Do you design rooftop solar in Indonesia? Since 31 January 2024, power you send to the grid does not count toward the customer’s bill. Energy Ministry Regulation 2/2024 says so in Article 13. A new system saves money only on the power the customer uses on site. A design tool should help you size for that. It should also give you the single line diagram (SLD, a simple drawing of how the system is wired) that the application form asks for. Arka360 has an Indonesia page that names IDR proposals (proposals in rupiah) and PLN tariff structures. HelioScope lists an SLD on every plan. OpenSolar’s core app is free, and you can set the export limit to 0 kW. API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026. PVsyst lists a grid power limitation setting. SurgePV lists roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials and proposals in one product, priced per user. None of the vendor pages we read describe the no-credit rule or the PLN quota.
This is a desk comparison of what each vendor publishes, checked October 2026. We have not run side-by-side tests. SurgePV published this page and is one of the five tools. Local rules below come from Energy Ministry Regulation 2/2024 (the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Kementerian ESDM). Tool facts come from each vendor’s own site. For the wider market, see solar software in Indonesia. For quotation tools, see solar proposal software in Indonesia.
Criteria used: single line diagram output, export and self-use modelling, IDR and Indonesian-language proposals, weather data, size range against the 500 kW and 3 MW lines in the regulation.
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Best-For Picks for Indonesia
- IDR proposals from a vendor with an Indonesia page: Arka360. Its Indonesia page says you control “language, logos, layout, currency (IDR), and even legal terms”. It also describes financial analysis “designed for PLN tariff structures”.
- A single line diagram on every plan: HelioScope. Its pricing page lists single-line diagrams on all plans. Basic designs up to 1.25 MW (DC). The regulation counts system size by total inverter capacity, so check your DC to AC ratio.
- Setting export to zero in a free core app: OpenSolar. Its off-grid help article says to set the Export Limit to 0 kW. The core app is free. API Access and connectors are charged from 16 April 2026.
- A yield study with capped export: PVsyst. It lists a grid power limitation setting. It needs Windows and does not make proposals.
- Roof model to bill of materials and proposal in one product, priced per user: SurgePV. It lists roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials (BOM, the parts list) and proposals. Ask in a demo for the Indonesian outputs you need. Its pricing page and published scope do not state them.
Comparison Table
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking; pick by the situation above. Prices checked October 2026 on each vendor’s own page. No vendor page we read lists a rupiah price.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Free or paid | Decisive scope fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka360 | IDR proposals, PLN tariff templates | Not published (INR and USD plans shown, no IDR) | Paid | Indonesia page: “From 3 kW homes to 500 kW industrial sheds” |
| HelioScope | Commercial rooftops with an SLD on every plan | $159 USD per license per month, or $1,620 USD per license per year (Basic) | Paid; free trial (14 days per help center) | Basic designs up to 1.25 MW (DC); Pro 5 MW; Enterprise 30 MW |
| OpenSolar | Zero-export set-up in a free core app | Core app free; API Access and connectors charged from 16 April 2026 | Free core app, paid API and connectors | Recommends 3D designs under 500 kW; users have modeled up to 5 MW |
| PVsyst | Yield study with capped export | CHF 700 per year (PVsyst 8 Professional) | Paid; one-month free trial | Runs only under Windows; no proposal output stated |
| SurgePV | Roof model to BOM and proposal, per seat | $1,899 per user per year (1 user); no IDR price published | Paid, guided demo | BOM and proposal generation in scope; no Indonesian drawing format stated |
Indonesia Criteria Matrix
Each cell reads Documented, Partial or Not stated. Documented means the vendor’s own pages state it. Partial means the pages state only part of it, or state it for other countries. Not stated means the pages we read in October 2026 do not mention it. There are no scores or weights.
“Export and self-use modelling” means the tool can limit or block export, or set what an exported kilowatt-hour earns. Under Regulation 2/2024 an exported kilowatt-hour earns no credit on the bill.
| Tool | SLD output | Export and self-use modelling | IDR and Indonesian proposals | Weather data | Size range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka360 | Documented (“Electric single line diagram” in the pricing feature list; SLD Export on the Premium rupee plan; plan for the dollar cards not visible) | Partial (“designed for PLN tariff structures”; no export rule stated) | Partial (“currency (IDR)”; Indonesian language not named) | Partial (“8760-hour annual irradiance reports”; weather source not stated) | Partial (“3 kW homes to 500 kW industrial sheds”) |
| HelioScope | Documented (all plans) | Partial (Utility Rate Editor on Pro; no Indonesian tariff or export rule stated) | Partial (help center: currency and locale can be changed; report language list is Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish and American English, so no Indonesian; IDR not named) | Documented (“Global weather coverage”) | Documented (1.25 MW, 5 MW, 30 MW DC) |
| OpenSolar | Partial (templates for AU, NZ, US, CA, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES and IN per help article; Indonesia not listed) | Documented (Export Limit set to 0 kW; custom tariffs) | Not stated (13 proposal languages listed, Indonesian not among them; currency not stated) | Partial (PVWatts v6 hourly TMY; SAM with 3D; Indonesian source not stated) | Partial (3D under 500 kW recommended) |
| PVsyst | Partial (editor “still work in progress”; no storage) | Documented (grid power limitation; self-consumption economy) | Not stated (12 software languages listed, Indonesian not among them) | Documented (Meteonorm “for any location on earth”; many import formats) | Not stated |
| SurgePV | Partial (electrical workflow support; no diagram output named) | Partial (financial modeling; no export or PLN rule stated) | Not stated (USD price only) | Partial (shading and energy-yield modeling; weather source not stated) | Not stated |
Two things stand out. No vendor page we read describes the no-credit rule or the PLN quota. The tools differ most on SLD output and on rupiah proposals. A tool that is Not stated on a row may still do it, so ask for it in a demo.
Tool Entries
Arka360
Best for: installers and EPCs (firms that engineer, buy for and build solar projects) that want proposals in rupiah. Arka360 has written a page for Indonesia, from small homes to industrial sheds.
Not the right choice if: you need a rupiah price list. The pricing page shows rupee and US dollar plans. It is also not right if you need SLD export on a lower plan. The rupee tables list it only on the Premium plan, and the page does not show which dollar plans include it. The same goes for designs above 500 kW. The Indonesia page names 500 kW industrial sheds as the upper example.
What the vendor documents: on its Indonesia page, AI-assisted 3D roof modeling “optimized for Indonesia’s residential roofs and industrial sheds”. It lists 8760-hour irradiance reports with shade simulation. These give sunlight data for every hour of the year. It says they account for “Indonesia’s tropical climate conditions”. It also lists branded proposals with ROI graphs and payback periods. Its financial analysis is “designed for PLN tariff structures, hybrid systems, and battery storage integration”. The pricing page feature list adds an electric single line diagram and CAD export. The visible dollar cards list CAD export under Premium. It also lists a utility rate finder, a payback and ROI report, and financing by cash, loan, lease and PPA (power purchase agreement). The Indonesia page also lists a built-in CRM.
Price (checked October 2026): Not published in rupiah. The visible US-dollar cards are Basic at $199 per month (1 user) and Premium at $358 per month (2 users). Enterprise is “Talk to Sales”. The same page also holds Indian rupee tables (for example Lite at ₹46,000 per year plus 18% GST). It has hidden dollar tables too. The page does not say which applies to Indonesia, so ask for a written rupiah quote.
Limitations: the pricing page still carries a webinar banner dated 9 January 2025, so confirm current plans. The pages we read do not state the PLN quota rule, the no-credit rule or a PLN diagram format. They also do not say which proposal languages are offered.
Vendor link: arka360.com
HelioScope
Best for: commercial rooftop and carport designers who want a single line diagram and CAD export on every plan.
Not the right choice if: you need a report in Indonesian. Its report language article lists Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish and American English. The pages we read do not name the rupiah. It is also not right if you want a free tool. The footer calls HelioScope an Aurora Inc. company, and it sells its own plans.
What the vendor documents: the pricing page shows one set of features on every plan. It lists rooftop, carport, ground-mount and battery layout, CAD export, single-line diagrams, shade reports, an 8760 production report and “Global weather coverage”. Pro adds a Utility Rate Editor, financial analysis tools, customizable reports, sales proposals, and P90, P95 and P99 values. P90 is a yield expected to be met or exceeded in 90% of years. Enterprise adds single-axis trackers and export to PVsyst.
Price (checked October 2026): Basic costs $159 USD per month for each license, or $1,620 USD per year if you pay annually. Pro costs $259 USD per month, or $2,640 USD per year. Enterprise is custom per project. Each Basic or Pro license includes 1 user. A 14-day free trial is listed in the help center. It allows one trial per customer and includes Pro-level features.
Limitations: the design ceiling is 1.25 MW (DC) on Basic, 5 MW on Pro and 30 MW on Enterprise. Regulation 2/2024 counts size by total inverter capacity, so compare DC and AC sizes. Financial tools and proposals start at Pro. HelioScope’s account settings article says you can set a default currency for financial data (“USD, EUR, etc.”). A second article says a report’s currency and locale can be changed. The pages we read do not mention an Indonesian tariff or the rupiah, and its report language list has no Indonesian.
Vendor link: helioscope.aurorasolar.com
OpenSolar
Best for: small teams that want to set export to zero in a core app the vendor calls free.
Not the right choice if: your approving engineer expects an SLD from a template for Indonesia. It is also not right if you need an Indonesian-language proposal. OpenSolar’s help article lists SLD templates for AU, NZ, US, CA, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES and IN. Its SLD page lists AU, US, UK, DE, IT and ES. Indonesia is on neither list. Its proposal language article lists 13 languages. Indonesian is not one of them.
What the vendor documents: a design setting where you set the Export Limit to 0 kW. The article says no excess energy is then counted as exported. A custom tariff has a Country field and flat, time-of-use, tiered and demand rates. Output uses PVWatts version 6 at hourly resolution or the System Advisor Model with 3D shading, per its help article.
Price (checked October 2026): the vendor says the core app is free of charge for solar professionals (free page). Its 16 February 2026 post sets two charges from 16 April 2026. The post says accounting connectors are billed as a monthly fee per organization. The API Access help article says an API Access fee is deducted for each new project. We did not compare those fees.
Limitations: the commercial design article recommends 3D designs under 500 kW. It adds that users have modeled systems up to 5 MW by simplifying settings. The pages we read do not mention an Indonesian tariff or PLN.
Vendor link: opensolar.com
PVsyst
Best for: yield studies that need a cap on the power sent to the grid. It also suits you if you want to pick the weather data source.
Not the right choice if: you want proposals, a bill of materials or a roof model from the same tool. It is also not right if you work on a Mac or in a browser, because the requirements page says it runs only under Windows.
What the vendor documents: a grid power limitation applied at inverter level. Its economic evaluation includes a self-consumption economy with one tariff for energy you use and another for overproduction sold to the utility. It also lists Meteonorm data, which its help page describes as monthly data “for any location on earth”. It also has a single line diagram editor.
Price (checked October 2026): the shop lists CHF 700 per year for PVsyst 8 Professional. Group orders get 5% off for 2 to 4 licences, 15% off for 5 to 9 and 20% off for 10 or more. The product page lists a one-month free trial. The price is in Swiss francs, so there is no rupiah price.
Limitations: the single line diagram feature is described as “still work in progress”. It covers strings, inverters and transformers, and does not include storage. The product page lists 12 software languages, and Indonesian is not one of them. The vendor pages we read do not say which Indonesian lenders or authorities accept its reports.
Vendor link: pvsyst.com
SurgePV
SurgePV is our product.
Best for: teams that want roof modeling, array layout, shading analysis and energy-yield modeling. They also want financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation in one product, priced per user. They should confirm the Indonesian outputs in a demo. See solar design software for the product page.
Not the right choice if: you want a self-serve trial (SurgePV offers a guided demo). It is also not for you if you need a rupiah price in writing before talking to sales. SurgePV lists its price in US dollars. It is also not for you if you want a vendor Indonesia page with IDR proposals and PLN tariff structures. Arka360 publishes one. Outputs support design and documentation but do not replace approval by the responsible engineer, authority, lender or utility. SurgePV’s published product scope does not list a CRM. SurgePV is not a monitoring or ERP (business planning) product.
What the vendor documents: 3D roof modeling, array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation.
Price (checked October 2026): $1,899 per user per year for 1 user, $1,499 per user for 3 seats, $1,299 per user for 5 seats, in US dollars. Confirm any rupiah amount and taxes in a written quote.
Limitations: results depend on source data, assumptions and equipment models. The pricing page and published scope do not state a PLN drawing format, a quota or export rule, or a design size limit.
Vendor link: surgepv.com.
Indonesia Rules That Shape the Choice
All the rules below come from Energy Ministry Regulation 2/2024. It is written in Bahasa Indonesia. The article numbers are from that text.
Which rule applies. The minister signed Regulation 2/2024 on 29 January 2024. It took effect on 31 January 2024. It covers rooftop solar that connects to the grid of a holder of a public electricity supply business license (IUPTLU). PT PLN (Persero) is one such holder. The regulation replaces Regulation 26/2021 (Article 51). Guides that still cite Regulation 26/2021 describe a rule that was repealed.
No credit for exports. Article 13 says excess electricity that enters the IUPTLU grid is not counted when the customer’s bill is worked out. A proposal should show savings from the power used on site only. Customers also may not sell the power the system makes (Article 41). The regulation says that carbon economic value follows the law. Until a law says otherwise, it belongs to the Government (Article 40).
Quota and approval. Each IUPTLU makes a five-year quota for rooftop solar (Article 7). The Director General of Electricity sets it. Each IUPTLU then splits it by customer service unit (Article 9). Customers apply in January or July each year (Article 14). The IUPTLU must approve or reject within 30 calendar days after the window closes. If it gives no answer, the request counts as approved (Article 15). If the quota is full, the customer goes on a waiting list for the next period. You may build only after approval (Article 22). Connecting a system before approval can bring a penalty. The penalty is total inverter capacity times 240 hours times the electricity tariff (Article 23).
Size is counted by inverter capacity. Article 19 says system capacity is set by the total inverter capacity. The customer’s capacity must also fit the customer’s need and the quota (Article 12). Show AC inverter capacity in every proposal and drawing.
Permits by size. Above 500 kW connected in one installation, the customer needs a license for own-use electricity supply from the Minister or the governor (Article 17). Up to 500 kW, the customer files a report with the Minister or governor before building (Article 18). A business entity with an electricity support-services certificate must do the work (Articles 1 and 21). Industrial-tariff customers above 3 MW must also provide a weather forecast data set tied to the IUPTLU’s SCADA or smart grid system (Article 42).
Documents and the SLD. The application form in Annex II asks for the installed power in VA, the appointed business entity and a single line diagram. Industrial tariff customers also give an operation plan. Annex I shows the diagram layout and the equipment standards. Inverters must have anti-islanding and other safety protections. Wiring and protection follow SNI 0225:2020 (the Indonesian electrical installation rules, PUIL 2020). Modules follow SNI IEC 61215.
Operation certificate. A Certificate of Operation Worthiness (SLO) is required above 500 kW. It is also required up to 500 kW when the control panel is not one inseparable part of the system (Article 24). A technical inspection body issues it. Some small plug-and-play systems count as meeting the SLO rule with a signed statement and documents (Article 25). Annex I says systems under 10 kW of inverter capacity can be declared as meeting it. Check which case applies before you promise a timeline.
Existing systems. A system that already runs, or was approved before the regulation took effect, keeps the old export-import and capacity charge rules for 10 years from approval (Article 47).
Language, currency and units. The regulation and the form are in Bahasa Indonesia. The customer’s bill is in rupiah. Of the vendor pages we read, only the Arka360 Indonesia page names IDR. No tool states Bahasa Indonesia proposals.
Regulator pointer. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (esdm.go.id) issues the regulation. Its press release on the new rules is here. Check your PLN service area for its current quota and for how it takes applications.
How We Ordered These Tools
SurgePV publishes this page and is a vendor on this list. Its entry uses the same vendor-page sources and template as every other tool here.
We did not rank these tools. They are listed alphabetically, and the best-for picks come from the matrix above.
- SLD output: the application form asks for a single line diagram. We did not assess whether any tool’s diagram passes PLN review.
- Export and self-use modelling: exports earn no credit, so the savings depend on on-site use. We did not assess whether any calculation is correct.
- IDR and Indonesian proposals: a rupiah proposal is what an Indonesian customer reads. We did not assess translation quality or tax lines.
- Weather data: yield depends on the weather file. We did not assess accuracy against measured output.
- Size range: the regulation draws lines at 500 kW and 3 MW, so a tool’s ceiling matters. We did not assess speed on large designs.
Not Compared Here
Aurora Solar, PVcase and PV*SOL premium are compared on the global solar design software list but not on this page. None of the pages we read for them mention Indonesia. For nearby markets, see Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Sources and Dates
Vendor pages were read in October 2026. Arka360 (Indonesia, pricing). HelioScope (pricing). OpenSolar (pricing post, 16 February 2026, SLD page, and the help center articles linked above). PVsyst (shop and the help pages linked above). SurgePV (pricing). Local rules come from Energy Ministry Regulation 2/2024 on the BPK regulation database (read in a browser) and the Ministry’s press release, both linked above.
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- Solar software in Indonesia, the all-purpose list for the country
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- Best solar design software, all markets
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best solar design software in Indonesia?
It depends on the job. Here is what the vendors publish. Arka360 has an Indonesia page that names IDR proposals and PLN tariff structures. HelioScope lists a single line diagram (SLD, a simple drawing of how the system is wired) on every plan. OpenSolar’s core app is free and lets you set the export limit to 0 kW. The vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. PVsyst lists a grid power limitation setting. SurgePV lists roof modeling, shading, yield, financial modeling, bill of materials and proposals in one product, priced per user.
Does solar design software support Indonesia’s rooftop solar rules?
None of the vendor pages we read describe them. Since 31 January 2024, Energy Ministry Regulation 2/2024 has said that extra power sent to the grid does not count toward the customer’s bill. A new system saves money only on the power used on site. So check that the tool can limit export or show zero credit for exports. Regulation 2/2024 also ties approval to a quota for each customer service unit of the grid owner.
Does PLN require specific design software?
No. Regulation 2/2024 names documents, not software. The application form asks for the installed power in VA, the appointed business entity and a single line diagram. Industrial customers also give an operation plan. Any tool is acceptable if it produces drawings that your engineer can check and sign.
Can solar design software produce the single line diagram for a PLN application?
Some tools list a single line diagram. HelioScope lists single-line diagrams on every plan. Arka360 lists an electric single line diagram on its pricing page. PVsyst has a single line diagram editor that it calls work in progress. OpenSolar’s help article lists templates for AU, NZ, US, CA, UK, FR, DE, IT, ES and IN, not Indonesia. None of the vendor pages we read say that the output follows a PLN format.
How much does solar design software cost in Indonesia?
No vendor page we read lists a rupiah price. HelioScope Basic is $159 USD per license per month, or $1,620 USD per license per year. PVsyst 8 Professional is CHF 700 per year. OpenSolar’s core app is free, but the vendor charges for API Access and supported connectors from 16 April 2026. SurgePV Individual is $1,899 per user per year. Arka360 shows rupee and US dollar plans and no rupiah price. Ask each vendor for a written quote in rupiah.
Which tool can model limited or zero export?
OpenSolar’s help article says to set the export limit to 0 kW so that no excess energy counts as exported. PVsyst lists a grid power limitation that it applies at inverter level. The other vendor pages we read do not describe an export limit. Ask for a demonstration with your own load profile.
