MSc Sustainable Energy Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Ardian Candra, power systems automation, control & OT integration engineer. 15+ years keeping Indonesia's islands electrified at PT PLN. Now developing BESS & grid-integration technology and modelling the PV + storage systems of the energy transition.
01 · About
I am a power systems automation and OT integration engineer with 15+ years at PT PLN Indonesia, combining hands-on utility engineering with technology development, control and protection systems, and power-system communications. From building SCADA and distribution automation from the ground up to leading planning for isolated island systems across the Riau archipelago, my work is measured in millions of euros saved and thousands of tonnes of CO₂ avoided.
In 2024 I earned the Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals (SISGP) for a full-time MSc in Sustainable Energy Engineering at KTH in Stockholm, completed in June 2026 with a weighted average of 4.45/5.0. My industry-linked thesis, with Smålandshamnar AB and Oskarshamn Energi, built a Python-based techno-economic optimisation framework (Pyomo MILP + DEAP genetic algorithms) for integrating rooftop PV, battery storage, and shore power at Oskarshamn Harbour.
Since July 2026 I am back at PT PLN as Senior Engineer for T&D Technology Development, writing the technical specifications for battery energy storage and assessing BESS configurations under Indonesia's 100 GWp solar PV programme, while continuing to model solar, storage, and hybrid energy systems as an independent consultant.
02 · Experience
Develop and review minimum technical specifications (MTS) for BESS: battery systems, power conversion systems (PCS), performance, grid integration, protection, control, safety, and operational requirements. Contribute technical assessments under Indonesia's 100 GWp solar PV programme, evaluating BESS configurations, system sizing, operating requirements, and grid-support functions.
Graduated with a weighted average of 4.45/5.0 across 90 ECTS. Grade A in Practical Optimisation of Energy Networks, Energy Storage Technology, Modelling of Energy Systems, AI Applications in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Large Scale Solar Power, and Energy Management.
Thesis (defended 2026): Sustainable Energy System Sizing for Oskarshamn Harbour: PV, BESS, and Shore Power Integration, in collaboration with Smålandshamnar AB and Oskarshamn Energi. Built a Pyomo MILP dispatch optimiser with rolling-horizon scheduling and a DEAP genetic algorithm for component sizing; multi-objective Pareto optimisation across NPV, emissions, and self-sufficiency; compared LFP, sodium-ion, and vanadium-redox-flow chemistries using PNNL-style decomposed CAPEX.
Thermal energy storage for peak shaving (Pyomo MILP + DEAP sizing); wind integration with adiabatic compressed-air energy storage (A-CAES, Gotland case study); PV power forecasting with neural networks; EV freight-depot charging optimisation on MV networks (pandapower + Pyomo MILP).
Full MSc scholarship awarded to approximately 2% of applicants worldwide. Also received the Best Proposal award for Smart & Sustainable Kigali 2030, presented at the 2nd Nordic–Baltic Forum in Rwanda.
Led generation-expansion and distribution-network planning across 19 islands, coordinating engineering teams. Ran feasibility studies for submarine power cables and transmission interconnections to bring 24-hour supply to previously load-shedded islands. The submarine cable was commissioned in 2024. Built a hybrid solar PV roadmap for 87 remote island systems and initiated the wave-energy pilot at Natuna Island with Swedish and Australian developers.
Built the advanced distribution management system (ADMS) from the ground up: FLISR and self-healing smart-feeder schemes across 109 substations and 680 pole-mounted circuit breakers (IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, Modbus). Deployed grid-operations communications: regional digital radio backbone, redundant RTU paths over fibre-optic and private cellular networks, and GPS time synchronisation (Symmetricom). Built real-time SCADA data replication from Survalent ADMS to SQL Server. Key project: the Batam–Sambu submarine cable interconnection, delivering ~€3.4M/year in savings and ~1,090 t CO₂/year reduction.
Maintained RTUs, gateways, and protection IEDs (Schneider Micom, GE Multilin, Siemens SIprotec) across the Riau distribution grid. Supervised commissioning of a 250 kW off-grid solar plant at Moro Island, the area's first distributed PV with autonomous island operation.
1st Place, PLN Provincial Innovation Competition (2016), for an analog gateway detecting fault current on 20 kV feeders. Best Paper Nominee, PLN National Conference, Jakarta (2016). Presented at the Smart Grid Asia Congress, Bali (2013).
GPA 3.41/4.00. Concentrations in control & automation, energy conversion, and semiconductor materials. Thesis: ANFIS for maritime weather prediction, early neural-network modelling on real-world sensor data.
03 · Research & Projects
MSc Thesis · KTH × Industry
Sized an integrated PV, battery storage, and shore-power (OPS) system for a working Swedish harbour. Combined a Pyomo MILP dispatch optimiser (rolling-horizon scheduling) with a DEAP genetic algorithm for component sizing, and ran multi-objective Pareto optimisation across NPV, emissions, and self-sufficiency, comparing LFP, sodium-ion, and vanadium-redox-flow chemistries with PNNL-style decomposed CAPEX.
In collaboration with Smålandshamnar AB and Oskarshamn Energi.
Grid Infrastructure
Key project as Head of SCADA & Telecom: interconnecting Batam and Sambu via submarine cable, delivering approximately €3.4M/year in savings and ~1,090 t CO₂/year reduction.
Off-grid Solar
Commissioned the area's first distributed PV system, a 250 kW off-grid plant with autonomous island-mode operation.
KTH Research
Thermal energy storage for peak shaving (Pyomo MILP dispatch + DEAP sizing); wind integration with adiabatic compressed-air energy storage, A-CAES, Gotland case study; day-ahead PV power forecasting with neural networks.
KTH Research
Modelled medium-voltage network operation with pandapower and Pyomo MILP to optimise EV charging schedules, electricity costs, and network losses, including voltage-constraint analysis.
Island Electrification Planning
Feasibility studies for submarine cables and hybrid solar PV across 87 remote islands; initiated the wave-energy pilot at Natuna Island.
04 · Skills
05 · Consulting
I help solar developers, EPCs, and investors de-risk projects with rigorous, decision-ready energy modelling, delivered as consulting-grade reports you can defend to banks and boards.
Hourly simulation (8,760 data points/year) with site-specific TMY weather data, not spreadsheet estimates. Annual and monthly yield, capacity factor, and clear-sky vs. cloudy-day analysis.
Right-size behind-the-meter storage and prove the dispatch strategy before you buy hardware. SoC-aware usable capacity, no nameplate illusions.
Full project economics for investment decisions: NPV, IRR, payback period, and LCOE, with sensitivity analysis on the variables that actually move the needle.
Share your site & goals. Location, system size, and what decision the analysis must support.
I model & analyse. Hourly simulation, sizing optimisation, and economics, with assumptions documented.
You get answers. A decision-ready report plus a walkthrough call. One revision round included.
Thesis Spotlight
My MSc thesis sized a harbour energy system integrating rooftop solar PV, battery storage (BESS) and shore power (OPS) for berthed vessels, optimised across cost, emissions and self-sufficiency.
06 · Contact
Open to consulting engagements, research collaboration, and roles in sustainable energy.
📍 Jakarta, Indonesia · +62 811 754 5544 · Working worldwide, remotely