Solar power is it worth it

[highlander76]

I can  never understand why I see so few homes using solar panels here . I suggested it to my wife and builder today and that idea was shot down reasons not worth it costs to much and government does not like you using them(they own electric supply ) they must be talking crap.Anybody on this forum fitted solar power to their homes my question is it worth the cost and hassle of installing, have you seen a saving in your electric bill that made you happy with installing solar power .

[Kwasaki]

Lecky is cheap for me the rest of my family are on 5/15 supply which they get free, it doesn't come any cheaper than that. ????

[eyecatcher]

I agree with the kawasaki its down to the lekky price.

My monthly bill rarely goes over 600bt and those solar panels probably start at 15k bt for one as big as an A4(paper not Audi)

 

Hardly seems worth it. 

 

Ironically Uk citizens must be mugs, spending at least 5k bt a month on electricity, they fall over themselves to take up offers of solar panels on their roof.

Horrendous they look....and they dont make any saving because the sun is out three days a year but instead they lowered the value of their now ugly house by 25%...

They got something right here

[CharlieH]

Someone I know who lives near, spent a large amount of money on an entire roof full of approx 2ft x 4ft panels, I wont go through the whole story but the bottom line.

It never worked, wasnt installed right, never had the agreements or connection to the "grid" promised , they didnt even exist and werent allowed either. All the promises turned to sh** and it was a complete con job, he got taken for a ride. He took them to court, got 300k judgement but has never been able to collect and now has, as last I knew, a shed full of around 40+ unused German solar panels.

[BritManToo]

39 minutes ago, eyecatcher said:

I agree with the kawasaki its down to the lekky price.

My monthly bill rarely goes over 600bt and those solar panels probably start at 15k bt for one as big as an A4(paper not Audi)

300w panels (big 2m x 1m) cost just under 5kbht from Amorn in most Tesco buildings.

You can buy a 600w micro grid tie inverter for 5k from Lazada (can take 2 panels)

That just plugs into your nearest mains socket, no need to tell the leccy company (shhhhhhhhh.....)

 

Why don't I buy one,

well it takes five years to get your money back (assuming they work) and I only have a 90 day VISA.

All my 'investments' in Thailand are now determined by the length of my VISA.

[jvs]

Yes it is worth it!350 watt panel now for around 5000baht.

Payback time is 6 years but in 6 years elec.will be more expensive.

If intrest was high it may be a different story but money in the bank costs money at the moment.

There are some very good companies around.

Get informed so you can form a better opinion.

[kamalabob2]

Solar for an entire home that has reasonable access to PEA might not pencil out in 2019. Solar DC deep well submersible bore hole water pump, a control box, mounting stands and three panels can make perfect financial sense to pump water where the water needs and/or well is in a remote area.  I am told that over 100 deep well bore pumps powered by three solar panels sell every week in Buriram in just one store. There are several solar shops in Buriram. This might be a common solution to pumping water in other provinces in Thailand. 

[KittenKong]

The fairly low price of electricity in Thailand works against off-grid solutions being economical.

 

Anything imported will not be cheap here, and then you have the problem of finding someone who actually knows how to install and maintain the things, as mentioned.

 

But above all, most Thais simply dont see the point of spending 10B today to save 12B tomorrow. They are corner-cutters and penny-pinchers who would rather save 1B today and lose 10B tomorrow.

[CGW]

As stated, the numbers just don't work to make installation feasible, when I built house, I built in an area for installing solar panels, but - when you start to dig deeper, just not worth it & my electric bill averages around 5k a month. 5 years ago I thought I will leave it for a while and see how things progress - there has been little progression and prices still way too high.

[Bandersnatch]

On 2/23/2019 at 10:20 AM, kamalabob2 said:

Solar DC deep well submersible bore hole water pump

I agree with Bob, Solar well DC pumps are a good way to start and I am very happy with mine. The last price I paid for solar panels was ฿3,900 for 320w.

 

I will be installing a full solar PV system on my new house build this year, but I agree with previous comments, if the only reason you are doing it is to save money, you are probably better to wait for more components to be manufactured in Thailand and avoid costly import duties.

[ChipButty]

I was interested to install a new pump on my swimming pool but the price was 5 times a normal pool pump

[isaanjohnno]

The regime here require that you get a BOI license, a power production permit and a controlled energy production license (which can be acquired from the Energy Regulatory Commission) even if you have only one panel on your house. Whether it would be enforced or not is another matter. Just not worth the hassle or the cost. 

[Snow Leopard]

On 2/21/2019 at 4:07 PM, eyecatcher said:

I agree with the kawasaki its down to the lekky price.

My monthly bill rarely goes over 600bt and those solar panels probably start at 15k bt for one as big as an A4(paper not Audi)

 

Hardly seems worth it. 

 

Ironically Uk citizens must be mugs, spending at least 5k bt a month on electricity, they fall over themselves to take up offers of solar panels on their roof.

Horrendous they look....and they dont make any saving because the sun is out three days a year but instead they lowered the value of their now ugly house by 25%...

They got something right here

I looked at it in the UK. It's about a 7-year payback if I remember correctly. The best method in the UK to me is an underground heat pump for central heating and possibly one solar panel to do your hot water. 

[Thainesss]

On 2/23/2019 at 7:20 AM, kamalabob2 said:

Solar for an entire home that has reasonable access to PEA might not pencil out in 2019. Solar DC deep well submersible bore hole water pump, a control box, mounting stands and three panels can make perfect financial sense to pump water where the water needs and/or well is in a remote area.  I am told that over 100 deep well bore pumps powered by three solar panels sell every week in Buriram in just one store. There are several solar shops in Buriram. This might be a common solution to pumping water in other provinces in Thailand. 

What shop is this in Buriram?

[crazykopite]

It’s only worth it if you living miles from an electricity hook up . I looked into it it was going to cost 1 million baht  the EPA charged me 250,000 baht that incube 6 posts and a 30 amp single phase transformer my electricity charges are less than 5 baht my average running cost is between 2/3000 baht per month including running a swimming pool it would of taken me years to get my money back with solar especially when you have to buy new batteries every few years.

[LukKrueng]

I was considering it about 5 years ago for a plot of land with no electricity. The cost for the whole system for moderate electricity needs would have been much more than paying the pea to connect to the plot(a bit over 1km of lines). batteries would have had to be replaced after 5 years so all in all not worth it (at least back then)

[Percy P]

On 2/22/2019 at 12:09 PM, Arjen said:

Short...

 

 

When you do it to save money, forget it.

 

I am using a long time solar. My own supply costs me around 10x more then supply from grid. But I have electricity when the neighbours do not have.....

 

Arjen.

But you can have an electricity supple with a battery + inverter no we're near the cost of solar panels . A solar battery charger is needed it you don't have an electric supply.

[jvs]

8 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I was interested to install a new pump on my swimming pool but the price was 5 times a normal pool pump

Yes that is because a DC pump is more expensive compared to a AC pump.

My DC pump was 12500 baht,output 10 000 liters per hour.

[Bullie]

On 2/23/2019 at 10:20 AM, kamalabob2 said:

Solar for an entire home that has reasonable access to PEA might not pencil out in 2019. Solar DC deep well submersible bore hole water pump, a control box, mounting stands and three panels can make perfect financial sense to pump water where the water needs and/or well is in a remote area.  I am told that over 100 deep well bore pumps powered by three solar panels sell every week in Buriram in just one store. There are several solar shops in Buriram. This might be a common solution to pumping water in other provinces in Thailand. 

Sure. until everybody does it, and the wells run dry.

[catman20]

I suggested it to my wife and builder

 

never ask a Thai anything, if you want sensible intelligent answer.

 

[newnative]

   The condo where I live uses solar for the hot water system.  Seems to work fine and the cost was spread among the owners.  Nice having hot water at the kitchen tap for the first time and at the shower and sink taps at all 3 bathrooms--with no visible water heaters.

[Enki]

On 2/21/2019 at 1:07 PM, eyecatcher said:

Ironically Uk citizens must be mugs, spending at least 5k bt a month on electricity, they fall over themselves to take up offers of solar panels on their roof.

Horrendous they look....and they dont make any saving because the sun is out three days a year but instead they lowered the value of their now ugly house by 25%...

They got something right here

That is nonsense.

a) solar panels look extremely aesthetic

b) the value of house with solar installations is higher

c) even with clouds, they still provide nice power 

[Enki]

8 hours ago, Arjen said:

The only thing I made here myself what really saves money, and is solar operated is my hot water system. It produces per day around 750 liter water from 65-70 degrees. We use around 40 liters a day....

 

My electricity solar system does not save any money.... sadly enough...

 

Arjen.

I did the same, basically just a 200m long black hose. Still coiled up like I bought it. It was more an experiment than a true installation. It is sitting on two old chairs on the west side of the house, so it starts getting sun around 11:00/12:00. First I had it that the hot water was drawn from the end of the hose that came from the outside of the coil. But the water was often to hot for showering. Then i just changed the order, connected that end to the tab and take the water from then end of the hose inside of the coil. The water stays warm enough to have a nice shower till about 22:00.

When I'm there again, we will build a small hut more or less 45° turned to the south east. On the south east side of the roof I will put the hose. Perhaps I install a 25l insulated storage tank, then we should have some warm water still in the morning.

[NoshowJones]

I have had solar power for the past six years, and yes, it is worth it, my son in law does it for a living, he did ours.

[khunPer]

On 2/21/2019 at 10:13 AM, highlander76 said:

Anybody on this forum fitted solar power to their homes my question is it worth the cost and hassle of installing...

I was seriously considering it when I build my house 9-10 years ago, and did lots of calculations. At that time the payback of the installation would be almost 17 years all included, and based on the present electricity unit rate, which it would up against; but with the many unknown factors in Thailand I found it not worth the efforts, and my money. Furthermore I was unsure about maintenance costs under Thai weather conditions, which was a major unknown factor that could kill the investment.

 

Today solar panels are a fair bit cheaper, so perhaps the time to recover an investment would probably be around the half, or something like 8-10 years; still with unknown factors.

 

I'm happy I didn't make solar panels for electric – the unit price hasn't increased either, and my usage is going down with more efficient lighting and appliances – whilst my hot-water solar heater for about 40k baht works well, only problem is that the water can get very hot...????

[shy coconut]

On 2/24/2019 at 2:13 AM, KittenKong said:

The fairly low price of electricity in Thailand works against off-grid solutions being economical.

 

Anything imported will not be cheap here, and then you have the problem of finding someone who actually knows how to install and maintain the things, as mentioned.

 

But above all, most Thais simply dont see the point of spending 10B today to save 12B tomorrow. They are corner-cutters and penny-pinchers who would rather save 1B today and lose 10B tomorrow.

I'm surprised that you encounter any Thais at all given that you cocoon yourself in your

Jomtien flat, or drive around in your car to avoid contact with the odious locals.

 

How on earth would you conclude that "most Thais" behave in any particular manner?

[Enki]

No, they are not a eye sore. They look beautiful. At least for me, I like bluish / blackish surface. 

 

"and do not increase a value however they DO put off buyers."

 

Yes, they do. They increase the value of the house by the price of the panels. A no brainer. And no, they don't put off buyers, or the house market in Germany ha collapsed ... <deleted>, if you find red, gray, black shingles more beautiful than bluish silicon crystals, then I really don't want to know what you give your wife as a birthday present. 

[BHW]

If you are within 1 KM of mains power do not even think of it, without Government subsidy no chance of getting near breaking even.

 

Solar water pumping near break even.

 

This is from somebody who knows.

[Enki]

I was thinking about water pumping, too. We don't pump much, but when we do, my wife uses a gasoline powered pump. I'm only vary in leaving a expensive solar panel somewhere on the fields ...

[BHW]

That can be a problem leaving equipment out in the field. I was worried sick when I put a pumping system at our farm 5 years ago, lucky maybe, I don't worry about it now.