Indonesia’s Vast Solar Energy Potential

Abstract

In this paper, we conclude that Indonesia has vast potential for generating and balancing solar photovoltaic (PV) energy to meet future energy needs at a competitive cost. We systematically analyse renewable energy potential in Indonesia. Solar PV is identified to be an energy source whose technical, environmental and economic potential far exceeds Indonesia’s present and future energy requirements and is far larger than all other renewable energy resources combined. We estimate that electricity consumption in Indonesia could reach 9000 terawatt-hours per year by 2050, which is 30 times larger than at present. Indonesia has abundant space to deploy enough solar to meet this requirement, including on rooftops, inland reservoirs, mining wasteland, and in combination with agriculture. Importantly, Indonesia has a vast maritime area that almost never experiences strong winds or large waves that could host floating solar capable of generating >200,000 terawatt-hours per year. Indonesia also has far more off-river pumped hydro energy storage potential than required for balancing solar generation.

Inisiasi Usaha Mikro dalam Implementasi Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya di Desa Majalaya Cianjur

“…Energi listrik sudah menjadi kebutuhan yang vital bagi kehidupan manusia dalam berbagai kegiatan sektor ekonomi. Penyediaan dan penyuplaian energi listrik di Indonesia dilakukan oleh Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) secara menyeluruh dengan ketersediaan energi listrik saat ini mendekati 100% (Silalahi et al, 2021). Permintaan terhadap energi listrik terus mengalami peningkatan dari tahun ke tahun sejalan dengan perkembangan teknologi (Sitompul et al, 2022).…”

Life Cycle Climate Change Impact of a Cost-Optimal HVDC Connection to Import Solar Energy from Australia to Singapore

“…A full analysis including the emissions from land use change was outside the scope of this study. Although the above example suggests that the emissions from LUC in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia could significantly offset the environmental benefits of a shorter cable length, the possibility of using other surfaces as support as proposed by Silahali et al [53], for instance, could also be considered in the region. Floating solar plants could be a good alternative.…”

Ranking of energy sources for sustainable electricity generation in Indonesia: A participatory multi-criteria analysis

“…Other renewables solar, wind and biogas only accounted for around 0.5 GW [5]. The current increase seems contradictory, considering that Indonesia has abundant renewable energy potential in various forms [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], and numerous Indonesian studies [23][24][25][26] conclude that renewables can compete technically and economically with fossil-based sources.…”