Indonesia

With the nation among the world’s top ten greenhouse gas emitting states, energy analysts from three policy advisories have spelled out how Jakarta could hit net zero by mid century rather than 2070, as currently planned. However, the energy transition would require uncharacteristically long term thinking.

The sheer volume of new power lines which will be required to accommodate the rising tide of solar installations ensures copper has been included by the International Energy Agency on its list of minerals which must keep flowing if the energy transition is to stay on course. And it’s not production that’s the potential bottleneck.

The $18bn worth of sustainable finance instruments floated in the nation last year marked a retreat from previous highs but, with most of the bonds issued from July onwards, the recovery is under way, according to the IFC, which is anticipating a more-than-$100 billion sector in emerging markets over the next three years.

The n-type TOPCon solar module manufacturer is preparing to invest in a joint venture with state-controlled local partner PT Len Agra Energy to set up 1 GW of annual cell and panel capacity.

A Jakarta thinktank says the authorities need to significantly raise their clean energy ambitions as even the most conservative estimates of the volume of solar capacity the nation could host far outstrip the 207 GW the energy ministry has suggested.

pv magazine has taken part in a webinar examining the thorny issue of financing clean energy generation in developing markets.

A new report from the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) shows that PV has not been growing significantly in Indonesia in recent years, despite the size of its energy market and economy. According to its authors, however, there are multiple paths that can be followed to bring volumes into all market segments. Large scale solar is expected to play a major role in the years to come, as the LCOE for big floating projects is approaching levels close to those of more mature markets.

The private-sector arm of the World Bank, which claims to leverage $3 of its own capital and $8 from third parties for every dollar invested in its blended finance funds, has attempted to quantify what devoting Covid recovery funds to green investment would mean for emerging economies.

The Indonesian government has announced the construction of a big PV plant in the eastern part of the country, explaining that the region is particularly suitable for solar development due to its dry climate and high solar radiation levels. The region is indeed the most suitable area for solar parks, due to land availability and high electricity generation costs.

State-owned utility PT PLN (Persero) is seeking proposals from independent power producers to build large-scale solar plants.