Solar panel systems

Indonesia has vast solar energy potential. Makassar lies on the equator (its Latitude is 5 degrees South) and receives ample sunshine throughout the year, but there are hardly any rooftop solar panel systems in Makassar. PT ForSS hopes to change this.

In 2024, PLN (the state electricity provider) changed its rules regarding purchase of surplus electricity from rooftop solar panels. The new rule eliminated net metering, a billing scheme that allowed users to export excess daytime electricity to PLN to offset their evening usage, as residential customers typically consume 30-40 percent of their total electricity during the day and have heavier use after dark. This makes installing rooftop solar panels at residential homes less attractive than it was before.

For on-grid solar energy users, the previous regulation supported cheaper installation because rooftop solar panel owners did not need to invest in costly battery storage and could instead offset their costs by selling electricity to PLN.

Non-residential users (such as shops, offices, small factories, etc) consume most of their power during the day. They can therefore invest in off-grid rooftop solar without expensive batteries. They simply switch to their PLN supply, when the sun goes down.

PT ForSS therefore focuses on supplying off-grid solar panel systems to such users.