Indonesia urged to accelerate rooftop solar after widespread power outages

Rotating blackouts in Sumatra and the Java‑Madura‑Bali grid exposed the fragility of Indonesia’s electricity system, which remains heavily reliant on coal-fired plants. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) warned that the outages cost the economy trillions of rupiah and underscored the need to expand rooftop solar (PLTS) to improve energy resilience.

IEEFA estimates Indonesia will have only about 853 MW of rooftop solar installed by 2025, far behind Vietnam (6.9 GW), Thailand (3.6 GW) and Malaysia (1.8 GW). High upfront costs, low electricity tariffs, and recent policy changes—such as the 2024 regulation that removed net‑metering and imposed capacity quotas—have discouraged household adoption. Experts call for incentives, restoration of net‑metering, broader quota limits and integration of battery storage to make rooftop solar financially viable.

Civil‑society groups and economists alike criticize Indonesia’s continued focus on fossil fuels, noting that coal exports and price volatility threaten supply security. They advocate for faster development of renewable energy, modernization of transmission networks, and a shift toward decentralized power generation to reduce future outage risks.