balivillacareSolar panels on a Bali villa: PLN's rooftop solar rules since 2024
Key takeaways
- Excess power exported to PLN's grid is not counted in the bill (Permen ESDM 2/2024 Pasal 13) — solar only saves what the villa uses as it is generated.
- System size is set by need, within PLN's published quota; the old 100% cap is gone.
- Applications go in January or July; PLN decides within 30 days or the application is deemed approved.
- There is no parallel-operation charge, and PLN fits the two-way meter at its own cost.
- Installation must be by a business with an electricity business certificate, after approval.
Villa owners in Bali look at solar for the electricity bill, which on a business connection is IDR 1,444.70 per kWh plus regional tax. The rules changed in 2024: capacity limits went, and so did the credit for power sent back to the grid. What a system saves now depends on how much of its output the villa uses in daylight. This page reads the 2024 Energy Ministry regulation, the 2021 self-use licensing rule and the regional electricity tax.
Seven words in a rooftop solar application
The terms in the regulation and PLN's forms.
| Term | What it is | Why an owner meets it |
|---|---|---|
| PLTS Atap | Rooftop solar power plant. | What the 2024 regulation governs. |
| Pelanggan PLTS Atap | Rooftop solar customer. | Any PLN customer who connects a system. |
| Kuota pengembangan | Development quota. | PLN's published cap per grid system. |
| Ekspor-impor | Export-import netting. | Abolished for new systems in 2024. |
| Advanced Meter | Two-way meter. | Installed by PLN at its own cost. |
| SLO | Certificate of operating worthiness. | Deemed met for small plug-and-play systems. |
| Biaya paralel | Parallel-operation charge. | Not charged to rooftop customers. |
What changed in 2024
No credit for exported power
Permen ESDM 2/2024 Pasal 13: “Kelebihan energi listrik dari Sistem PLTS Atap yang masuk ke jaringan … tidak diperhitungkan dalam penentuan jumlah tagihan listrik” — excess energy into the grid is not counted in the bill. The Ministry's own summary calls it the abolition of the export-import mechanism. Systems approved under the 2021 rules keep netting and the capacity charge for 10 years from approval, unless their capacity changes (Pasal 47).
Quota instead of a cap
Capacity follows the customer's need within the development quota (Pasal 12). PLN must draw up a five-year quota for each grid system, approved by the Director General and published on its website, app or official social media within 10 working days, divided into clusters by service unit (Pasal 7, 9). The Ministry summarized it as capacity “not limited to 100% of PLN connected power but based on quota”.
No parallel charge
Rooftop systems built by customers carry no parallel-operation charge (Pasal 29).
Applying and installing
The customer applies to PLN, copied to two Directorates General, in January or July (Pasal 14). PLN approves or refuses within 30 calendar days after the window closes; silence means approval; a refusal for lack of quota goes on a waiting list (Pasal 15). A prepaid customer's application doubles as a request to switch to postpaid (Pasal 16).
- License or report. a one-time report up to 500 kW; a license above (Pasal 17-19). A villa system is far below 500 kW.
- Installer. a business with an electricity business certificate (Pasal 21). Building before approval is barred; running on-grid without it is charged inverter capacity × 240 hours × the tariff (Pasal 22-23).
- Meter. PLN installs an advanced two-way meter within 15 working days, at its cost (Pasal 28).
- SLO. deemed met for small plug-and-play systems: a signed safety statement and a registration number instead (Pasal 24-26).
A January application, step by step
- Check the quota. PLN publishes the quota for each grid system and service-unit cluster; unused quota rolls into the next year (Pasal 9, 11).
- Apply in January on PLN's form, copied to the two Directorates General (Pasal 14).
- Decision within 30 calendar days after the window closes — around the start of March for a January filing. No answer counts as approval (Pasal 15).
- Report, then install. A system up to 500 kW is reported once to the Minister or governor before construction (Pasal 18); a certified business installs it, only after approval (Pasal 21-22).
- Meter and safety. PLN fits the two-way meter within 15 working days at its cost (Pasal 28); a small plug-and-play system files a safety statement and gets a registration number. Approval is canceled if the SLO is missing after six months, or the registration number after three (Pasal 26).
A refused application waits on PLN's list for the next quota (Pasal 15(8)); a July filing runs the same clock from July.
Thinking about solar for your villa?
Tell us where the villa is and what it uses. Five questions, and your details are the last step.
What a system saves now
With no export credit, only power used on site as it is generated reduces the bill. Every kWh not bought from PLN also avoids the regional electricity tax on it — 7% in Badung.
| kWh | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Generated in the month (assumed) | 1,000 | — |
| Used on site as generated (assumed 70%) | 700 | IDR 1,011,290 at B-2 |
| Regional tax avoided, 7% | — | IDR 70,790 |
| Exported to the grid | 300 | IDR 0 — not credited |
A villa that empties in the day and fills at night uses less of its own solar than one with daytime air conditioning and pool pumps. Batteries change that, at their own cost; the regulation is silent on them. The electricity tariff and tax.
Tax on self-generated power
The regional electricity tax covers use by the end user, including self-generated power, but excludes self-generated electricity of a capacity that needs no permit from the technical agency (UU 1/2022 Pasal 52(2)(d); PP 4/2023 Pasal 3). Where it applies, the rate is up to 1.5%, set by Perda (Pasal 58(3)). Neither text gives a kW figure; we could not read Badung's current provision.
Off-grid systems
The 2024 regulation covers grid-connected systems only (Pasal 2). The general self-use rule requires a license above 500 kW in one installation and a one-time report up to that (Permen ESDM 11/2021 Pasal 39), addressed to business actors; whether it reaches a private villa owner is not stated.
What this page does not cover
- PLN's current quota figures for Bali's grid.
- Panel, inverter and battery prices.
- Building-permit questions for roof structures.
Common questions
Can a Bali villa install solar panels?
Any PLN customer may connect a rooftop system with PLN's approval, within the quota PLN publishes for its grid system (Permen ESDM 2/2024). Applications are made in January or July.
Does PLN pay for or credit excess solar power?
No. Since 2024, excess energy flowing into the grid is not counted in the customer's bill (Pasal 13). Systems approved under the 2021 rules keep netting for 10 years from approval.
How big a system can a villa install?
Capacity follows the customer's own need, within PLN's quota; the old cap of 100% of connected power was removed. Up to 500 kW needs only a one-time report; above that, a license.
Who may install the panels?
A business holding an electricity business certificate, and only after PLN's approval (Pasal 21-22).
Is self-generated power taxed?
Self-generated electricity of a capacity that needs no permit is excluded from the regional electricity tax; otherwise it is taxed at up to 1.5% (UU 1/2022 Pasal 52, 58).
Sources cited on this page
- Permen ESDM No. 2 Tahun 2024 — rooftop solar
- Ministry of Energy — press release, 5 March 2024
- Permen ESDM No. 11 Tahun 2021 — Pasal 39
- PP No. 4 Tahun 2023 — electricity tax
- UU No. 1 Tahun 2022 — Pasal 52, 58
Every figure above links to the source it was read from. This page was last changed on 13 October 2026. How we check this.