ExploRE (Strategic Exploration of Economic Mitigation Potentials through Renewables)
Status
Ongoing
Overall Project Duration
Commissioner
Political Partner
Cooperation Partners
Implementing Organization
GIZ
Project page on organization website
Project Documents and Links
Background
As a party to the Paris Agreement, Indonesia has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 29% unconditionally—or up to 41% with international support—by 2030. A large share of these emissions comes from the energy sector, where fossil fuel use remains dominant despite the country’s significant renewable energy (RE) potential. Coordination challenges among government bodies, financing limitations, and data availability gaps hinder RE expansion at scale.
The ExploRE project addresses these gaps by supporting strategic planning and decision-making processes related to RE deployment. Its primary goal is to enable coherent, evidence-based, and fiscally sound approaches to increase the contribution of RE to national climate mitigation goals. It builds on the lessons of the earlier LCORE-INDO project and focuses on improving inter-institutional collaboration, designing financing models, and piloting scalable RE projects.
Project Approach
ExploRE operates across four main pillars: technical assistance, policy integration, innovation pilots, and institutional strengthening. The project helps ministries and utilities develop national and subnational RE strategies based on economic feasibility and emissions reduction potential. This includes supporting MEMR’s One Map platform with integrated bioenergy data, and conducting technical and economic studies to assess RE deployment pathways.
In addition to policy advisory, ExploRE pilots innovative RE applications such as solar-powered cold storage systems and bioenergy monitoring platforms. These pilots not only demonstrate technology performance but also provide practical insights on regulatory and financial readiness. For instance, the M-Biogas app developed by ExploRE enables real-time tracking of plant performance, helping improve safety and operational efficiency.
The project engages multiple ministries—including MEMR, Bappenas, BKF, and Kemenkomarves—to harmonize policy and regulatory frameworks. By facilitating multi-sectoral dialogue, it creates an enabling environment for sustainable investment and strengthens public-private partnerships for RE development.
Desired Impacts
ExploRE contributes to Indonesia’s National Energy Mix and NDC implementation by bridging the gap between technical potential and actionable policy. Through its tools, pilots, and advisory work, the project enhances data-driven decision-making and investment planning for RE.
Some key achievements include the contribution to Indonesia’s bioenergy strategy through mapping and dashboard integration into MEMR systems; policy support on green hydrogen regulation; and technical assistance to 11 biogas power plants (with a combined capacity of 15.37 MW). The project also launched a solar ice maker pilot in East Nusa Tenggara, showcasing how RE can directly improve rural livelihoods while reducing GHG emissions.
By increasing institutional capacity and aligning financial frameworks with climate goals, ExploRE creates systemic impact. Its work not only helps reduce emissions but also strengthens long-term resilience in Indonesia’s energy governance and fiscal planning.
Project Activity Areas (Outputs)
RE Deployment Strategy
Political Instrument and Financing Environment
Institution Building
Innovation
Project Publications
Project Updates
Tools
SEA Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET)
The Southeast Asia Information Platform for Energy Transition (SIPET) is a one-stop platform for information and knowledge exchange about the energy transition in the region. SIPET aims to be a central launch pad for energy transition stake holders to facilitate dialogue and promote coordination in the Southeast Asia power sector.
Bio DB
BioDB is a useful website for providing general information, encouraging discussion and conversation on the topic of bioenergy from agro-industrial waste. The data and information presented were collected by the Strategic Exploration of Economic Mitigation Potentials through Renewables (ExploRE) project, a project funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Federal Republic of Germany, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) of the Republic of Indonesia, and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
IKI JET
The global energy transition away from coal to renewable energy is threatening local livelihoods, economic activities and jobs, but also holding opportunities for sustainable, low carbon development. The project aims at supporting key stakeholder of coal regions to plan for and implement regional just energy transition pathways away from coal and towards a low-carbon energy system. Focusing on the regional economic transformations, the project works with government, industry, unions, communities, civil society, and academia. It supports interregional peer-to-peer exchange, learning, and policy dialogue in an international network and information sharing via a knowledge hub. In Indonesia, it supports the development of specific transition plans in two coal regions. In Colombia, it supports the development of the concept and framework for energy communities and the implementation of just and inclusive energy communities in César and la Guajira.
CASE for Southeast Asia
The “CASE for Southeast Asia” website is dedicated to the promotion of clean, affordable, and secure energy transitions across Southeast Asia. The website focuses on the provision of resources, the conducting of research, and the facilitation of collaborative projects in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with the aim of supporting energy transition efforts. The platform highlights the challenges and opportunities in the region’s energy sector, while sharing knowledge, best practices, and policy recommendations aimed at advancing the transition to renewable energy and sustainable development
Contact
Project Address
Directorate General for New, Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation (DG NREEC), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources 5th Floor Jl. Pegangsaan Timur No. 1A, Cikini, Jakarta 10320
Ardian Candraputra
Commission Manager ExploRE
