MangoKorat

Noted but with the layout of the buildings I'm planning, that wouldn't be possible. I'll give it some thought though. Oh and one related question - the PEA just love their overhead wires. I on the other hand hate them. Does anyone know if they'll bring their supply on to site underground if I dig the trench and put a conduit in?

I will be installing solar whatever, I'm aiming for a 10kw system but I want to but quality equipment so if the cost of that is above what I want to spend at the moment, I'll add to it later. That said, I really hope I can install a full 10kw system form the start. I've learned in other fields though, that the most expensive isn't necessarily the best quailty - some companies live off their names Some suggestions say 2 x 5kw inverters may be better so at least some power is available should one fail but doesn't that work out more expensive - I intend having a grid connection so should always have power available. I'd like to start costing - any recommendations on brand for the main components - batteries, panels and inverter? Also, I understand that batteries may lose some of their efficiency over time - how about panels, does their production fade with time. I'm also not so keen on changing my house design and build it with a single pitch roof in order to accomodate enough panels. I'm going to be pushing it though - especially with allowing space to access the panels for maintenance/cleaning. The total roof area (South facing) is likely to be 75 sqm, I can enlarge that a little but some of that will be lost through allowing accces. However, I think I can reduce that loss by fitting the panels to a hinged subframe so they can be raised vertically - allowing access to the row behind once raised. On the basis that you understand what I mean by that - any reasons why I can't do it? Obvioulsy I'd fit panels with their wiring at the hinged end to minimise movement of the wiring.

The problem is, this new requirement for 400k baht in the bank is actually the same as the requirement for a 12 month extension of stay (marriage) - it bears no resemblence to that (stated to be) required either now or in the past by those embassies/consulates that offered MENO's. The cynical side of me thinks that Thai Immigration have realised that some people are using MENO's to in effect live in Thailand without having to show 400k in the bank for an extension, and have therefore made it a requirement for a MENO. The amount required is out of kilter with the stay provided by a MENO (90 days per entry) compared to that of an extension (12 months). For an extension the money has to be in a Thai bank account and seasoned for I believe, 2 months. At the moment they don't seem to be requiring the seasoning but it remains to be seen whether or not they want it to be in a Thai bank account. If they do, that would also be out of order because as I've said before - technically someone who is not resident in Thailand is not eligible for a Thai bank account. I know many have one but I suspect that quite a lot of people who are using MENO's as they are intended - i.e. to visit their wife rather than live in Thailand, will not actually have a Thai account. Hopefully they will accept proof of funds in a foreign account but I'm still awaiting a reply on the subject from Savannakhet.

Come off it - a hell of a lot of venues are open way past 2am already (provided they pay their monthly dues). I haven't been for a while - not even sure if its still open but I would regularly leave Climax on Sukhhumvit Soi 11 well after 3am and some of the clubs further up that soi were still going full pelt. Similar used to be the case with several clubs in Pattaya - Lucifers for one. Agree with you on the police point though but are you sure you want to include the word 'work' in that sentence? Spicy in Bangkok always used to be open until 6am and didn't even get lively until after 2.

How about a foreigner with a Thai ID card?

Fortunately I'm not doing it for payback per se. I'm going to install solar for environemental reasons and in order that I can have aircon on whenever I want it without massive electric bills - which also would hopefully contribute to reducing my overall carbon footprint. I will also be doing most of the work myself.

Well, a lot to take in and no doubt a lot more to come but one thing I'm learning is that my solar energy system is going to cost a lot more than I thought. So far it seems that with batteries, you either pay a large fortune for ones that will last 'forever' or you pay a small fortune for ones that will need replacing in 10 years. I wonder if people take account of battery replacement when working out their 'payback period' for their solar? I've talked to a couple of electric car owners and seen a lot of promotional blurb about them plus the general discussion on TV/in the media over the last few years. The one thing that's never mentioned is battery replacement. I believe that battery packs start at around £5000 (220,000 baht). I've also heard of people in the UK having to replace batteries at around 5 years old. Some car manufacturers offer 8 or 10 year warranties on their batteries but I'd like to see the terms and conditions on such warranties. All I know for sure is that I read an article either last year or early this year where a guy's car batteries had given up at just over 5 years old and he was looking at a bill of £6000 to replace them. There's a strong possibility that many electric cars will be worthless when they need their batteries replacing. Thinking about it, for those that have 8 or 10 year warranties - the situation will be worse. How much would you want to pay for a 10 year old car that needs a new battery pack? Do owners take account of this when calculating payback? Clearly this also has a bearing on the total 'birth to death' carbon footprint of an electric car. Surely the same applies to a home solar energy system?

Don't get me going on that........we should be building hundreds of nuclear power stations now!!

Can I ask, was the subject of the money being in a foreign (non Thai) bank account discussed? I'm just trying to find out if they are wanting the money to be in a Thai account. If they are, they are out of order given the visa type.

Please remember I'm a newcomer to solar. ESS, LFP, DOD??????????

@Bandersnatch Thanks very much for your input. Sorry that I haven't made much of a comment yet - I wanted to look at your blog first and I'm about halfway through that. Very interesting so far. I doubt I'm as committed so probably won't go as far you have but there's a lot of ideas in your build that can easily be incorporated into a 'standard' build with little/no cost. Thanks again.

Threaten them with court. There's a lawyer that regularly posts on here who took an immigration office to court and won - twice! Yes, they'll make life difficult for you in the future - but if you know your application is sound, threaten them with court again. Based on the experience of a friend when he applied for an extension at my local immigration office, I'm very likely to have problems with a future application. I can assure you that I will not put up with any mucking about if they try it, I've discussed it with my lawyer (not the same as mentioned above) and they look forward to it. I don't listen to all the 'farang always loses' stuff. I took a major Thai hospital group to court once - they'd messed me about for over a year - refusing to settle a claim and ignoring letters, they settled before the court date. I was also told that I had no chance of getting my car back from my ex wife who in effect, stole it (put it in her name without me knowing) - a court summons and she returned the car before the date. If you know you're in the right - stick to your guns.

Jeez, these battery costs are frightening: Take a look at the information in the link below: https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/solar-panels/the-best-storage-batteries I need to know that I'm understanding things correctly, for example, my understanding of the spec of the 'best buy' Tesla battery recommended is that I would actually need 2 of them to provide 10kw of power usage?? The batteries are rated at 13.5KWh but the maximum power is stated as 5kw. The information on the website states that 'most homes should function just fine with a single unit' (Tesla battery) yet the consensus here and elsewhere seems to be that an average home will need 10kw...............no wonder I get confused. At £7450 (328,000 baht) for one Tesla battery - without the 'Tesla Gateway' @ £1480 (65,000 baht), I don't think I'll be using them 😁.

So Patman30 is recommending NIFE batteries - yet a quick search on these seems to suggest they are pretty old tech. The attractive part for me is that they last over 30 years. However, a quick Google on NIFE batteries seems to rule them out: https://www.rpc.com.au/solar-news/disadvantages-of-nickel-iron-batteries.html Thoughts anyone?

Thanks for that - so a plan is emerging. There is no way I would ever go for a flat roof but a single pitch modern design with a low-ish angle sounds like its the way to go. I think that would provide ample space for my requirements and also sufficient access room for maintenance. If I go for that, I may completely change the house design that I have in mind If I install a 10kw system knowing that I might want to upgrade it to say 15kw in the future - are there measures I can put in place when installing the original system that would make an upgrade easier. This my sound crazy - remember I have little knowledge but what I'm thinking is - would fitting an inverter that will cope with 15kw be OK with just 10kw? So a bigger inverter from the start?

Thanks for that, I don't think I'd ever risk it - the problems created by not/never being able to visit again are just not worth it.

The HCMC website is as bad as the RTE London - bad links. They don't say what their financial requirements are just: 2.4.1. Thai spouse: Guarantee letter from Thai Spouse, can be Thai or English Copy of Thai marriage certificate - If an applicant has another national marriage certificate, the document will need to be translated in English by a notary public - For Vietnamese marriage certificate need to be legalized by Department of External Relation in Ho chi Minh City (Address: 184 Bis Pasteur, Quận 1, TP.HCM) Certified copy of Thai spouse’s ID card Certified copy of house registration book Other relevant document, for example copy of Thai child’s birth certificate with their passport/Id card 2.4.2. Thai child(ren) Copy of Thai child’s birth certificate with their passport/Id card Certified copy of house registration book 2.5. Applicant’s financial statement of adequate finance is required. https://hochiminh.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/non-immigrant-o-accompanying-thai-spouse-and-family-members

You need to check the requirements at HCMC - I understand there have been changes there now. I believe they want financial evidence now - exactly what I don't know. Maybe someone else can clarify?

From time to time there have been reports of Immigration crackdowns - I seem to remember one last year involving corrupt Immigration Officers/Agents/Dodgy bank accounts in relation to extensions of stay. Out of interest, if you use an agent to get around the financial requirements for an extension of stay and another 'crackdown' exposes the agent/officers involved with providing your extension do you have a problem? Have there been any occasions where the applicant has also been prosecuted and/or their extension cancelled?

Interestingly - with of course, the caveats that such a visa may no longer be available from the RTE London and that their website often contains innacurate information. These are their financial requirements for a MENO. 3. Financial evidence, e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings, proof of sponsorship from a third party -Your recent official UK/Ireland bank statement shows your name, address, and a minimum closing balance of £500 (for individual single entry) £1,000 (for family single entry), £5000 (for individual multiple entries, and £10,000 (for family multiple entries) , proof of earnings (payslips) or sponsorship letter from your sponsor with official ID and their Bank Statements. (Do not send the screenshot) https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/spouse-and-family-visa £5000 for a MENO to visit wife/family = approx 220,000 baht. These embassies/consulates just make things up as they go along.

Not everybody can do that. The time taken from when you are eligible to apply for an extension to going for interview and then collecting the extension may be longer than your stay - for those using the visa as intended.

I certainly will provide their answer. I've tried to make it as simple as possible as even the best Thai national English speakers sometimes don't fully understand - hopefully they will this time. The last time I wrote to Savannakhet the reply took around 7 days - I wrote earlier today.

Using the visa as intended, you should not have to show the money is in a Thai bank account - a MENO is for visitors, not residents. Technically only those resident in Thailand can open a Thai bank account so they cannot require the funds to be in one. That is a requirement for an extension of stay - not a MENO. Recent reports seem to suggest that applicants are being asked to provide proof of funds in a Thai bank account. As I will be applying for just such a visa in the near future, I have written to the Consulate at Savannakhet for clarification.

A MENO based on marriage is not intended for people who live in Thailand with their wife - its intended for those who work/live elsewhere but visit their wife regularly. Therefore, people who in fact live in Thailand using a MENO are technically abusing the intention of that visa. I would repeat that I am in no way criticising people who do that, I would probably have done the same if I was still married as my local immigration office can be really awkward on extensions of stay. That said, Thai Immigration are now abusing the requirements - 400,000 in the bank covers a 12 month stay when using the extension of stay method - a MENO only gives you a 90 day stay so why 400,000? Using the income method: proof of 40,000 per month should be easy enough for those using the visa for its intended purpose unless their earnings are 'grey' and unrecorded - in which case they will have to either be 'creative' or use an agent. What I will never understand is that a married guy who probably supports his wife and maybe has a family is required to show 40,000 per month whilst a single guy on a B visa has to show 50,000 per month.

Well you learn something knew every day. I've seen people post on this subject before but I'd no idea that computers had an inlet fiter or dealt with earths differently. I'd always presumed that getting a belt off anything meant an internal short. One thing I found before I changed over to UK sockets was that many older Thai style sockets and switches tend to 'leak'. I used to often find a very low voltage (2 - 4v) on the negative side of sockets and once got a belt off a light switch. Those faults disappeared when I changed them and completely when I went over to UK sockets.