Indonesia

Singapore has progressed its ambition to import 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035 from neighbouring countries, which includes from Australia’s SunCable project, with the signing of two new agreements.

Indonesia has all the solar energy and pumped-hydro energy storage potential required to become a solar giant by mid-century. On current trends, Indonesia will be the fourth largest producer of solar energy by 2050.

Indonesia has moved to ease local content requirements for electricity infrastructure projects, including solar power plants, in a bid to attract more foreign capital and drive the development of renewable energy projects.

Indonesia’s new renewable energy bill will include legislation allowing power wheeling, enabling private companies to sell electricity directly to end consumers via networks owned by the state-run electricity company.

The increasing role of pumped hydro technology in Australia’s renewable energy transition is expected to be mirrored in the neighbouring Southeast Asia region with international consultancy Rystad Energy tipping the total capacity of operational projects will surge from the current 2.3 GW to 18 GW by 2033.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Indonesia has set a quota of 5,746 MW of rooftop solar to be deployed between 2024 and 2028. The Jakarta-based Institute for Essential Services Reform anticipates rooftop solar to be more commonly adopted by commercial and industrial consumers than residential users, following the abolishment of net-metering earlier this year.

United States-headquartered module maker SEG Solar has struck a deal for the development and operation of a PV manufacturing facility on the Indonesian island of Java with a production capacity of 5 GW of silicon wafers, 5 GW of solar cells, and 5 GW of PV modules.

The Indonesian government has ended net metering for rooftop solar installations. The Jakarta-based Institute for Essential Services Reform says this could make it harder for the country to meet its solar deployment targets, as PV installations will become more expensive for households and small businesses.

Indonesia has officially launched the largest floating solar farm in southeast Asia and already the proponents have agreed to more than triple the capacity of the 145 MW project as the nation looks to increase its renewable energy sources and switch away from coal.

The PV industry in Southeast Asia has come a long way since guest author Ragna Schmidt-Haupt, partner at Everoze, reported on solar financing innovation in the region more than a decade ago. In this article, she outlines five factors for success, the newest of which has the potential to become a game changer, and not only in Southeast Asia.