PEA and Solar how low can you go?

[Crossy]

It looks like "someone" has decided that the FT discount is continuing, at least for low users, but I've seen no announcement.

 

MEA users are getting the same refund on the January FT.

[Bandersnatch]

Thanks to solar I’m now paying PEA half what I was paying back in ‘63 ????

 

 

 

 

[MJCM]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:15 AM, Crossy said:

It looks like "someone" has decided that the FT discount is continuing, at least for low users, but I've seen no announcement.

I agree, but for sure I can let you know in 2 weeks as then our Feb - Mar bill is due.

 

I also wonder if then the discount of the Standard service charge (38.22 THB -> 24.62 THB) is still in effect.

[Crossy]

There's finally been an announcement, of course no actual detail other than it covers January to April 2023.

 

[itsari]

On 10/1/2022 at 8:04 AM, Crossy said:

We "weened" PEA on to lower meter readings over some time (actually by gradually installing more solar). Whether I really needed to I don't know, but a sudden reduction in usage could raise eyebrows. 

 

My records don't go back to before we had solar but our bills were regularly 5-6k Baht per month. Now we are around 1k or less.

 

The critical point (as informed by the PEA supervisor) is not to let your meter reader actually see the meter running backwards.

Is it not dangerous to feed back electricity into the grid without the power company knowing ?

If the power company is doing work in the area and there is electricity flowing when they think it is turned off then a worker could end up electrocuted .

[Crossy]

6 minutes ago, itsari said:

Is it not dangerous to feed back electricity into the grid without the power company knowing ?

If the power company is doing work in the area and there is electricity flowing when they think it is turned off then a worker could end up electrocuted .

 

Back-feeding a dead grid is indeed deadly and very illegal!

 

Every single domestic level Grid-tie inverter has island-protection built-in to prevent just that situation from occurring. Grid goes down, inverter shuts down.

 

Exporting energy to a live grid is a different situation altogether. The inverter generates slightly greater voltage than the grid and energy flows to the grid.

 

[itsari]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Back-feeding a dead grid is indeed deadly and very illegal!

 

Every single domestic level Grid-tie inverter has island-protection built-in to prevent just that situation from occurring. Grid goes down, inverter shuts down.

 

Exporting energy to a live grid is a different situation altogether. The inverter generates slightly greater voltage than the grid and energy flows to the grid.

 

Thank you for the explanation . But what if the grid tie invertor malfunctions ? Or is that impossible ?

[Crossy]

Just now, itsari said:

Thank you for the explanation . But what if the grid tie invertor malfunctions ? Or is that impossible ?

 

Certainly not impossible, but every inverter malfunction I've seen actually stops it generating (usually with a significant bang and the release of the Magic Smoke). If anything our GTIs (which are on the MEA and PEA "Approved" list) are a little too enthusiastic about shutting down on minor grid disturbances, although they come back up again within a minute or two.

 

To address the fears of potential solar users I've actually looked into injuries (or worse) caused to linemen by correctly installed grid-tie solar. I've found none. There are a fair number of instances of people hooking up gensets incorrectly (no transfer switch) and back-feeding into a dead grid causing deaths! But in all those cases the lineman in question (or his team-mates) had made an error (or taken a shortcut) in isolating and grounding out of the lines.

[itsari]

20 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Certainly not impossible, but every inverter malfunction I've seen actually stops it generating (usually with a significant bang and the release of the Magic Smoke). If anything our GTIs (which are on the MEA and PEA "Approved" list) are a little too enthusiastic about shutting down on minor grid disturbances, although they come back up again within a minute or two.

 

To address the fears of potential solar users I've actually looked into injuries (or worse) caused to linemen by correctly installed grid-tie solar. I've found none. There are a fair number of instances of people hooking up gensets incorrectly (no transfer switch) and back-feeding into a dead grid causing deaths! But in all those cases the lineman in question (or his team-mates) had made an error (or taken a shortcut) in isolating and grounding out of the lines.

Thank you again.

Useful information.

 

[Crossy]

The discounts continue, both of service charge and FT. ???? 

 

[MJCM]

The new FT rate is in 0,9827 THB added per unit on the April - August Period

 

Previous Ft rate was 0,9343 THB

 

https://www.pea.co.th/ความรู้เกี่ยวกับไฟฟ้า/ArtMID/606/ArticleID/153118/ค่า-Ft-ประจำเดือน-พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม-2566

 

No discounts any more it seems and that is during the Hot Months ????

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by MJCM

[MJCM]

We have it been home for a while ("visiting" Hospitals in Bangkok and Chonburi) and thus the GTI's have been turned off.

 

Last period (Feb - Mar) we used 61 Units, and prediction for this period (Mar - Apr) is 154 Units ????

 

It didn't help that the BIL (who looked after our house) forgot how to turn on the Solar Pump to feed the Garden tank but instead used the 2HP Pump

Edited April 5, 2023 by MJCM
SpElLiNg

[Crossy]

31 minutes ago, MJCM said:

It didn't help that the BIL (who looked after our house) forgot how to turn on the Solar Pump to feed the Garden tank but instead used the 2HP Pump

 

And you were worried he wouldn't turn it off

[MJCM]

7 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

And you were worried he wouldn't turn it off

Yep

 

He completely forgot everything. Even the Water Tank that feeds the house was almost empty. Fortunately he showered at home and only used the toilet.

 

Also the lake (that feeds the Storage tank for our garden) that is filled by a Solar Submersible was almost dried up.

 

Unfortunately I have to go an stay in BKK in May for a longer period of time and I am afraid what is going to happen with the house. I think we will have to find someone else to take care of the house.

 

Edit: Heart of Gold has the BIL but his memory ????

Edited April 5, 2023 by MJCM

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, MJCM said:

Unfortunately I have to go an stay in BKK in May for a longer period of time and I am afraid what is going to happen with the house. I think we will have to find someone else to take care of the house.

 

Automation is definitely your friend. 

 

Could ChatGPT do it? It seems to be able to do everything else including picking winning Lotto numbers.

 

 

[MJCM]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

 

Automation is definitely your friend. 

 

You can do only certain things with automation.

 

The Water tank that feeds the house is topped up by pump which is set on a timer, which runs 2 times a day

 

1- 12:00 - 12:30

2- 22:00 - 22:30

 

But the reason why the Water Tank that feeds the house was almost empty was because something has bitten through a small cable in the pump and thus No water gets into the tank.

 

We have told him to check the water level in that tank regularly but he forgot.

 

So when we came home, I checked the water level in the tank and because it was near empty, I checked the pump, started it (manually) and saw the cable that was bitten through. Fixed that (5 min work) and the Pump worked again.

 

Unfortunately no automation can solve this.

 

And yes we had taken precautions because it happened before but we have to do a bit more to prevent it in the future. (Wire mesh around the pump etc etc)

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, MJCM said:

Unfortunately no automation can solve this.

 

[MJCM]

^ Where can we buy one (I will ask the Jetsons) 

[MJCM]

I thought about automation.

 

Monitor the water level and have it send an email out when the level goes below a certain point and then call the BIL ????

 

 

https://lastminuteengineers.com/water-level-sensor-arduino-tutorial/

 

Edit: @Crossy how to prevent that top part of the Sensor to get wet from water spray. Because when the water flows in to the tank it fills it with force thus I am afraid of the spray (splashes)

Edited April 5, 2023 by MJCM

[Crossy]

I would use a simple float switch as a level detector, easy to configure for low level.

 

 

[MJCM]

7 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I would use a simple float switch as a level detector, easy to configure for low level.

 

 

One of these?

 

https://th.cytron.io/p-water-float-or-level-sensor-switch?r=1&language=en-gb&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqKSstOqR_gIV_plmAh21kgUlEAYYASABEgL1WPD_BwE

[Crossy]

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/float-switch-2-3-510-powertech-i317458496-s12430759586.html

 

[Muhendis]

1 hour ago, MJCM said:

One of these?

 

https://th.cytron.io/p-water-float-or-level-sensor-switch?r=1&language=en-gb&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqKSstOqR_gIV_plmAh21kgUlEAYYASABEgL1WPD_BwE

Those are low voltage reed switch types. You can use them to operate a relay to turn your pump off/on.

I have several in my auto tank level system. They need replacing after about 5 years for some reason.

[SomchaiDIY]

2 hours ago, MJCM said:

I thought about automation.

 

Monitor the water level and have it send an email out when the level goes below a certain point and then call the BIL

gsm sms alarm module 1500 baht +-

float switch

enclosure box

ais sim 50 baht +  1 year time topup 365 baht

 

[MJCM]

^ link please

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, SomchaiDIY said:

gsm sms alarm module 1500 baht +-

float switch

enclosure box

ais sim 50 baht +  1 year time topup 365 baht

 

Interesting, do you have a link for that unit?

 

[SomchaiDIY]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Interesting, do you have a link for that unit?

 

this one 2g but also can find 3g with more search

https://shopee.co.th/Nice-photo-GA01P-GSM-Mini-Smart-Remote-Power-Failure-Alert-SMS-Call-Alarm-Security-i.441581461.11652198221

ais and others continue 2g service now no plan to switch off

[SomchaiDIY]

13 minutes ago, SomchaiDIY said:

ais sim 50 baht +  1 year time topup 365 baht

it is possible to make 360 day time topup with ais sim for 120 baht

 

1 x 10 baht topup = 30 day

12 x 10 baht topup = 360 day

[MJCM]

We just received our PEA Bill for the Period March - April

 

Total Units used: 152 (which is 91 units more then the previous period )

Price we have to pay: 599.67 THB

Which makes the price per unit : 3.95 THB

 

I was expecting a 750 THB+ bill, but to my utter surprise we still got a discount on the FT Charge of 101.90 THB.

 

Total FT charge (before discount) was 142.01 THB but after the discount (of 101.90 THB) only 40.11 THB Ft remained (so 40.11 THB / 152 Units = FT charge of 0,263 THB per unit.)

 

Ft charge on the Bill was listed as 0.9343 THB per unit and service charge was discounted to 24.62 THB.

 

 

 

[007 RED]

7 hours ago, MJCM said:

We just received our PEA Bill for the Period March - April

 

Total Units used: 152 (which is 91 units more then the previous period )

Price we have to pay: 599.67 THB

Which makes the price per unit : 3.95 THB

 

I was expecting a 750 THB+ bill, but to my utter surprise we still got a discount on the FT Charge of 101.90 THB.

 

Total FT charge (before discount) was 142.01 THB but after the discount (of 101.90 THB) only 40.11 THB Ft remained (so 40.11 THB / 152 Units = FT charge of 0,263 THB per unit.)

 

Ft charge on the Bill was listed as 0.9343 THB per unit and service charge was discounted to 24.62 THB.

The meter reader has just been and popped our bill into the letter box. and like you the FT discount is still being applied as shown below. 

I thought that they were cancelling the FT discount.  Not that I'm complaining.