Govt regulation to allow households sell solar power to PLN

The government is drafting a new regulation that will allow households with solar cells to sell their power to state owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), according to a report.

Director General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Rida Mulyana said the regulation aims to encourage households to install solar cell panel at their home rather than rely on PLN for power supply.

He said solar cells with size of 30x130 cm able to generate 250 watt costs $250 a piece. Two pieces of solar cells are able to generate 500 watt, Rida was quoted by Detik as saying.

?We expect to issue the regulation later this year, which stipulates among others the power tariff. We thus hope the public to be willing to invest in solar cells, replace their houses? roofs with solar cells. The public will thus reap financial benefits and the state subsidy will decrease and PLN will also make gains,? Rida said. (*)