Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Vol. 34, No. 2, May 2024, pp. 687~696 ISSN: 2502-4752, DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v34.i2.pp687-696  687 Journal homepage: http://ijeecs.iaescore.com A critical evaluation of DC microgrid implementation in Indonesia: opportunities and challenges Levin Halim 1 , Pinto Anugrah 2 , Aditya Kurniawan 3 , Khairuddin Karim 4 1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung, Indonesia 2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia 3 Department of Heavy Equipment Technology, Akademi Teknik Alat Berat Indonesia, Malang, Indonesia 4 Department of Electrical Engineering, State Polytechnic of Samarinda, Samarinda, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received Dec 18, 2023 Revised Feb 7, 2024 Accepted Feb 16, 2024 This study thoroughly investigates the potential of direct current (DC) microgrids to enhance electricity access in rural and remote areas of Indonesia that continue to face significant obstacles despite ongoing national electrification efforts. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this research comprehensively evaluates socio-economic and technical factors that influence the adoption of DC microgrids. The results indicate that DC microgrids offer significant potential for enhancing energy access, reliability, and sustainability, particularly when combined with renewable energy sources. This aligns with Indonesia’s move towards renewable energy. Nevertheless, the analysis identifies significant obstacles, such as the substantial initial investment, the requirement for complete regulatory frameworks, and the technological complexities that need to be conquered. In conclusion, DC microgrids present a promising solution for rural electrification. However, the implementation requires a strategy that emphasizes strategic investments, policy innovation, and capacity-building initiatives. This research significantly contributes to the study of sustainable energy by evaluating the criticality of integrating policies and technology for implementing DC microgrids as a key factor in achieving sustainable energy access in Indonesia. Keywords: Challenges DC microgrids Indonesia Opportunities Renewable energy This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Levin Halim Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Parahyangan Catholic University Street of Ciumbuleuit No. 94, Bandung, 40141, Indonesia Email: halimlevin@unpar.ac.id 1. INTRODUCTION The electrification rate in Indonesia has increased significantly in recent years, with a predicted annual increase [1]. Nonetheless, progress on electrification has stagnated since 2018, particularly in rural and remote areas [2]. This deficiency is emphasized by the fact that Indonesia’s rural electrification coverage totaled 40%, much below the regional average [3], even though the country had reached a 99.2% electrification rate by 2020. The impact of inte-rgovernmental transfers on infrastructure spending in Indonesia highlights the ne-ed for purposeful investment to address energy access disparities [4]. Additionally, the study underscores how global and national institutional dynamics influence rural electrification policies in Indonesia, pointing to the necessity of enhancing energy accessibility [5]. The implementation of direct current (DC) microgrids in Indonesia presents a feasible approach to addre-ssing several challenges [6][8]. Microgrids depend greatly on household appliances and distributed generation (DG). They depend extensively on power electronics and interact closely with DC-powered