Thread: Thailand : Solar Power

Originally Posted by tony wall

me and the wife have been talking about installing solar (pv) panels to our house outside bangers for a couple of weeks now and i have been trying to locate the necessary equipment /materials for the job,over christmas i was talking to my son about this and one of his questions was can we get a grant or rebate from any agency in thailand for it ,my initial reaction was definitely not but i don't realy know so can anyone tell me yes or no and maybe an idea where to get the parts from thanks

We are doing a 3Kw array in Rayong at the moment, you can PM me if you want some info.
cheers

Published on 20 Apr 2014
Thailand, known for its plentiful sunshine, has spent years developing its solar energy industry.

Aside from the obvious environmental benefits, the motivation for using solar energy helps preserve the nation's economy and reducing energy imports from its South East Asia neighbours.

The sector has become so successful that countries across Asia are now looking to replicate it.

Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler reports from Lopburi, Thailand.

youtube.com

If it were going to replace anything, we be hearing more about it. I'm sure it has value but so far it doesn't seem to be capable of replacing traditional power sources. The best solution to this issue and all resource and environmental issues is less use and that could be achieved much faster by much more open discussion of human population on resources. Still, I am all for solar and anything else that doesn't ruin the planet anymore than we have already. I'm sure those who partake in this field will make their money back at least. If the tech develops more it could mean less land area for greater power production which would be good.

the vid shows a different take on the problem and offers the soultion of small village sized solar plants .

Originally Posted by Mid

the vid shows a different take on the problem and offers the soultion of small village sized solar plants .

Yes, a different rationale. But it does very little for the global economy and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. A small village, alredy used to power outages and not dependent on a constant supply may profit.

Originally Posted by Mid

the vid shows a different take on the problem and offers the soultion of small village sized solar plants .

Which could be quite beneficial to the respected communities...

Rather run as a collective, as many things are approached throughout familiar moo baans, tambons, etc, towards the benefit for all - instead of profitable local politics.

Power generation has to become smaller, more flexible and localised to be efficient. Super grids and storage of electricity is not practical long term.

This is how alternative energy will play a role in the future.

I think...

..given the poor state and reliability of current power distribution and infrastructure in Thailand...rather painting over the cracks. Think I read that some areas in Thailand do not have electricity?
New high speed rail on the drawing board but aged,poorly maintained existing rail infrastructure, many high use roads not metaled yet they widen to freeways short distances through villages.
Frickin great new wats, government buildings ...yet no money to upgrade or provide rural fire and hospital,ambulance services,water supplies,garbage collection,recycling..yada yada...sigh!

Originally Posted by AndyCap

Power generation has to become smaller, more flexible and localised to be efficient. Super grids and storage of electricity is not practical long term.

This is how alternative energy will play a role in the future.

I think...

That is the position many environmentalists who are generally anti big industry take. I do understand to some degree where that sentiment comes from so can sympathize. It can help rural areas no doubt. But maintaining a industrialized global economy that way is not realistic.

I'm not an expert, and for sure not anti big industry or a tree hugger. But I did get dragged into a seminar in Sweden about 6 years ago where a professor spelt the long term problems out to a leading European industrial company I was doing some work for.

Much smaller, more easily controlled power generators , with the ability to draw energy from alternative sources was the solution he was offering, avoiding sending power through huge cables over miles (and accepting the loss through transport and storage).

These smaller units could be ramped up and down easier through the peak times, etc. it made sense technically, but the conclusion was that it would take political willpower to put into action I.e. How would you take your village off the grid and make your own electricity? What would " the mans" reaction be?

That electrical appliances, heating, etc is all using much less power and becoming far more efficient plays a big role, putting the power generation into the local community also generated a social awareness and some responsibility.

Cars and vehicles on the roads are going to be one of the bigger issues, but they too will become more efficient in time.

The grid would stay, problem with your unit, maintenance (although a lot of mechanical things now will run for ever) you switch it of and fix it, piping what you need in from the next unit up the road.

As I said, it made sense to me but I'm not an expert in this field by any means.

Originally Posted by AndyCap

I'm not an expert, and for sure not anti big industry or a tree hugger. But I did get dragged into a seminar in Sweden about 6 years ago where a professor spelt the long term problems out to a leading European industrial company I was doing some work for. Much smaller, more easily controlled power generators , with the ability to draw energy from alternative sources was the solution he was offering, avoiding sending power through huge cables over miles (and accepting the loss through transport and storage). These smaller units could be ramped up and down easier through the peak times, etc. it made sense technically, but the conclusion was that it would take political willpower to put into action I.e. How would you take your village off the grid and make your own electricity? What would " the mans" reaction be?

I did not mean to say those things are not viable. I especially like the idea of small combined heating and power stations directly in houses. Have a combustion engine instead of a conventional oil or gas heater. Produce electric power and use the "waste heat" of the engine for house and water heating. Those units need to be controlled by a local provider to run when the electricity is needed and the heat stored for a few hours until needed. Economical because they produce peak hour electricity that goes with a higher price than base load. But this technology still consumes fossil fuel, just more efficiently. It does not malke a local network autonomous though. Who produces electricity when heat requirement is low? Larger units are more efficient in producing electricity under these conditions.

There is more. Energy can be produced from animal waste producing and burning methane. Some large meat producers do that already in Germany. It not only reduces fossil fuel consumption but also reduces ground water contamination by pouring the waste on the fields.

Central control helps too. Your washing machine and dishwasher may work when they get the go from a supplier because wind or solar is available. You can override the signal but pay alot more for electricity.

But in the large picture you need a huge grid best if worldwide where power is produced where there is wind or solar and consumed where the consumer needs it.

BTW I was interested in those concepts before the green movement even existed.

this link is worth a look..lots of links electrical info

http://www.electricityforum.com/solar-electricity.html

Originally Posted by Topper

the warranty period can go up to 30 years, meaning that after 30 years, they'll still generate 80% of their rated power.

And what if they don't.

Send the Thai company an email and wait for a speedy reply saying they'll order the new parts for free and be round first thing on Monday to install them for free too?


I was looking into it earlier this year for the villa, the honest answer from a building contractor that could have made money from it was, don't.

You need European manufactured produce, not Thai/Chinese crap. So straight away multiply the cost by 3.

Then, it's still going to be installed and set up by Thai gumps, with any service and maintenance being done by Thai gumps too.

The answer was to just pay the monthly bill of 5k baht or whatever and wait 5-10 years if need be.

Originally Posted by Edmond

You need European manufactured produce, not Thai/Chinese crap.

you need to look at where those EU manufactured solar panels are manufactured

Originally Posted by malmomike77

you need to look at where those EU manufactured solar panels are manufactured

And which nationality is doing the QC.

Most panels are made in China. Just check out the quality ones before purchasing. The inverter is a different matter, get a good quality one from europe. The inverter is costly if it fails prematurely and will negate a lot of your savings.

^ a 10k thb one from watsadu isn't going to cut it?

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Would you still need the inverter but not the batteries, or neither?

don't need the batteries, the power control unit will switch automatically to the grid once the solar power delivery drops

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Anyway, the general consensus was to just get the panels and use them during the sunshine hours, around 12.5hrs per day year round where we are, and use the normal lekky at night.

yep, run the aircon during the day off solar and cool the house, then at night if you need it the grid cost of running is very low as its recycling cooler air.

Investment in renewables has just overtaken fossil fuels for the first time! I’m sure Landreth must have posted this already.

AI will have the same issues. Quality products will be adopted more quickly.

we are looking at a 7Kw set up just now

Originally Posted by malmomike77

don't need the batteries, the power control unit will switch automatically to the grid once the solar power delivery drops

Switch to the grid for free? I believe it is a royal pain in the arse to get set up to sell your surplus back on the grid in Thailand. Although that was a few years back I researched.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

yep, run the aircon during the day off solar and cool the house, then at night if you need it the grid cost of running is very low as its recycling cooler air.

If it's just for the A/C, I remember seeing solar kits for A/C units for around 15k baht. Might be a cheaper and equally sensible option.