On-Grid
Commercial / Business
On-grid, or grid-tied, is a solar PV (PLTS) scheme that is connected in parallel with the PLN grid and uses no battery. The inverter synchronizes its output to PLN's voltage and frequency; when the panels produce more than the load, the surplus flows to the grid, and when production is insufficient, the load draws from the grid.
Synonyms: Grid-Tied, Grid Tied
On-grid is the majority scheme for residential rooftop solar (PLTS Atap) installations in Indonesia because its CapEx is lower than off-grid or hybrid — no battery means a significant drop in cost components, while around-the-clock supply reliability is still backed by the PLN grid.
An important consequence is that an on-grid system stops producing electricity when the PLN grid goes down. This is not a fault but a mandatory safety feature called anti-islanding protection — preventing the inverter from continuing to feed electricity into the grid while PLN technicians are carrying out repairs.
In the regulatory context following [Permen ESDM No. 2 Tahun 2024], surplus energy exported to the PLN grid is not counted as a bill reduction for new customers. The implication is that an on-grid system without a battery tends to be more optimal for homeowners with high daytime loads (office, work from home, home air conditioning, swimming pool), because all production can be self-consumed without compensation for surplus.
Indonesian PLTS Application Example
For a Greater Jakarta home in tariff class R-1 2,200 VA with a tariff of Rp 1,444.70/kWh [PLN tariff adjustment Q1 2026] and a daytime-dominant usage profile, a 3-5 kWp on-grid system without a battery delivers the highest savings ratio per rupiah of investment among the three schemes (on-grid/off-grid/hybrid) — with a total CapEx in the Rp 11-15 million per kWp range and a typical payback period of 7-10 years.
Sources & References
- IEEE 1547, Standard for Interconnection of Distributed Energy Resources with Electric Power Systems (anti-islanding) — IEEE (latest)
- Permen ESDM No. 2 Tahun 2024 on Rooftop Solar — Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) (2024)
See Also
Off-Grid
Off-grid, or stand-alone, is a solar PV (PLTS) scheme that is not connected to the PLN grid at all. The system relies on a battery as an energy buffer to store daytime production and release it to loads at night or during cloudy weather. It is usually equipped with a separate charge controller and a dedicated off-grid inverter.
Hybrid
Hybrid is a solar PV (PLTS) scheme that combines a PLN grid connection with an energy-storage battery. The hybrid inverter manages three flows at once: panel to load, panel to battery, and grid to battery (or battery to grid). This scheme provides electricity availability during PLN outages while optimizing self-consumption.
Net Metering
Net metering is an electricity accounting scheme that credits the surplus energy a rooftop solar (PLTS Atap) system exports to the PLN grid against the customer's bill. In Indonesia, this scheme has been abolished for new customers since [Permen ESDM No. 2 Tahun 2024] took effect on 31 January 2024.