If you're researching home solar installation and you're still reading old articles about "1:1 net-metering export to PLN", that information is no longer valid. Permen ESDM 2/2024 (the 2024 ministerial regulation on rooftop solar) issued in early 2024 repealed Permen ESDM 26/2021 and fundamentally changed how electricity export from residential rooftop solar PV (PLTS atap) to the PLN grid works. In short: your solar panel's excess production can still flow into the grid, but you don't get a bill credit from PLN for it.
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This isn't bad news if you size the system correctly. In fact, the rule pushes a more honest approach from the start: calculate first how much you consume yourself, design a system that targets optimal self-consumption, and don't waste capex on solar panels whose output is wasted into the grid without compensation. This article breaks down what changed, the sizing implications, and how to register your system with PLN.
TL;DR
- 1:1 net-metering is gone for residential since Permen ESDM 2/2024. Export to PLN doesn't generate bill credits.
- Zero-export policy: excess production goes into the grid free for PLN. No financial benefit from oversizing the system.
- Sizing implication: target 80 to 100% self-consumption. Don't overspec. A 2 to 3 kWp system is usually enough for a 2200 VA home with a Rp 1 to 1.5 million bill.
- Registration process: mandatory via the PLN portal before the system goes live. SLO (operating license) must be in place.
- Per-area quota: PLN caps total rooftop solar PV capacity per distribution network. Check your area's quota before committing to the investment.
- Still worth it: ROI from your own bill savings is still good (payback 5 to 8 years), as long as sizing isn't wasteful.
What changed: from net-metering to zero-export
Before Permen ESDM 2/2024, the 1:1 net-metering mechanism made solar electricity export to PLN equivalent to a bill credit. Production of 100 kWh more than usage = your PLN bill drops 100 kWh that month. This is what made many people calculate ROI based on oversized systems, because excess production still had value.
Permen ESDM 2/2024 removed this mechanism for residential. The model is now "zero-export billing" for residential rooftop solar: excess production can flow into the PLN grid, but your bill doesn't go down because of it. You aren't penalized for the export, but you don't get compensation either.
For comparison perspective: in some countries like Australia, feed-in tariffs still exist (though declining). In Indonesia, current regulation just doesn't support that model for residential. The government prioritizes rooftop solar quota for commercial and industrial sectors that have a larger scale impact on the grid.
What didn't change: grid-tied systems still save on the PLN bill from the electricity you use yourself. If your solar panels produce during the daytime when you're using AC, computer, fridge, those savings are real and immediate. What's lost is only the value of excess export.
Sizing implication: target self-consumption, avoid oversize
Because excess export has no financial value, the correct sizing calculation now focuses on one thing: how much can you consume yourself during panel production hours (typically 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Simple way: look at your PLN bill, figure out an estimate of what % of your usage happens during the day. WFH home with AC running during the day can be 60 to 70% daytime use. A home where residents work outside from morning to afternoon may be only 20 to 30% daytime use.
Example for a 2200 VA home, Rp 1.4 million monthly bill, WFH residents, 60% daytime use:
- Total monthly usage: roughly 240 to 260 kWh
- Daytime self-consumption target: 60% of 250 kWh = 150 kWh
- Panels needed: 150 kWh per month ÷ 120 kWh per kWp = around 1.25 kWp
- Sizing recommendation: 2 kWp (with buffer for cloudy days, degradation, tolerance)
Use the calculator for numbers specific to your home →
If you size to 5 kWp for the same home, large daily surplus output flows to PLN with no return value. Your capex is bigger, payback is longer, but there's no extra return from that excess. With current regulation, oversize is waste.
Rooftop solar PV registration via the PLN portal
Grid-tied rooftop solar systems must be registered with PLN before they go live. This isn't optional, and SLO (Sertifikat Laik Operasi, operating license) is the legal requirement for grid-tied operation in Indonesia.
The general process steps:
- Initial application via PLN portal (solarku.pln.co.id or the latest portal designated by PLN). You or your installer registers customer data, meter ID, and the planned system specs.
- Check area quota: PLN has a rooftop solar capacity cap per distribution network, typically 15% of the area's total transformer capacity. If quota is full in your area, the application may queue or be temporarily declined.
- Capacity approval: PLN evaluates whether the proposed system fits the local grid capacity.
- Installation by ESDM-certified installer: this is mandatory, not optional. A non-certified installer means the SLO can't be issued.
- Inspection and SLO issuance: after installation, a PLN team or appointed inspection body verifies the system. SLO is issued if everything meets standards.
- Meter replacement: PLN installs a bi-directional meter (import + export) so consumption and production are recorded separately.
Total time from application to live system: 14 to 30 working days under normal conditions. In areas with crowded applications, it can take longer. Experienced installers usually handle this end-to-end as part of the install package.
When this isn't a fit
If your monthly PLN bill is below Rp 700,000, or your daytime usage is very small (empty home during the day), ROI from rooftop solar PV under the current zero-export regulation now stretches significantly longer. In that condition, it may make more sense to audit electrical appliance efficiency first before investing in solar. Also, if rooftop solar PV quota in your area is full, the registration process can stall with no clear timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Not for residential anymore. Permen ESDM 2/2024 (the 2024 ministerial regulation on rooftop solar) repealed the 1:1 export credit mechanism from Permen 26/2021. If your system produces more than your usage, the excess exports to the PLN grid but you don't get a bill credit. Implication: sizing must target self-consumption, not oversize.
