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Sumba Smart Microgrid

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations7
System facts22
Sources reviewed11
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The archived entry collapses two materially different Bila Cenge systems. Indonesia's BPPT first commissioned a 500 kWp thin-film PV smart-grid demonstration in 2012 with two 240 kWh vanadium-redox-flow batteries, two 135 kVA smart generators, and supervisory control on PLN's 20 kV Southwest Sumba network. After the flow battery failed and PV output degraded, an Indonesia-Japan revitalization replaced or reconfigured the plant around 2017 as a 400 kWp mixed-PV, 1,152 kWh lead-acid, 300 kW inverter system designed to inject roughly 200 kW steadily for several hours. The supportable current asset description is the 400 kWp revitalized phase, while the legacy 500 kW value belongs to the earlier configuration.

Research status
The original 2012 system demonstrably suffered major degradation: a BPPT-authored assessment reported the vanadium-redox battery out of service by about 2016, array degradation of roughly 20-30%, and output capped at 150 kW. A 2020 BPPT paper reports the revitalized 400 kWp/1,152 kWh system operating with energy management and later supporting a controlled EV-charging demonstration. A 2024 BRIN journal article still describes that PV-grid-battery installation, but is a techno-economic study rather than a live availability report. No public post-2024 production, outage, battery-health, or PLN dispatch series was located, so installation is well supported but continuous operation in July 2026 is not independently verified.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
-9.43712, 119.05763
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 Sumba Smart Microgrid?

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

Organization

Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT; functions now within BRIN)

Designed and led the original smart-microgrid demonstration, evaluated its degradation, and led the later revitalization and energy-management research. [8][4][5][6]

Organization

Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT; now BRIN)

Indonesian project lead and research organization [2]

Organization

Kyudenko Corporation

Japanese technology and project partner [2]

Organization

Kyudenko Corporation / Kyushu Electrical Engineering Consultants

Japanese field and engineering partners in the revitalized PV-battery system reported in BPPT's 2020 proceedings. [5]

Organization

Ministry of the Environment, Japan / Japan International Cooperation Agency

Japanese governmental cooperation and support identified for the revitalization phase; the exact funding split was not found in an accessible primary contract. [5]

Organization

PT PLN (Persero)

Utility network owner and operating counterpart; the plant was connected to PLN's 20 kV Sumba system and coordinated with existing diesel and micro-hydro generation. [8][7][9]

Organization

PT Surya Energi Indotama / PT LEN Industri

Industrial implementation partners identified for construction of the original BPPT smart-grid system. [8]

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
500 [1]
Solar PV
500 kWp [2][3]
Control architecture
Smart Energy Management System integrating PV, battery, load, and PLN network data [2][3]
Original 2012 photovoltaic array
500 kWp of thin-film amorphous/microcrystalline-silicon PV, interfaced through five 100 kW grid-tie inverters. Contemporary reporting described 20 approximately 25 kW combiner groups. This is a historical configuration, not the best current rating. [4][10][7]
Original storage
Two 240 kWh vanadium-redox-flow battery units, 480 kWh nominal total. BPPT later reported the storage damaged and out of service, so it must not be added to the replacement lead-acid bank as current capacity. [4][7]
Original dispatchable generation
Two 135 kVA smart generator sets within the demonstration. The controller also communicated with the wider PLN system, including the Waikabubak and Waitabula diesel plants and Lokomboro micro-hydro plant; those external stations are not Bila Cenge project capacity. [4][8]
Revitalized photovoltaic array
400 kWp using a combination of polycrystalline and thin-film modules, with sixteen 25 kW PV converters. [5][6]
Revitalized storage and inverter
1,152 kWh lead-acid battery capacity and six 50 kW DC/AC inverters (300 kW total). The paper describes two battery blocks, but does not provide a public cell maker, model, usable-energy rating, cycle count, or 2026 state of health. [5][6]
Controlled power delivery
The revitalized system was designed to hold approximately 200 kW grid injection for about 7-8 hours in the dry season and about 6 hours in the rainy season. These are reported operating/design durations, not a guaranteed current dispatch profile. [5]
Network context
The original plant was tied to PLN's 20 kV network. BPPT reported daytime base load around 1.5 MW and an initial solar contribution approaching 30%; these are historical local-system values. [4][8]
2024 economics result
A BRIN techno-economic analysis calculated a 34-year simple payback and benefit-cost ratio of 0.60 under its assumptions, concluding the installation was not financially attractive on that basis. This is a modeled economic result, not an operating-loss statement. [6]

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

Energy-management system

Smart Energy Management System (SEMS)

Developed and commissioned through the BPPT–Kyudenko cooperation; commercial hardware and software model numbers were not stated. [2]

02

Original PV modules

Model not publicly disclosed

Thin-film amorphous/microcrystalline-silicon modules totaling 500 kWp. Accessible sources do not establish a reliable module maker or model. [4]

03

Original battery storage

Model not publicly disclosed

Two vanadium-redox-flow batteries of 240 kWh each. Public evidence establishes chemistry, count, and nominal energy but not a trustworthy manufacturer/model; the units were later reported damaged. [4][7]

04

Revitalized PV and power conversion

Model not publicly disclosed

Mixed polycrystalline/thin-film array, sixteen 25 kW PV converters, and six 50 kW bidirectional DC/AC inverters. Maker and model numbers were not disclosed in the accessible proceedings. [5]

05

Revitalized battery storage

Model not publicly disclosed

Two blocks of lead-acid batteries totaling 1,152 kWh nominal. No accessible source identifies the cell manufacturer, model, usable depth of discharge, or replacement history. [5][6]

06

Control and communications

Model not publicly disclosed

Energy-management system, battery control unit, smart-meter control, GSM/SCADA communications, and power-management logic for constant grid output and EV-charging coordination. [5]

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.

  • Phase correction

    The 500 kWp/480 kWh flow-battery plant and the 400 kWp/1,152 kWh lead-acid plant are successive configurations, not additive assets. A total of 900 kWp and 1,632 kWh would therefore be misleading. [11][4][5]

  • Original-system degradation

    BPPT reported the flow battery unavailable, array performance down roughly 20-30%, and PV output limited to 30% of nameplate (150 kW) to avoid destabilizing the grid after storage failure. [4]

  • Grid-support architecture

    The revitalized plant buffers variable PV through the battery and EMS so the feeder receives a flatter power block. Smart meters and communications provide the controller with grid and plant state rather than treating the array as an uncontrolled generator. [5][7]

  • EV-charging demonstration

    BPPT later linked an EV charging point at PLN Tambolaka to Bila Cenge by point-to-point/radio communications; the EMS temporarily raised plant injection during charging without a reported interruption. This was a demonstration, not proof of a broad public charging network. [5]

  • Current-data gap

    No current public dashboard or audited report was found for annual PV yield, curtailment, battery availability, PLN purchases, outages, or operating emissions after 2024. The current status cannot be upgraded from installed/reported to continuously verified operational. [6]

Provenance

11 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 2021-04-20

  2. [2]
  3. [3]
    Load sharing control for the Sumba smart microgrid

    E3S Web of Conferences · Primary source

  4. [4]
    Performance Evaluation of Smart Microgrid System in Sumba Island

    IJITEE, Universitas Gadjah Mada / BPPT authors · Secondary research

  5. [5]
    Kinerja Sistem PLTS Terhubung Jala-jala Dilengkapi Energy Management System di Pulau Sumba

    Seminar Nasional Teknologi Bahan dan Barang Teknik 2020 / BPPT (archived proceedings copy) · Archived source

  6. [6]
    Techno-Economic Analysis of the Bila Cenge Photovoltaic Microgrid System in Sumba Island

    Majalah Ilmiah Pengkajian Industri, BRIN · Secondary research

  7. [7]
    Distributed Renewable Energy Options for Sumba Island

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory · Primary source

  8. [8]
    Merintis Jaringan Cerdas

    Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau (republication of contemporary Kompas reporting) · Secondary research

  9. [9]
  10. [10]
    PLTS Tercanggih di Pulau Terpencil

    ANTARA News · Secondary research

  11. [11]
    Sumba Smart Microgrid - archived legacy record

    Microgrid Projects via Internet Archive · Archived source

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