Home Solar a DIY approach

[Bandersnatch]

Maarten Munnik posts on the Building in Thailand group on FB.
 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/416779518982533/

 

He is building an off-grid house and shares videos from his YouTube channel. What makes Maarten different is how much of this he does himself.

 

I approached him to share his latest video here, but he said he is not a member and gave me permission to share on his behalf if it would be helpful to others.

 

If anybody has questions for Maarten you can post them on his YouTube channel or on his post on the Building in Thailand FB group which he posted 3 days ago

 

 

[MJCM]

????

 

But I wonder if his 5kW inverter will be enough for all of his house, plus 15kW Battery will in the rainy season run out very quickly.

[BritManToo]

18 minutes ago, MJCM said:

????

 

But I wonder if his 5kW inverter will be enough for all of his house, plus 15kW Battery will in the rainy season run out very quickly.

I've got 7kWhr of battery, runs out for about 7 days in the year.

Monsoon is wetter, but the sun is higher (so charges quicker).

 

I have the same 5kW VM2 inverter, cheap as chips (13kbht inc wifi) and works well.

If the guy adds a small generator, he'll be fine all year round.

Edited March 2, 2023 by BritManToo

[MJCM]

But many days during the rainy season without any sunshine and he has NO backup.

 

The generator idea is a real good one.

 

I still wonder why the high markup by PEA and if there is a way around it.

[Muhendis]

32 minutes ago, MJCM said:

????

 

But I wonder if his 5kW inverter will be enough for all of his house, plus 15kW Battery will in the rainy season run out very quickly.

That depends on how many gadgets he's got running at the same time.

Granted there will be insufficient power for a decent instant heated shower so maybe he has other plans for that.

I notice he has a tall water tower so the pump to fill it is going to be quite a big one.

Likewise kitchen bits 'n pieces. He may have plans to run another inverter in parallel later.

 

As far as the battery capacity goes, I also feel it is currently insufficient. I am not a particularly big time consumer but I find that my 36kwh (when new) only just gets me through two overcast days (plus one overcast night). Maybe he plans for just one night on battery power.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Muhendis

[Pouatchee]

I would like to go off grid but I haven't the faintest and after my build I am outta cash. I wonder why this guy doesn't install a windmill just for when the monsoon season arrives. Right now, at my house, the wind factor is phenomenal all day but dies off at night. I also keep my eyes peeled for windmills and kits of the sort , but I find it difficult to find an appropriate one.

[TimeMachine]

I've noticed 450w huge panels being sold in major stores in Pattaya now. Anybody tried? 

 

Also anybody using the Mr Pow inverters. Mine in Australia doesn't like the heat and often fails with errors.

 

Finally, anybody working on new technology that produces electricity from darkness?

 

Have a rippa week all.

[Crossy]

The big panels are more expensive on a Baht per Watt basis than the regular 330W ones, they are also 'kin heavy.

 

I have a couple of PowMr charge controllers that seem to work ok, but I have heard that their inverters like to be kept cool.

[Crossy]

22 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

I would like to go off grid but I haven't the faintest and after my build I am outta cash. I wonder why this guy doesn't install a windmill just for when the monsoon season arrives. Right now, at my house, the wind factor is phenomenal all day but dies off at night. I also keep my eyes peeled for windmills and kits of the sort , but I find it difficult to find an appropriate one.

 

Wind really isn't viable for domestic here, turbines with a decent power output are $$$.

 

There's lots and lots of sunshine and it's easy to capture.

[KhunLA]

47 minutes ago, MJCM said:

????

 

But I wonder if his 5kW inverter will be enough for all of his house, plus 15kW Battery will in the rainy season run out very quickly.

If he's conservative, 15kWh should be enough.  I was surprised 10kWh was actually enough, IF being conservative, as we were when first installed ours.   Don't think we actually 'needed' the grid, and we had weeks of krappy weather.  I think I turned the grid on 2X to avoid the ESS (10kWh) from going below 35 or 30%.   That was in the early morning, before producing.  Probably  could have been avoided, if paying attention the previous day, with AC & appliance use.

 

Upped it to 20kWh ESSs, and way more than enough, now.  If wanting more ESS, he may need to add another inverter and string of panels.  Not sure 5kW inverter and panels will produce enough, if overcast for a few days.

 

Generator is good back up, or just conx to grid when needed.  Didn't watch vid, so grid might not be a option.

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, TimeMachine said:

I've noticed 450w huge panels being sold in major stores in Pattaya now. Anybody tried? 

 

Also anybody using the Mr Pow inverters. Mine in Australia doesn't like the heat and often fails with errors.

 

Finally, anybody working on new technology that produces electricity from darkness?

 

Have a rippa week all.

Our panels are 540w, and using 18 panels with 8kW inverter.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1268214-solar-8kw-hybrid-inverter-w10kwh-upgraded-to-20kwh-in-sept-2022-essbattery-not-diy/

 

[Bandersnatch]

27 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

I would like to go off grid but I haven't the faintest and after my build I am outta cash. I wonder why this guy doesn't install a windmill just for when the monsoon season arrives. Right now, at my house, the wind factor is phenomenal all day but dies off at night. I also keep my eyes peeled for windmills and kits of the sort , but I find it difficult to find an appropriate one.

I am about 99% off-grid and did consider wind as an option, until I tested it

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of professional video on Domestic wind

 

 

 

 

[MJCM]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Didn't watch vid, so grid might not be a option.

Watch the vid and have a look what he thinks it should approx cost and what PEA quoted him. You are in for a shock

[TimeMachine]

52 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Our panels are 540w, and using 18 panels with 8kW inverter.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1268214-solar-8kw-hybrid-inverter-w10kwh-upgraded-to-20kwh-in-sept-2022-essbattery-not-diy/

 

Sweet. Have you managed to get any real life figures on power supplied by system and pay back period taking into account cost increases of power authority supplied electricity?

 

In places like Australia it's a no brainer to get solar when it's given to you for next to nothing by the lovely government ( even though they steal away some of the electricity back away from you). Payback was about 7 years in Oz for my setup.

 

Having to pay retail for solar in Thailand  is still a pretty risky venture, right? Especially when not being supported by government for common households. I haven't done any example numbers for awhile but don't think pricing on equipment has come down enough, or electricity prices haven't gone up high enough to warrant a rush to do solar yet in Thailand.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 minute ago, MJCM said:

Watch the vid and have a look what he thinks it should approx cost and what PEA quoted him. You are in for a shock

Yup, worst case of “ rounding up “ I have seen for a while !!

[KhunLA]

45 minutes ago, TimeMachine said:

Sweet. Have you managed to get any real life figures on power supplied by system and pay back period taking into account cost increases of power authority supplied electricity?

 

In places like Australia it's a no brainer to get solar when it's given to you for next to nothing by the lovely government ( even though they steal away some of the electricity back away from you). Payback was about 7 years in Oz for my setup.

 

Having to pay retail for solar in Thailand  is still a pretty risky venture, right? Especially when not being supported by government for common households. I haven't done any example numbers for awhile but don't think pricing on equipment has come down enough, or electricity prices haven't gone up high enough to warrant a rush to do solar yet in Thailand.

Read a couple of first post on that thread, for cost, as mine was expensive, compared to DIY w/no real warranties.

 

And a few posts on last page of thread, and more final thoughts.  Because I abuse the ACs and have EVs, our ROI could be between 5.5 - 8 yrs.   Looking like closer to the low number of late, since using 20-23kWh a day, and it's not even hot out yet.

[Peterphuket]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've got 7kWhr of battery, runs out for about 7 days in the year.

Monsoon is wetter, but the sun is higher (so charges quicker).

 

I have the same 5kW VM2 inverter, cheap as chips (13kbht inc wifi) and works well.

If the guy adds a small generator, he'll be fine all year round.

Yes, about the inverter i'm surprised, for my Must inverter 5,5KWh I pay nearly double.

[Peterphuket]

4 hours ago, TimeMachine said:

I've noticed 450w huge panels being sold in major stores in Pattaya now. Anybody tried? 

 

Also anybody using the Mr Pow inverters. Mine in Australia doesn't like the heat and often fails with errors.

 

Finally, anybody working on new technology that produces electricity from darkness?

 

Have a rippa week all.

I have this one, 6 pieces, and use it now almost 2 years.

[Muhendis]

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Our panels are 540w, and using 18 panels with 8kW inverter.

You have a few more watts on the roof than me but we are on the same size inverter and mine does everything I need except run my rice mill.

 

I should say that my house was designed with insulation from the heat in mind, so I am justifiably frugal with the air con. Saucepan heat comes from a gas cylinder and there is neither electric kettle nor coffee machine.

Also my wife rarely bothers with the ironing .  I think that's a woman thing and not a nationality attribute.

 

So 8kw is plenty but 5kw is not.

[Crossy]

9 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Also my wife rarely bothers with the ironing .  I think that's a woman thing and not a nationality attribute.

 

Gawd, mine's addicted to ironing! If we got a physical newspaper, I'm sure she'd iron it!

 

We have a maid but Madam won't let her iron (she does it "wrong") and she's scared of the front-loading washer. Spends most of her 1/2 day gassing with Madam (which I suspect is the real reason we employ her).

 

[Muhendis]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

Spends most of her 1/2 day gassing with Madam (which I suspect is the real reason we employ her).

Money well spent?

Otherwise she would be bending your ear.

[Drumbuie]

6 hours ago, MJCM said:

But many days during the rainy season without any sunshine and he has NO backup.

 

The generator idea is a real good one.

 

I still wonder why the high markup by PEA and if there is a way around it.

I used to live in the Highlands of Scotland, where in midwinter there are only six or seven hours of daylight and it's generally cloudy. It still made financial sense to install solar panels, both the ones that generate electricity and the ones that heat water because even on cloudy days, the panels work. 

In May, June and July it never gets truly dark that far (57 degrees) north and there was no need for any other energy source to heat water, even for a large house.

 

It's strange that here in Thailand where there's so much sunshine there are so few solar panels. If I were building a house I'd definitely get them installed. 

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Gawd, mine's addicted to ironing! If we got a physical newspaper, I'm sure she'd iron it!

 

We have a maid but Madam won't let her iron (she does it "wrong") and she's scared of the front-loading washer. Spends most of her 1/2 day gassing with Madam (which I suspect is the real reason we employ her).

 

 

Ironing is "By Royal Appointment" ???? 

 

Madam is left most of the three ladies in blue and white uniform.

 

You may recognise the gentleman left of centre in the back row

 

Royal Thai Embassy, Rome (Italy), mid 1990s.

 

 

[Muhendis]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

You may recognise the gentleman left of centre in the back row.

It's not Mr. Crossy is it?

[Muhendis]

52 minutes ago, Drumbuie said:

I used to live in the Highlands of Scotland, where in midwinter there are only six or seven hours of daylight and it's generally cloudy. It still made financial sense to install solar panels, both the ones that generate electricity and the ones that heat water because even on cloudy days, the panels work. 

In May, June and July it never gets truly dark that far (57 degrees) north and there was no need for any other energy source to heat water, even for a large house.

 

It's strange that here in Thailand where there's so much sunshine there are so few solar panels. If I were building a house I'd definitely get them installed. 

You may be familiar with the work of Hugh Piggott in Scoraig. He designed an built an excellent DIY wind turbine which has been copied around the world and put to good use in remote villages.

 

There are loads of solar installations which you may be unaware of in Thailand. Many of them are in the order of Megawatts and floating on lakes.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/03/11/huge-floating-solar-farm-sets-thailand-on-track-towards-carbon-neutrality

 

I know. It's not roof top stuff in the Kw order of magnitude.

Most villagers can barely afford a few panels to irrigate their crops but it's slowly catching on.  

[rwill]

8 hours ago, MJCM said:

I still wonder why the high markup by PEA and if there is a way around it.

I was looking at the SCG solar page and at the bottom it says the prices are for MEA only.  For installation in a PEA area they add an additional 150,000 baht to the price.  It says for additional relay protection equipment PEA requires.

 

https://www.scgbuildingmaterials.com/th/solution/solar-roof

 

This is a google translated copy of the relevant page:

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, Drumbuie said:

It's strange that here in Thailand where there's so much sunshine there are so few solar panels. If I were building a house I'd definitely get them installed. 

 

There's a rapidly increasing installed base, not just domestic but the big retail places have realised that they can offset their A/C (and the shading reduces the load too).