Estimating the Technical Potential of Grid-Connected PV Systems in Indonesia: A Comparison of a Method Based on Open Access Data with a Method Based on GIS

In this paper, we compare two methods for estimating the technical potential of grid-connected PV systems in Indonesia. One was a method developed by Veldhuis and Renders [1] and the other is a new method using Geographic Information System (GIS) and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). The first method uses open access data from 2015 on a provincial level which can be applied to a complete country. Results from this method show that the total resource potential of grid-connected PV systems for all provinces in Indonesia in 2015 is 7,799 TWh which can be produced by 5,374 GWp total capacity of PV systems requiring 1.2% of the total land area of Indonesia. Because a detailed and accurate study on the technical potential of grid-connected PV systems in Indonesia is lacking, we propose another method which combines the capability of GIS and MCDM to develop a model which maps the potential of grid-connected PV systems in Indonesia. This model uses a digital elevation model (DEM) and thematic maps as inputs to produce a vector layer of calculable suitable areas for grid-connected PV systems. To validate this model, data has been collected during a field research which took place in Indonesia in Spring 2017. Also, a preliminary and more complex model for decision-making of grid-connected PV systems in Indonesia is introduced.