate the solar panels, nobody knew what to do when the batteries started to leak and became damaged.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/longform/2023/07/21/and-there-was-light-from-fossil-fuel.htm