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Morotai Island Minigrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations4
System facts21
Sources reviewed10
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The Morotai/Daruba hybrid minigrid commissioned in April 2012 combined 600 kWp solar, 2.7 MWh of battery storage, and seven diesel generators with Optimal Power Solutions' Macro Hybrid System. Its lifecycle matters: automatic control was already problematic in 2016, Indonesia's electricity directorate says Daruba PLTS Unit 1 stopped operating in March 2019, and a 2022 report described only two-thirds of the system functional and manual operation. In June 2026 PLN announced preparation of a new 600 kWp Juanga hybrid PV project; that planned replacement/addition is not yet commissioned capacity.

Research status
Original 2012 solar asset is not confirmed operational. The strongest official status record says it ceased operation in March 2019; later reporting describes partial/manual operation, while a 2023 planning document still lists 600 kW and 350 kW hybrid PV assets as available infrastructure without proving output. As of June 14, 2026, PLN was preparing a new 600 kWp plant at Juanga for hybrid integration. Classify the legacy project as impaired/out of service with an uncommissioned renewal project in development.
Historical classification
Island
Reported capacity
3 MW
Coordinates
2.36567, 128.40084
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Morotai Island Minigrid?

4 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Indonesia Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

National policy/oversight body; documented the 2016 automation and staffing problems and 2019 outage status. [5][6]

Organization

Optimal Power Solutions

Hybrid-system integrator and supplier of power conversion and Macro Hybrid System controls. [2]

Organization

PT PLN (Persero)

State utility, project client, owner/operator, diesel-grid operator, and developer of the 2026 replacement/addition. [2][3][4][9]

Organization

Pulau Morotai Regency / South Morotai local government

Local host and stakeholder for Daruba/Juanga electricity infrastructure. [3][9]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Solar
600 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
1750 [1]
Storage
2700 kWh Lead Acid Battery [1]
Original solar plant
600 kWp PV commissioned April 14, 2012 at Daruba/Juanga. [3][4][2]
Original storage
2.7 MWh battery storage. Public project material does not disclose chemistry, power rating, manufacturer, model, or usable state of health. [2]
Power conversion
1,350 kVA total inverter capacity, integrating both AC-coupled and DC-coupled PV. [2]
Original diesel fleet
Seven diesel gensets, approximately 1.7 MW total in the integrator record. PLN reported in 2015 that two were inoperable and five had 1,680 kW available capability; a separate 2 MW addition was then expected, so these figures are date-specific. [2][4]
Observed 2015 solar dispatch
PLN reported average daytime PV output around 200 kW: about 120 kW delivered to the grid and 80 kW stored for the 18:00–22:00 peak. [4]
Projected fuel/economic benefit
At launch PLN projected about 800 liters/day (nearly 300,000 liters/year) diesel displacement and approximately Rp2.5 billion/year savings. No audited realized lifetime savings dataset was found. [3][2]
2026 planned plant
New 600 kWp PV at Juanga, announced June 14, 2026 as being prepared for hybrid integration with the existing electricity system; no COD, battery scope, contractor, or equipment model was published. [9]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Hybrid controls

Optimal Power Solutions — Macro Hybrid System

Proprietary controller and conversion architecture dispatching AC- and DC-tied solar, batteries, and multiple diesel generators. [2]

02

PV power conversion

Optimal Power Solutions

1,350 kVA total inverter capacity; 2026 academic description of the legacy plant mentions 14 on-grid inverters and 1,348 modules, but exact makes/models remain undisclosed. [2][10]

03

Battery bank

Model not publicly disclosed

2.7 MWh storage in the original configuration; chemistry/vendor/model not found and condition after the 2019 outage is unknown. [2][6]

04

Diesel generators

Model not publicly disclosed

Seven-unit original fleet; individual make/model/rating not disclosed. By 2015 only five were operating. [2][4]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Management

    Inverter Technology OPS PIM and GEC Inverter Capacity 3 x 250 kVA GEC [1]

  • Storage

    Battery – lead acid [1]

  • Generation

    Diesel Engines 7 nos, total 1.75 MW Solar PV Capacity 600 kWp [1]

  • Control/maintenance failure

    A 2016 presidential inspection found the automatic system malfunctioning, forcing manual operation, with only one technician supporting the plant. The ministry emphasized remote-site spares, regular checks, and additional trained staff. [5]

  • Outage evidence

    The electricity directorate's 2019 performance report explicitly says PLTS Daruba Unit 1 had not operated since March 2019. This is stronger status evidence than later capacity inventories. [6]

  • Later condition conflict

    A 2022 Antara report caption says only two-thirds of the 2012 system functioned and it was manually coordinated with diesel, while a 2023 Bappenas inventory lists two hybrid PV plants (350 and 600 kW) as existing infrastructure. Neither demonstrates full restored output; the conflict is retained. [7][8]

  • Energy mix limitation

    No recent island generation-by-source data was found. Historical PV output was far below nameplate and diesel remained the balancing source; the 2026 600 kWp plant is planned, so it cannot be counted in operating renewable mix. [4][6][9]

Provenance

10 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-06

  2. [2]
    Morotai Island Minigrid System

    Optimal Power Solutions · Primary source

  3. [3]
  4. [4]
    PLTS Daruba Perkuat Kelistrikan Pulau Morotai

    PT PLN (Persero) · Primary source

  5. [5]
    Presiden RI Mengunjungi PLTS Daruba

    Indonesia Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Primary source

  6. [6]
    2019 Performance Report, Directorate General of Electricity

    Indonesia Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Primary source

  7. [7]
  8. [8]
  9. [9]
  10. [10]
    Preliminary assessment of nearshore wave energy in Morotai for remote electrification in Indonesia

    International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering · Secondary research

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