President Joko Widodo’s decision to revise regulations regarding the use of Rooftop Solar Power Plants (PLTS) has been deemed by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) as a compromise between national budget constraints and public interests. “This represents a win-win solution for all parties involved. The state is not burdened, and individuals seeking to generate electricity from renewable sources can still install rooftop PLTS,” said Tulus Abadi, Chairman of YLKI, in a press release on Friday (9/2/2024). He also stated that this step is very realistic for the country’s electricity system given the current empirical conditions.
Under the previous regulations, owners of rooftop PLTS could sell excess electricity generated. However, with the revision, this scheme is no longer applicable as export-import regulations for electricity have been eliminated. “Although the aspect of energy trading (export-import) in rooftop PLTS is a clause desired by PLTS operators and consumers, it is not very relevant to the current situation,” he said. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the electricity capacity produced by rooftop PLTS should be adjusted to meet consumers’ needs. With the revision of Regulation No. 26/2021, he views this as a suitable starting point to protect the country’s interests in maintaining energy sovereignty.
Abadi also highlighted the need to prioritize the use of rooftop PLTS in areas still lacking electricity. In addition to the revision of Rooftop PLTS regulations, he expressed concerns about the proposed power wheeling scheme in the Draft New and Renewable Energy Bill (RUU EBET). He believes that implementing this scheme could be burdensome for both the public and the government, especially in terms of electricity tariff determination and ensuring the reliability of supply from intermittent renewable energy sources.
