By Benedictus Bimo
Every morning at the Indonesian Jesuit Provincial House in Semarang, as staff begin their workday, something quietly takes place on the rooftop above them. Solar panels installed on the building absorb early-morning sunlight, charging a battery storage system that supplies electricity throughout the day. Lights, air conditioners, and computers operate without drawing power from the grid.
At first glance, it may seem like a small change in how a single building receives its electricity, as it begins to transition toward cleaner energy. Yet, in the context in which it is happening, the significance extends far beyond one rooftop.
To understand why this matters, it is important to examine the region’s energy landscape. Southeast Asia remains heavily dependent on coal. Since 2017, coal has been the region’s largest source of electricity generation. By 2022, it accounted for 42% of Southeast Asia’s total power production and remained the region’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Indonesia sits at the centre of this picture. According to regional energy data, the country accounts for 91.7% of all operating coal mines in Southeast Asia. As of 2025, approximately 66.54% of Indonesia’s electricity still came from coal, according to figures presented by the Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, citing the State Electricity Company’s electricity production during a parliamentary hearing in November of that year. Together with four other Asia-Pacific countries, Indonesia contributed to nearly 80% of global coal production in 2023, while Indonesia alone accounted for 38.32% of the methane emissions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
At the same time, reality is complex. Coal remains a major economic driver. In Indonesia alone, the industry supports an estimated 290,000 jobs, representing more than 74% of all coal-related employment across ASEAN. Coal-generated electricity is also kept affordable through government policies, including Indonesia’s Domestic Market Obligation, which caps coal prices for power generation. For a country still expanding its energy infrastructure to meet growing demand, moving away from coal is not a transition that can happen overnight.
The consequences of continued fossil fuel dependence are no longer abstract. In 2024, global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in recorded history according to the World Meteorological Organization. Climate scientists have long warned that surpassing this threshold would increase the risks associated with climate change, much of which is driven by greenhouse gas emissions.
Although a single year above 1.5°C does not automatically mean the goals of the Paris Agreement have failed, it serves as a warning that stronger action is needed to bring temperatures back below that threshold. Even small increases in global temperature can have significant consequences for ecosystems, communities, and economies. Meaningful climate action is therefore essential, and it is within this broader context that the Provincial House project finds its significance.
The call to transition toward cleaner energy found a practical starting point closer to home. Indonesian Provincial, Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan, SJ, recalls that the initial inspiration came from a Jesuit parish in Botong, Kalimantan. Located beyond the reach of the national electricity grid, the parish generates its own power through solar panels operating around the clock.
The parish demonstrated that energy independence was not merely an aspiration but a workable reality. It also raised an obvious question at the Provincial House: if a remote parish without grid access could successfully rely on solar power, what was preventing the Provincial House from doing the same? As it turned out, very little.
The Church of Mary, Mother of God, in Botong is where the idea originated. (Photo: Sch. Daud Kefas, SJ)
One of the two buildings within the Provincial House compound in Semarang now operates on a solar power system equipped with battery storage. Throughout the morning, the solar panels charge the batteries, which typically reach full capacity by midday. During working hours, the building relies entirely on the energy stored in the system.
Once the batteries are depleted in the evening, the building switches to electricity supplied by the national grid for the remainder of the night. Unlike grid-connected solar systems that export excess energy, this installation stores all the electricity it generates and uses it internally when needed.
Beyond its environmental benefits, the system has also reduced electricity costs. The second building within the compound continues to rely on the national grid, providing a realistic indication of where the transition currently stands. The project represents a beginning rather than a finished destination.
The Provincial House solar project forms part of a broader initiative led by the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP).
In 2022, the JCAP launched Caring for Communities and Creation (CCC), a flagship initiative encouraging Provinces and Regions throughout Asia Pacific to take concrete steps toward ecological responsibility. One of its three pillars focuses on transitioning to cleaner energy by reducing energy consumption and deliberately shifting away from dependence on fossil fuels.
The Indonesian Province is among the first to translate that vision into concrete action. The project carries particular significance in a country that accounts for the overwhelming majority of coal mining activity in Southeast Asia.
Aerial view of the Provincial House captured by drone. (Photo: William MH Hartono/IDO Province Communication Office)
The effort is not limited to the Provincial House. Other Jesuit and Church institutions have also begun adopting renewable energy solutions as part of a shared commitment to environmental stewardship. Among them are the Jakarta Cathedral and the ATMI Polytechnic Surakarta.
The timing is noteworthy. Analysts at the ASEAN Centre for Energy project that by 2028 building new solar energy capacity in Indonesia will be cheaper than continuing to operate existing coal-fired power plants. This economic turning point is expected to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy across multiple sectors.
The Provincial House project came about not as a result of regulatory requirements, but because the right questions regarding electricity supply sources had already been asked and a decision had been taken.
Coal played a crucial role in shaping modern Southeast Asia. It powered factories, electrified cities, and provided affordable energy to hundreds of millions of people across the region. Its contribution to employment, infrastructure development, and economic growth is undeniable.
At the same time, energy experts increasingly warn that maintaining the region’s current dependence on fossil fuels carries significant risks for the climate, public health, and the long-term sustainability of regional economies.
The solar panel project at the Provincial House will not, by itself, transform Southeast Asia’s energy future. It is one building in one city, powered by stored sunlight throughout the working day.
Yet every transition begins somewhere.
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