Illegal(?) sales of solar equipment

[SunshineHarvey7]

I have a friend who has worked in a remote area of western Thailand. He claims that if a homeowner or government entity decides to sell some solar equipment that they are not using and that was once donated to them by the Thai government, the buyer, not the seller, can be prosecuted if they are caught in possession of such equipment. 

 

Have you heard of such a policy? I've heard of a case where a govt school is selling panels cheap because grid power was brought in. Is there any kind of document that I should request if I am going to buy such equipment?

 

And do you know whether there is typically any way to identify equipment that was donated by the government? (Do they engrave / add stickers / etc?)

[Crossy]

Interesting, no I've not heard of this specifically for solar but selling government "donated" panels could well cause problems as they probably still actually belong to the government. "Receiving stolen goods" would be the issue for the buyer.

 

I would carefully inspect the panels etc. for any identifying marks/stickers and run if you find anything.

 

Certainly ask for a Bill of Sale from the school stating that they have the right to sell, it probably wouldn't hurt to enlist your local village head as a witness too.

 

Are the panels etc. a really (too) good deal?

 

Above all, don't get caught

 

[SunshineHarvey7]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Are the panels etc. a really (too) good deal?

My friend said he heard of 300+ watt panels selling for 1,600 THB. Sounds good, but my friend lives about 5-6 hours away in another province, so I'm waiting for him to go see them for himself--how many there are, etc. No point in going myself unless there are at least 6, I'd say. And with current Covid travel advisories, I really shouldn't go right now anyway.

[shaemus]

On 1/6/2021 at 10:39 AM, SunshineHarvey7 said:

My friend said he heard of 300+ watt panels selling for 1,600 THB. Sounds good, but my friend lives about 5-6 hours away in another province, so I'm waiting for him to go see them for himself--how many there are, etc. No point in going myself unless there are at least 6, I'd say. And with current Covid travel advisories, I really shouldn't go right now anyway.

FB is full of advertising of cheap panels.

 

lots of second hand panels, lots of chinese rubbish.

 

remember that panels degrade by a small percentage each year, plus there are issues with the glues used under the glass having UV damage and changing colour. In my opinion and i used to install solar systems in Australia steer well clear of second hand panels. . not worth the risk  (fire). As with most things buy cheap buy twice

 

Shaemus

[BritManToo]

36 minutes ago, shaemus said:

remember that panels degrade by a small percentage each year, plus there are issues with the glues used under the glass having UV damage and changing colour. In my opinion and i used to install solar systems in Australia steer well clear of second hand panels. . not worth the risk  (fire). As with most things buy cheap buy twice

 

Shaemus

Don't agree,

As far as I've seen the panels all come out of the same Chinese factories, and only the stickers are different.

You're better off buying cheap, and saving enough money to buy the next generation panels when they come out. 

 

As an installer of course it's in your interests to push expensive as your markup on 'expensive' is more than your markup on 'cheap'.

Edited January 8, 2021 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

On 1/6/2021 at 9:39 AM, SunshineHarvey7 said:

My friend said he heard of 300+ watt panels selling for 1,600 THB. Sounds good, but my friend lives about 5-6 hours away in another province, so I'm waiting for him to go see them for himself--how many there are, etc. No point in going myself unless there are at least 6, I'd say. And with current Covid travel advisories, I really shouldn't go right now anyway.

New 340w panels are only 2,700bht delivered ......... 1,600bht for second hand 300w older technology ain't that great a deal.

Edited January 8, 2021 by BritManToo

[SunshineHarvey7]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

New 340w panels are only 2,700bht delivered .........

Yes, that's not a big difference.

[maxpower]

Cheap solar panels definitely make the payback gamble more exciting for those that enjoy the thrill.

There are around 15 big solar panel players in China and zillions of smaller manufacturers churning out quality various.  Like most products coming out of China, build and material quality varies immensely.

 

There's a brand x panel factory near to our Shenzhen facility. The laminating line is filthy and quality control 1 in 1000 on a good day. They do look lovely entering the packing room though.

 

China produces some excellent budget panels with the price point often not far above bargain basement level. Names like Jinko and Trina often pop-up in the better quality discussions. 
 

 

[Dazinoz]

On 1/8/2021 at 12:09 PM, BritManToo said:

Don't agree,

As far as I've seen the panels all come out of the same Chinese factories, and only the stickers are different.

You're better off buying cheap, and saving enough money to buy the next generation panels when they come out. 

 

As an installer of course it's in your interests to push expensive as your markup on 'expensive' is more than your markup on 'cheap'.

Definitely not true. I did a lot research before I had my system installed in Australia and there is a big difference. Even to the point that the Australia (not sure which authority) had an approved panel list that qualified or not in the rebate scheme.

 

And I am not an installer or affiliated with anyone in the industry just pure research so not pushing any agenda.

[Iron Tongue]

Quote

He claims that if a homeowner or government entity decides to sell some solar equipment that they are not using and that was once donated to them by the Thai government,

 

Sounds like a nice way to reword corruption.