TECHNO-ECONOMIC ASSESMENT OF REPLACING DIESEL POWER PLANTS WITH OFF-GRID SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS IN REMOTE ELECTRIFIED VILLAGES: A CASE STUDY OF GUNUNG PUREI, INDONESIA
DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.18491819Published:
2026-02-05Downloads
Abstract
The electrification of remote and isolated areas remains a major challenge in Indonesia, particularly in 3T (Outermost, Frontier, and Disadvantaged) regions that still rely on diesel power plants with limited operating hours. This study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of replacing an existing diesel power plant (PLTD) with an off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system integrated with battery energy storage at the Gunung Purei Village Electricity Unit (ULD), Central Kalimantan.The proposed system is designed to transform a 14-hour diesel-based operation into a continuous 24-hour electricity supply. Technical analysis was conducted using PVsyst to assess energy production and performance ratio (PR), while economic feasibility was evaluated using HOMER Pro through indicators such as Net Present Value (NPV), Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Profitability Index (PI), and Discounted Payback Period (DPP). The study compares monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV modules under different battery autonomy scenarios.Results show that the optimal configuration consists of a 588 kWp off-grid solar PV system using 940 monocrystalline PV modules, five 100 kW inverters, a 500 kW power conversion system, and 27 battery sets with a total capacity of 2.94 MWh (one-day autonomy). This configuration achieves a performance ratio of 34.78% and satisfies the annual load demand of 896.19 MWh. From an economic perspective, the system is feasible, yielding a positive NPV of IDR 8.36 billion, a PI of 1.30, and a DPP of 24.77 years.The findings confirm that off-grid solar PV–battery systems using monocrystalline modules provide a technically reliable and economically viable solution for replacing diesel generation in remote electrified villages, while supporting Indonesia’s renewable energy mix target of 23%.
Keywords:
Off-grid Solar Photovoltaic Diesel Power Plant Replacement Battery Energy Storage System Techno-Economic Analysis Rural Electrification Renewable Energy.References
Assalsha, M. A. B. (2024). Comparative analysis of on-grid and hybrid solar PV system designs at the ITS Robotics Building using PVsyst 7.4 and HOMER Pro. Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
Bhattacharyya, S. C. (2012). Energy access programmes and sustainable development: A critical review and analysis. Energy for Sustainable Development, 16(3), 260–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2012.05.002
Chamdareno, P. G., Budiyanto, B., Fadliondi, F., & Isyanto, H. (2017). Experimental study of solar panels and inverters. Proceedings of SEMNASTEK, 1–6.
Deele, L. B., Simeon, O., & Essang, O. S. (2020). Sizing of an off-grid photovoltaic power supply system with battery storage. Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology, 7(12), 13659–13666.
Duffie, J. A., & Beckman, W. A. (2013). Solar engineering of thermal processes (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Khatib, T., Mohamed, A., & Sopian, K. (2013). A review of photovoltaic systems size optimization techniques. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22, 454–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.02.023
Kristianto, A. N. (2010). Investment feasibility study of a solar power plant (PLTS) on Biaro Island using the real option method (Master’s thesis). Universitas Indonesia.
Lau, K. Y., Yousof, M. F. M., Arshad, S. N. M., Anwari, M., & Yatim, A. H. M. (2010). Performance analysis of hybrid photovoltaic/diesel energy system under Malaysian conditions. Energy, 35(8), 3245–3255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2010.04.008
Mahmoud, M. M., & Ibrik, I. H. (2006). Techno-economic feasibility of energy supply of remote villages in Palestine by PV systems, diesel generators, and electric grid. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 10(2), 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2004.09.001
Nafeh, A. E.-S. (2009). Design and economic analysis of a stand-alone PV system to electrify a remote area household in Egypt. The Open Renewable Energy Journal, 2, 33–37. https://doi.org/10.2174/1876387100902010033
Nugraha, A. (2018). Feasibility study of the construction and installation of a 1 MWp solar power plant at PT Pertamina EP Tanjung. Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
Pagan, S. E. P., Sara, I. D., & Hasan, H. (2018). Performance comparison of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels under Banda Aceh weather conditions. KITEKTRO: Journal of Electrical Engineering, 3(4), 19–23.
PLN. (2025). Rencana Usaha Penyediaan Tenaga Listrik (RUPTL) PLN 2025–2034. PT PLN (Persero). https://web.pln.co.id
Puriza, M. Y., Yandi, W., & Asmar, A. (2021). Comparison of energy conversion efficiency between polycrystalline and monocrystalline solar panels based on Arduino in Pangkal Pinang City. Jurnal Ecotipe, 8(1), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.33019/jurnalecotipe.v8i1.2034
Rahman, R. (2021). Analysis of off-grid solar power plant planning for residential applications in Banjarbaru City. Electrical Engineering and Information Communication Technology, 4(1), 2–7.
Samsurizal, S., Christiono, C., & Husada, H. (2020). Feasibility study of solar energy utilization as a solar power plant in Dusun Toalang. SETRUM: Sistem Kendali–Tenaga–Elektronika–Telekomunikasi–Komputer, 9(1), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.36055/setrum.v9i1.7494
Wardani, A. L., Andriawan, A. H., & Basyarach, N. A. (2019). Comparison between monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells under shaded conditions for solar power plant selection. Proceedings of ReTII, 251–256. https://journal.itny.ac.id/index.php/ReTII/article/view/1525
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gustiyadi Fathur Rahmandi, Atok Setiyawan, Hendro Nurhadi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Downloads
How to Cite
