Recently installed 5kw solar plant on my roof, what about the PEA?

[Vulture82]

I installed the panels last week with a company called PONIX, everything seems to work, they said they'd handle the permit with PEA but I haven't heard back, do you know how long does it take? is my electricity export being already accounted for? I already have a digital meter. I know there is a code you can push to read the amount of energy exported, not sure which code that is though, any expert?

[lom]

Have you signed the contract with PEA? The solar company may have filed the initial application with PEA but you have to sign the contract.

There should also be an inspection of your installation by PEA before making the contract.

I think you are better off by asking PONIX about the status.

Edited June 4 by lom

[steve187]

11 hours ago, Vulture82 said:

I installed the panels last week with a company called PONIX, everything seems to work, they said they'd handle the permit with PEA but I haven't heard back, do you know how long does it take? is my electricity export being already accounted for? I already have a digital meter. I know there is a code you can push to read the amount of energy exported, not sure which code that is though, any expert?

is your invertor showing any feed in. 

[UWEB]

16 hours ago, Vulture82 said:

I installed the panels last week with a company called PONIX, everything seems to work, they said they'd handle the permit with PEA but I haven't heard back, do you know how long does it take? is my electricity export being already accounted for? I already have a digital meter. I know there is a code you can push to read the amount of energy exported, not sure which code that is though, any expert?

My Registration(no Export) with PEA has taken around 3 month. Your Installer has to provide a lot of Paperwork, then they will come to your House and check the System .

[Vulture82]

The digital meter at code 300 is already showing the exported units since installation, will this be taken into account? Ok I'll ask PONIX about the current status. I haven't sugned the contract with PEA yet.

[Vulture82]

5 hours ago, steve187 said:

is your invertor showing any feed in. 

Yes it does show, I have 3 microinverters, the app shows feed into the grid, also the digital meter shows it.

[Crossy]

Until you have a fee-in agreement in place you won't be credited for any export.

 

We have had reports of some electronic meters totting up grid export on the total and PEA billing for it!! If you can I would disable export on your solar (you're not getting credit for it anyway).

 

There's actually a similar report on a US-centric solar forum of electronic meters charging for export.

 

How long you have to wait for your export meter varies, there are members who have been waiting YEARS!!!

 

I hope your installer used approved equipment https://aseannow.com/topic/1328300-approved-inverter-lists

 

[Vulture82]

On 6/5/2024 at 6:33 AM, Crossy said:

Until you have a fee-in agreement in place you won't be credited for any export.

 

We have had reports of some electronic meters totting up grid export on the total and PEA billing for it!! If you can I would disable export on your solar (you're not getting credit for it anyway).

 

There's actually a similar report on a US-centric solar forum of electronic meters charging for export.

 

How long you have to wait for your export meter varies, there are members who have been waiting YEARS!!!

 

I hope your installer used approved equipment https://aseannow.com/topic/1328300-approved-inverter-lists

 

ah, so they might even charge you for exporting?

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, Vulture82 said:

ah, so they might even charge you for exporting?

 

It's been reported at least once on this forum.

 

Until you get your export meter I would avoid exporting anything.

 

[Vulture82]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

It's been reported at least once on this forum.

 

Until you get your export meter I would avoid exporting anything.

 

I already have the export meter.

[Crossy]

25 minutes ago, Vulture82 said:

I already have the export meter.

 

So, you've signed all the necessary agreements etc?

 

Or do you mean you have an electronic meter that records export but you have no agreement in place? Which is effectively the same as not having an export meter. It may still take months to sort out all the paperwork and inspections 😞 

 

With no agreement all bets are off as to what PEA do.

 

But as with all things Thai it's up2u.

 

EDIT I would have a word with your contractor to see exactly what they've signed you up for, simply "registering" your solar isn't that same as getting on the feed-in tariff.

[Vulture82]

Everything is submitted, PEA just takes ages to approve. I was told 6 months, we are already almost 1 months waiting... long wait.

[MangoKorat]

On 6/4/2024 at 10:42 AM, UWEB said:

My Registration(no Export) with PEA has taken around 3 month. Your Installer has to provide a lot of Paperwork, then they will come to your House and check the System .

What?  You have to register with the PEA even if you're not exporting?  Why?

[lom]

5 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

What?  You have to register with the PEA even if you're not exporting?  Why?

When not exporting the inverter is still physically connected to and importing from the grid so for safety reasons the inverter must be a PEA/MEA approved one and the installation has to be inspected by them. That's just how it is for an on-grid system.

Edited June 24 by lom

[MangoKorat]

9 hours ago, lom said:

When not exporting the inverter is still physically connected to and importing from the grid so for safety reasons the inverter must be a PEA/MEA approved one and the installation has to be inspected by them. That's just how it is for an on-grid system.

Right, that shouldn't be a problem.  As far as I know, if you are exporting, the system has to be installed by an 'approved' installer. I thought the poster was refering to something like that.

[Vulture82]

14 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

What?  You have to register with the PEA even if you're not exporting?  Why?

I want to export, yes hence I registered, but PONIX did all that for me, they just keep me informed about the process. They asked me a ton of documentation ofc.

[Vulture82]

2 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

Right, that shouldn't be a problem.  As far as I know, if you are exporting, the system has to be installed by an 'approved' installer. I thought the poster was refering to something like that.

Yes PONIX is approved, they also use approved microinverters/panels and all the other equipment.

[UWEB]

3 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Right, that shouldn't be a problem.  As far as I know, if you are exporting, the system has to be installed by an 'approved' installer. I thought the poster was refering to something like that.

A System connected to the Grid must be installed by an approved Installer, even if you are not exporting. What I not do.

[Crossy]

@UWEB @lom You both seem to have a good grasp of the PEA/MEA regulations which appear to be being rather more rigorously enforced for domestic users than they have been in the past.

 

Fancy starting a thread we can pin with references / links etc. so we don't have to keep repeating the same information?

 

It will keep everything in one easy to find space too.

 

[MangoKorat]

22 hours ago, UWEB said:

A System connected to the Grid must be installed by an approved Installer, even if you are not exporting. What I not do.

I'll talk to my 'pet' PEA guy.

[MangoKorat]

On 6/25/2024 at 12:31 AM, lom said:

When not exporting the inverter is still physically connected to and importing from the grid so for safety reasons the inverter must be a PEA/MEA approved one and the installation has to be inspected by them. That's just how it is for an on-grid system.

So are we saying the above is now incorrect?  You can't just buy approved equipment?

[UWEB]

2 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

So are we saying the above is now incorrect?  You can't just buy approved equipment?

Of course you can buy your own PEA approved Equipment and install it, but you will face massive problems to register it with PEA.

Next week I get my own Solar upgrade installed, and I grilled my Installer with two A4 pages of questions to ensure all will get approved by PEA if needed.

Not sure if you have read attached block,

 

[MangoKorat]

19 hours ago, UWEB said:

Of course you can buy your own PEA approved Equipment and install it, but you will face massive problems to register it with PEA.

Next week I get my own Solar upgrade installed, and I grilled my Installer with two A4 pages of questions to ensure all will get approved by PEA if needed.

Not sure if you have read attached block,

 

Cheers.  I have a 'tame' PEA electrician - I'll have a word with him. Hopefully he'll sort it. A bottle of Black Label can work wonders.

[MangoKorat]

Thinking about this, suppose I removed any chance of feeding back into the grid by completely separating the 2 systems using some form of double pole switch so both live and neutral were switched. What business would it be of the PEA's? How could they demand that my system/installation was approved?

 

I seem to remember having such a switch once on something else but a much lower amperage. I know such switches (automatic) are available for generators etc. but not sure if they are double pole.

 

Edit: Something like this - Listed as a 2 pole 40amp changeover switch.

 

 

Edited June 27 by MangoKorat

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, MangoKorat said:

Thinking about this, suppose I removed any chance of feeding back into the grid by completely separating the 2 systems using some form of double pole switch so both live and neutral were switched. What business would it be of the PEA's? How could they demand that my system/installation was approved?

 

I seem to remember having such a switch once on something else but a much lower amperage. I know such switches (automatic) are available for generators etc. but not sure if they are double pole.

 

Edit: Something like this - Listed as a 2 pole 40amp changeover switch.

 

 

 

Yeah, this is what those of us with an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) are doing, except it operates automatically to switch to grid if the inverter(s) fail.

 

[MangoKorat]

8 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Yeah, this is what those of us with an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) are doing, except it operates automatically to switch to grid if the inverter(s) fail.

 

So legally, the PEA have no right to demand an approved installer?

 

No chance of any 'ghost' exporting using that type of switch?

Edited June 27 by MangoKorat

[Crossy]

4 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

So legally, the PEA have no right to demand an approved installer?

No chance of any 'ghost' exporting using that type of switch?

 

With no actual connection to the grid, I don't see how they can.

 

Ditto for ghost-export, there's no connection that can cause export to happen.

 

We are actually using a 3-phase (4-pole) switch wired for single phase.