Introducing Solarhub.id a new IESR’s initiative providing information about solar PV and it’s development in Indonesia

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar photovoltaic (PV) would play an important role in global energy transition ¹. The rapid technology development and the increasing demand for solar PV have pulled the solar PV price much cheaper than in the past decades. The easy installation and construction made solar PV flexible for various applications e.g. households, industries, commercials, public facilities, also concentrated (ground-mounted & floating) solar parks. As the result, solar PV applications are getting popular and increasing exponentially in many countries around the world especially in Asia and Southeast Asia.

Located at the equator, Indonesia is abundant with solar energy potential. With an average of global horizontal irradiation of 4.8 kWh/m2, Indonesia can generate a significant amount of electricity per year, as high as 1,534 kWh/year for each installed kWp of solar panels². Recent studies show that residential rooftop solar PV only could generate as much as 655 GWp³, not including solar park & floating solar PV potential. However, a modest development is performed by Indonesia despite the ambitious 6500 MW of solar PV target set by the government in 2025⁴. Until this article is published the installed capacity of Solar PV in Indonesia reached only 185 MW, far behind Indonesia’s neighboring countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, and Malaysia.

This condition has no single and absolute solution. Many key factors need to be considered such as government commitment, regulation consistency, financial incentives, as well as public awareness, and access to information. A recent study report in two metropolitan cities in Indonesia shows that comprehensive information and consistent public socialization is enabling factors to the application of residential solar rooftop⁵. Therefore, the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) initiate Solarhub platform to accelerate the application of solar PV in Indonesia.

Solarhub is an online platform, providing essential information about solar PV and its development in Indonesia. Solarhub enables people to evaluate your rooftop solar PV potential and connect people to the nearest solar system provider. Solarhub.id aims to provide access to stimulate the deployment of solar photovoltaic through an online platform. Acting as a “hub”, Solarhub.id connects people who want to install solar rooftop, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) for solar rooftop. It is a way to simplify people to more literate on solar rooftop installation. Tailored with updated information about news, regulation, trivia, and other highlighted stories, Solarhub is designed to be the solar PV information center to support the public access to solar PV information in order to accelerate the application of solar PV in Indonesia.

Visit solarhub.id

1. IEA, 2018, World Energy Outlook 2018.
2. Solargis.
3. IESR, 2019, Residential Rooftop Solar – Technical and Market Potential in 34 Provinces in Indonesia.
4. MEMR, 2017, National Energy Plan.
5. IESR, 2019, Powering the Cities: Market Potential Analysis to Accelerate The Rooftop Solar Potential in Two Metropolitan Cities in Indonesia.