The Sustainable Energy Access Program focuses on public policy advocacy works, including research and public campaign, to promote the universal provision of just, inclusive, and sustainable energy access in Indonesia; the term access refers to high quality energy provision capable of driving productive activities beyond basic services.

The Sustainable Energy Access Program specifically targets increasing inclusive clean renewable energy access. Through research, advocacy to the government and other stakeholders, and targeted public campaigns, IESR encourages knowledge and access to information on sustainable energy, encourages the establishment of an enabling environment for the fulfillment and provision of energy access with renewable energy, and initiates movements to invite as many parties as possible to get involved.

Seeing the very high potential of solar energy in Indonesia and the possibility to be used by various groups with various scales, since 2016, IESR has been working actively to encourage solar energy issues to become a mainstream issue in Indonesia. IESR is one of the founding members of the Indonesian Solar Energy Association and the National Movement for One Million Solar Roofs (GNSSA). By actively engaging with stakeholders across sectors, IESR encourages the government to issue policies that support the increased utilization of rooftop solar, encourages the public to understand the use of solar energy through the #1BY20 (onebytwenty) campaign, and engages with various financial institutions to find suitable financing schemes for the public.

In addition, IESR is involved in the Strategic Partnership for Clean and Inclusive Energy with Hivos, Yayasan Lembaga Konsumen Indonesia (YLKI), and Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia (KPI); a cross-issue and cross-sector partnership to expand the outreach of energy issues to other groups. In this partnership, IESR as an energy-focused organization provides capacity building to other partners and actively networks with various parties to encourage the acceleration of renewable energy development in Indonesia.

The Energy Delivery Model (EDM) is another platform at IESR that is used to achieve the goals of the Sustainable Energy Access Program. EDM combines the vision of energy provision with socio-economic assessment and full community participation; so that the solution to providing energy access in rural areas is truly able to answer village problems and become added value for the community.

In order to encourage the active involvement of the public and various sectors in energy issues, IESR organizes regular Pojok Energi Discussion Series events that always take different themes and are held every two months in Jakarta and on selected campuses in Indonesia.

Access to modern energy enables people to undertake activities that generate or increase their income. Beyond the basic needs for daily activities that tend to be consumptive, the availability of energy is a driver of productive activities at the household, small and medium enterprises, and large scale. The opportunity to experience better education and health can also open up other opportunities, including opportunities for employment or entrepreneurship. Indonesia, with its rapid economic growth, still faces the challenge of providing equitable and inclusive energy access.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has high potential for clean and renewable energy. Based on data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia has tremendous potential for renewable energy resources. This resource potential of renewable energy can be utilized to create clean and equitable energy access. By looking at the potential of renewable energy spread across Indonesia, the provision of domestic energy, especially in areas that do not have access to energy, can be fulfilled with local potentials; thus answering the geographical challenges that often hinder the fulfillment and provision of energy access in Indonesia.

In addition to providing energy access to areas that do not yet have access, renewable energy can also be used by many people who previously had access to energy. Photovoltaic technology, which utilizes solar energy for electricity, has now developed rapidly and can be used for housing. Switching to renewable energy, starting from a small scale and with different renewable energy sources, has become a global trend along with the awareness of the impact of climate change caused by fossil fuels and the rising trend of affordable sustainable lifestyles.