Thailand has opened registration for businesses installing rooftop solar systems and for suppliers of approved equipment, with applications running from August 3 to September 30.

The scheme is intended to prepare for solar installations in 500,000 households, part of a wider clean-energy policy aimed at reducing electricity bills and increasing the use of renewable power.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Persvivatana said the initiative follows a policy led by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to expand residential rooftop solar across Thailand.

The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) and Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) are accepting applications from installation businesses as well as registrations for key equipment, including solar panels and inverters.

Standards and registration

Businesses must satisfy eligibility rules set by the MEA and PEA. Solar equipment must also meet recognised requirements, including International Electrotechnical Commission standards and Thai Industrial Standards.

Lalida said safety will take priority under the programme. Installation businesses, engineers, technicians and all equipment must meet the prescribed standards, with systems required to be high-quality, safe, efficient and designed for a service life of at least 20 years.

The MEA and PEA will jointly supervise installation standards and after-sales service. This is intended to allow households nationwide to select certified providers and inspected equipment meeting the same requirements.

Interested businesses can apply through MEA and PEA branches across the country. The government expects the stronger standards to improve public confidence, cut electricity costs and support Thailand's long-term energy security.

What it means for homeowners

The government is still developing financial support for rooftop solar installations. The measures are being prepared under the 2026 Emergency Decree authorising the Finance Ministry to borrow funds to address the effects of the energy crisis and advance Thailand's energy transition.

Details of homeowner funding, including eligibility and how support would be accessed, have not yet been announced. Foreign residents considering solar should therefore not assume that installation subsidies or other financial assistance will automatically apply to them.

Picture courtesy of The Nation

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6 August 2026

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This solar push looks promising on paper, with suggested tighter standards, certified installers, and long‑term service life.

These requirements are exactly what Thailand needs to build confidence in rooftop energy. But when you read lines like “Businesses must satisfy eligibility rules set by the MEA and PEA”, it’s hard not to think about how easily such frameworks can be manipulated for financial advantage.

Whenever multiple agencies share responsibility for certification and funding, the risk of bureaucratic loopholes and fraudulent approvals rises. Without transparent oversight and clear homeowner guidelines, the initiative could end up benefiting insiders more than ordinary households.

9 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

“Businesses must satisfy eligibility rules set by the MEA and PEA”, it’s hard not to think about how easily such frameworks can be manipulated for financial advantage.

MA and PEA are responsible for the power grids and the reliable supply of energy to 20+ million households. Of course they need a say on who connects to their grid and how.

I hope this drives the prices down, because many installers in the country side (outside major cities like Bangkok) are charging really high margins, I'm seeing 20-30% margin, with prices for 10kW systems in the 340-390K Baht range depending on battery size.

i.e. this company I got quoted for a 10Kw setup (solis 10k inv., Longi X10 panels, topsun 4G 200Ah/10kwh battery) raw material maximum should be 200K, they want 352k baht.

22 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

MA and PEA are responsible for the power grids and the reliable supply of energy to 20+ million households. Of course they need a say on who connects to their grid and how.

Um, aren't we all connected to their power grids already?

8 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Um, aren't we all connected to their power grids already?

Yes that's why they need to know who wants to sell solar power to them and how/where

20 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

I hope this drives the prices down, because many installers in the country side (outside major cities like Bangkok) are charging really high margins, I'm seeing 20-30% margin, with prices for 10kW systems in the 340-390K Baht range depending on battery size.

i.e. this company I got quoted for a 10Kw setup (solis 10k inv., Longi X10 panels, topsun 4G 200Ah/10kwh battery) raw material maximum should be 200K, they want 352k baht.

Probably the same as any energy savings business like say insulation or double glazing. They don't only want to make money installing they want a share of your savings as well. All built into the price of course.

If govn. give a tax break or subsidy they want a cut of that as well.

Having been involved in a business installing stuff at customers houses/business I am interested in what you think an appropriate margin is. Just curious.

We used to give a written quote and the customer was free to get alternative quotes and to choose whomever they wanted to do the job based on price/quality/reputation et al.

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Probably the same as any energy savings business like say insulation or double glazing. They don't only want to make money installing they want a share of your savings as well. All built into the price of course.

If govn. give a tax break or subsidy they want a cut of that as well.

Having been involved in a business installing stuff at customers houses/business I am interested in what you think an appropriate margin is. Just curious.

We used to give a written quote and the customer was free to get alternative quotes and to choose whomever they wanted to do the job based on price/quality/reputation et al.

For Solar, I believe the margin should be reasonable, you need a good engineer to sign and finalize the setup with the proper equipment, a small mistake in installation or post installation failure can cause early failures later, or even worse a fire destroying properties. even more on large 10kW, 15kW + , that is lot more labor intensive.

The margin should depend the engineers and staff salary at a minimum, and return of investment.

I can share my own second solar purchase, I got quotation that for 10kW top of the line setup, that will produce 9.6kw at peak hours.

I got a really decent price, and I think a decent but not huge margin for the seller, I managed to get a great discount because, first I will install on the new garage roof, only 4m high, very easy to access, ready to hold the panels.

I made it super easy for the installation for them, no need to drill anything, in my single-story metal sheet garage, it will be roughly 2x to 3x faster than on a two-story ceramic tile roof.

After my discount, Gemini calculated the contractor profit to be 50,000-100,000 baht for 350,000 baht setup.
50K using prices from Dec 2025.
100K if sourcing everything myself from Lazada with coupons.

But they offer 3-Year Full Support Guarantee, I have experienced really terrible support in my 5kW Bangkok solar setup, I even got fined 2,200 baht by MEA because the company made mistake to enable sending back to the grid before approval. This company seem to have good reviews and photo of their setup looks good.

TIP: if you want to get the best out of a bifacial solar panels installed on metal sheet roofs, paint the metal sheet with White TOA G222 2in1 paint, it will give you an extra 20% of albedo light that can break-even in just one year alone the paint cost.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by brfsa2

I have a white metal roof, BlueScope ColorBond. Think this would be as good as the TOA paint? How are the panels raised up for bifacial benefits? No problem with wind sheer. (Bangkok)

22 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I have a white metal roof, BlueScope ColorBond. Think this would be as good as the TOA paint? How are the panels raised up for bifacial benefits? No problem with wind sheer. (Bangkok)

Your metal sheet is very good for bifacial solar panel it provides ~60% albedo already, but if you pain with TOA G222 you will get 80-85% albedo

The height should be 10-16 cm, the higher (16cm) the better for rear panel production (extra on top of what is produce at the front); and need to be strong for the winds.

At heights:

10 cm: You capture roughly +7% to +8% bifacial gain.

16 cm: You capture the full +10% to +12% rear bifacial gain potential (also runs much cooler)