This article examines sustainability transitions in the Global South, focusing on the adoption of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems in Indonesia as a case study. Based on 55 in-depth interviews and a secondary data review, we develop an alternative analytical framework that draws insights from geographical political economy and political ecology. This alternative lens allows us to better inform the socio-technical transition literature by uncovering both the spatial implications of renewable energy transitions and the power differentials underpinning them. We find that the emergence of rooftop PV technology in Indonesia has provoked resistance, as it challenges the incumbent power company’s monopoly over urban space, the Java-Bali grid system’s dependency on coal-based electricity, and state-led practices that prioritise the implementation of small-scale solar in rural and remote areas. We argue that paying attention to the asymmetric power relations among institutions and actors across multiple scales offers a more-fine grained approach to analysing the dynamics of sustainability transitions. Our findings also call for greater attention to diverse and divergent perspectives among niche actors, emphasising the need to genuinely embrace local voices and knowledge that might otherwise be marginalised by the dominant globally and nationally driven narratives of renewable transition.

本文考察了全球南方的可持续性转型，重点关注印度尼西亚采用屋顶光伏 (PV) 系统作为案例研究。基于 55 次深度访谈和二次数据审查，我们开发了一个替代分析框架，从地理政治经济学和政治生态学中汲取见解。这种替代视角通过揭示可再生能源转型的空间影响和支撑它们的功率差异，使我们能够更好地为社会技术转型文献提供信息。我们发现，印度尼西亚屋顶光伏技术的出现引发了阻力，因为它挑战了现有电力公司对城市空间的垄断，爪哇-巴厘岛电网系统对煤电的依赖，以及国家主导的做法，优先在农村和偏远地区实施小规模太阳能。我们认为，关注跨多个尺度的机构和参与者之间的不对称权力关系，可以提供一种更细粒度的方法来分析可持续性转型的动态。我们的研究结果还呼吁更多地关注利基参与者之间多样化和不同的观点，强调需要真正接受当地的声音和知识，否则这些声音和知识可能会被全球和国家主导的可再生转型叙事边缘化。