Indonesia’s solar panel industry faces challenges amid COVID-19
Demand for commercial photovoltaic (PV) panels in Indonesia was down up to 70 percent in the March-April period as the country’s government cut back electrification projects and businesses aborted installation plans.
A worker inspects the 600 kWp solar power plant on Gili Trawangan Island in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (Photo: )
Jakarta (VNA) - Demand for commercial photovoltaic (PV) panels inIndonesia was down up to 70 percent in the March-April period as the country’sgovernment cut back electrification projects and businesses abortedinstallation plans.
According to a recent survey conducted by energy think tank Institute forEssential Services Reform (IESR), demand for PV systems in resident areas droppedby up to 100 percent compared to the same period last year.
Speaking at a recent virtual press conference, IESR executive director FabbyTumiwa said the outlook over the next six months will be largely negative withno new orders.
The challenges faced by Indonesia’s solar power industry are similar to thoseacross developing renewable markets in Asia.
The Indonesian government announced in late March a plan to reallocate 62.3trillion Rp (4.15 billion USD) from the state budget to tackle the COVID-19pandemic. The freed funds would focus on health care, the disbursement ofrelief funds and financial incentives for enterprises.
Local producers imported 40 percent of the materials used to produce solar PVpanels. Domestically produced solar PV costs rose between 15 and 20 percent perunit in the March-April period.
Hariyanto, an official from the Indonesian Energy and Mineral ResourcesMinistry, confirmed that the government was slashing state-funded renewableenergy project targets but not cancelling them entirely.
The ministry had revised down its target for government-funded solar rooftopinstallations from 800 units to 144 units and for solar-powered streetlampsfrom 40,000 to 26,000, he said./.
General Secretary of the Indonesia Literature Forum Agus Marwan has recently written an article analysing Vietnam’s 12-point strategy in the fight against COVID-19.
Logistics companies have experienced a more than 50 percent decline in overall business performance since the COVID-19 outbreak hit Indonesia in early March, the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI) reported.
The Bank Indonesia (BI) has injected 503.8 trillion Rp (around 32.7 billion USD) into banks and the debt market to stabilise the rupiah and help support the government’s financing needs to combat the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia’s state utility power company PLN said on May 1 that it will offer free electricity over six months for small-scale businesses and producers.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
A worker inspects the 600 kWp solar power plant on Gili Trawangan Island in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (Photo: ) 
