Solar Power is cheap and it’s going to get even cheaper very soon.

[motdaeng]

40 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

which is against the PEA regulations and imho not the best advice ...

 

i forgot to mention that PEA is now replacing the old disc meters with smart meters.

this means they can see if you're feeding electricity back into the main line!

 

one more thing, if you install solar panels and a few weeks later a smart meter is installed,

your ROI calculations (including feeding back) might not work out as planned.

 

but anyway, it's up to you ...

( i'm not against solar; i might install it myself too!)

[The Fugitive]

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

 

i forgot to mention that PEA is now replacing the old disc meters with smart meters.

this means they can see if you're feeding electricity back into the main line!

 

one more thing, if you install solar panels and a few weeks later a smart meter is installed,

your ROI calculations (including feeding back) might not work out as planned.

 

but anyway, it's up to you ...

( i'm not against solar; i might install it myself too!)

Good thinking thanks! I realise I might not live long enough to get my money back, however if we're only talking 90,000 Baht it isn't crucial.

[edwinchester]

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

 

i forgot to mention that PEA is now replacing the old disc meters with smart meters.

this means they can see if you're feeding electricity back into the main line!

 

one more thing, if you install solar panels and a few weeks later a smart meter is installed,

your ROI calculations (including feeding back) might not work out as planned.

 

but anyway, it's up to you ...

( i'm not against solar; i might install it myself too!)

Our plan is to go off-grid fairly soon as we save so much anyway. Installation of a smart meter will just hasten the switch.

As a further comment when we talked at PEA about installing solar panels, we were interested in the feedback bonus, the guy we chatted to told wifey the meter may run backwards! He actually said if you don't go overboard cutting the bill too quickly and by way too much it's unlikely a smart meter will be installed anytime soon.

[Crossy]

20 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Our plan is to go off-grid fairly soon as we save so much anyway. Installation of a smart meter will just hasten the switch.

As a further comment when we talked at PEA about installing solar panels, we were interested in the feedback bonus, the guy we chatted to told wifey the meter may run backwards! He actually said if you don't go overboard cutting the bill too quickly and by way too much it's unlikely a smart meter will be installed anytime soon.

 

Yeah, we had a very similar conversation with our local PEA chap, but it was way back in 2019.

 

Things seem to have changed now and I wouldn't recommend installing a system that spins the meter backwards unless you use a hybrid inverter that can run with or without batteries so you can add storage when (rather than if) you get an electronic meter.

[bkk_mike]

On 2/13/2024 at 9:00 AM, Bandersnatch said:

 

The first problem with Batteries is Depth of Discharge (DOD) and Li-ion batteries have a 80% DOD so you are only getting 8kWh out of a 10kWh battery. There are also some efficiency losses converting DC to AC to run the aircon.

 

Aircon sizes and power draws vary. I designed my house to be very well insulated and well sealed. I use 8,500 BTU aircons that have a max power consumption of 680W, but most of the time it’s only the fan that is running.

 

If you have big leaky windows your aircon will be constant cooling warm air that finds it’s way into the room so it will spend more time operating close to it’s max power consumption.

 

 

Luna 2000 series looks like it's LFP

The home page on them says 100% DoD.

(That is making an assumption that all Huawei Luna 2000s are LFP, maybe prior gen weren't... - but for house batteries, the extra volume for LFP is not really an issue - and they would normally be cheaper than regular lithium ion by capacity because they don't need any cobalt.)

[KhunLA]

This is way too cool, and easy to build.   Whether as backup, or to supplement your PEA/MEA bill.  For back up, you wouldn't even need solar panels, though limited to 5kWh.   Can charge off the grid, house outlet, and have when needed.

 

For reference, we use 8kWh overnight (14 hours) with 13k BTU running 6 hrs, along with 65" TV, 2 laptops & 2 frigs.  Frigs running for all 14 hours, the rest, just 6 ish hrs.

 

 

[edwinchester]

On 11/5/2024 at 2:49 PM, KhunLA said:

This is way too cool, and easy to build.   Whether as backup, or to supplement your PEA/MEA bill.  For back up, you wouldn't even need solar panels, though limited to 5kWh.   Can charge off the grid, house outlet, and have when needed.

 

For reference, we use 8kWh overnight (14 hours) with 13k BTU running 6 hrs, along with 65" TV, 2 laptops & 2 frigs.  Frigs running for all 14 hours, the rest, just 6 ish hrs.

 

 

Watched that myself only yesterday. Yes, great little kit as a backup in emergencies.