The Development of Photovoltaic Application in Indonesia: A Review

Indonesia has abundant solar energy potential because it is located near the equator. To reduce dependence on fossil energy sources, the government began to promote renewable energy sources; one of them is solar energy. The government has made a strategy for implementing solar energy by issuing regulations and also cooperating with private parties and foreign countries. However, the dissemination of photovoltaic are quite low and need to be encouraged by private investment support. At the same time, the government has to be more active in synchronising the rules in technical, administrative and financial point of views. This study presents the development of photovoltaic application in Indonesia which might be useful in improving the utilization of photovoltaic in Indonesia. The production of solar panels is also being encouraged, at this time the national industry has been able to produce solar panels with a composition of local content that continues to increase. The research to analyse the main function of photovoltaic for generating electrical power has also been carried out. For examples are for household electricity and street lighting and other automation systems. Additional advantages of photovoltaic technology to absorbing heat have been proposed in several studies on photovoltaic/thermal. Furthermore, there are some potential challenges to overcome. Those are the utilization of heat energy and the floating photovoltaic which solve the lacks of land area.