i got 24kwh of 645w jinko panels 38x3750thb
1 deye hybrid inverter 20kw/ 92K
2x lvtopsun 16kwh batteries 64500x2
installed a couple of month ago in phuket for 510000 by a local company
batteries are almost empty in the morning after running a 30000 btu ac all night.
sunny days batteries are 100% at 11am
bill went from 8500 to few hundred.
with the excess power in day time i run ac's in the living room and other bedroom's tho not necessary.
a bit oversized installation in my case, no export.
587k for you setup seems a bit excessive. 480K would be more appropriate.
note the the installation fees were 3thb by kwh /73K thb

there is something in the area of 60/70k of non accounted parts like rails cables and others in your estimation cost for the parts.

6 minutes ago, Ludzilla said:

i got 24kwh of 645w jinko panels 38x3750thb
1 deye hybrid inverter 20kw/ 92K
2x lvtopsun 16kwh batteries 64500x2
installed a couple of month ago in phuket for 510000 by a local company
batteries are almost empty in the morning after running a 30000 btu ac all night.
sunny days batteries are 100% at 11am
bill went from 8500 to few hundred.
with the excess power in day time i run ac's in the living room and other bedroom's tho not necessary.
a bit oversized installation in my case, no export.
587k for you setup seems a bit excessive. 480K would be more appropriate.
note the the installation fees were 3thb by kwh /73K thb

there is something in the area of 60/70k of non accounted parts like rails cables and others in your estimation cost for the parts.

Is that single of three phase?

2 minutes ago, Ludzilla said:

i got 24kwh of 645w jinko panels 38x3750thb
1 deye hybrid inverter 20kw/ 92K
2x lvtopsun 16kwh batteries 64500x2
installed a couple of month ago in phuket for 510000 by a local company
batteries are almost empty in the morning after running a 30000 btu ac all night.
sunny days batteries are 100% at 11am
bill went from 8500 to few hundred.
with the excess power in day time i run ac's in the living room and other bedroom's tho not necessary.
a bit oversized installation in my case, no export.
587k for you setup seems a bit excessive. 480K would be more appropriate.
note the the installation fees were 3thb by kwh /73K thb

there is something in the area of 60/70k of non accounted parts like rails cables and others in your estimation cost for the parts.

I have toggled the load on the batteries down to 3 kW, so I put less stress and heat on them. The batteries are still full by noon.

11 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Is that single of three phase?

3

5 minutes ago, Ludzilla said:

3

That's about what I want, but I need to build the structure for it first.

Why would the PEA be installing solar energy capabilities? Wouldn't that just reduce their income?

And my last two sarcastic posts were taken down, so after posting this one, I'm hiding under my desk and have my Flack jacket on.

54 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Batteries can pay off if you do not have a reliable grid, experience frequent power cuts, or have unstable voltage. Together with a good inverter, they can provide cleaner and more stable power, which is easier on electrical equipment.

Another advantage is air conditioning. With solar and batteries, you can run the aircon for longer periods and maintain a more stable indoor temperature and humidity, instead of repeatedly heating and cooling the house. That can help protect the indoor environment, furniture, electronics, and reduce moisture and mold problems.

Having enough panels and enough batteries gives you the possibility to use more electricity. And when you have batteries, you can also use a cooling system where they are placed to help extend their lifespan.

That element of a/c 24/7 would sell it to me more than anything else I guess.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

If that is true, get a TOU meter and cut your bill 30-50% and you're have a six-month pay-back.

At off-peak rates, your pay-back would likely take longer than the life of the system.

OH !!! Will look into that....cheers.

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

Yep.

Solar don't work quite so well at night.

Walked into that one......555

8 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Why would the PEA be installing solar energy capabilities? Wouldn't that just reduce their income?

And my last two sarcastic posts were taken down, so after posting this one, I'm hiding under my desk and have my Flack jacket on.

Who controls the grid, and who buys and sells the electricity? You become the one paying for the equipment, while they can make money from your investment by buying and selling your overproduction. Win win for them.

1 hour ago, MIke B Bad said:

Our usage is nearly all nighttime air con......am I right in thinking batteries would be essential?.....typical monthly bill is B2000

Meter winds back in the day, then forward in the night.

Gotta watch out your meter shows more when the reader sees it.

50 minutes ago, Ludzilla said:

there is something in the area of 60/70k of non accounted parts like rails cables and others in your estimation cost for the parts.

Which cost almost nothing to make yourself with some 2x4 box steel, a drill, welder and angle grinder.

Think my install cost under 4kbht, including the welder and grinder.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by BritManToo

If you pay any form of income tax in Thailand, ie personal or business, you can depreciate the cost of installing solar panels and any energy saving equipment. The depreciation rate is 25% over 5 years - so you reduce your tax by 25% of the cost of your solar over 5 years. This presumes a valid receipt from a registered company - your accountant can help you with this.

The TOU not only gives you 50% reduced tariff at night but every weekend and every public holiday - about a third of the year.

However as mentioned below the Jevons Paradox comes in to play very quickly because you will start to use more Aircon than you ever did without solar.

Two and a half years ago the PEA came to our house, did a back of the fag packet assessment, and said they would send a written quote - it hasn’t arrived yet. Meanwhile we interviewed several local private suppliers and had a system installed within two days of confirmation.

We get better than 60% reduction in PEA bill despite the increase in Aircon. If you benefit from the depreciation the payback period is less than 3years.

On 8/21/2026 at 8:14 AM, Yellowtail said:

You could just have another company quote it to compare, but I would expect PEA to cost more, but having them do it us also worth more. Not twice as much/

If you choose PEA Then at least you'll be assured that they will still be there if anything goes wrong. Can you say this if you use a private firm?

2 minutes ago, cheshiremusicman said:

If you choose PEA Then at least you'll be assured that they will still be there if anything goes wrong. Can you say this if you use a private firm?

It depends on the company. I no one is going to warranty it forever. I think the blanket warranty from the MEA on a solar installation is two years.

In any event, as I said, I think having MEA/PEA do it is worth paying extra for. How is it we disagree?

43 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

It depends on the company. I no one is going to warranty it forever. I think the blanket warranty from the MEA on a solar installation is two years.

In any event, as I said, I think having MEA/PEA do it is worth paying extra for. How is it we disagree?

What matters is the warranty from the producer of the solar system, that they have an office based in Thailand to handle warranty issues, and that they are likely to still be around in the future. I wouldn't trust PEA to handle such things.

10 minutes ago, Hummin said:

What matters is the warranty from the producer of the solar system, that they have an office based in Thailand to handle warranty issues, and that they are likely to still be around in the future. I wouldn't trust PEA to handle such things.

I've had nothing but good service from the PEA for 20 years and the MEA for the last six.

This just dropped in my YT feed: https://youtu.be/X5Fd_vgvLc0

Solar in Thailand

The AI told me:

The speaker purchased a hybrid solar power system for his property in Thailand. The system includes the following components:

* 24 solar panels (640W bifacial) (13:51-14:03)

A *14kW single-phase Lux Power hybrid inverter** (14:24-14:35)

* Three Gen 4 (G4) batteries (14:41-14:59, 19:27-19:30)

The total cost for the equipment and installation was 454,000 Thai Baht (23:33-23:42).

The creator installed three LV Topson Sun batteries (14:43-14:52). Each individual battery has the following specifications:

• Voltage: 51.2V

• Capacity: 314Ah

• Energy storage: 16kWh per battery

These components are part of his hybrid solar system and come with a 10-year warranty (14:47-15:05).

The solar panels installed on the property are from the brand SPPM, which is a local Thai manufacturer (14:03-14:08).

System specifications:

• Quantity: 24 panels total.

• Type: 640W bifacial (double-glass) panels.

• Warranty: 15 years, with an expected performance rating of up to 30 years (13:51-14:21).

Edited August 22Aug 22 by BeastOfBodmin
Added details about what was bought and how much it cost.

1 minute ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

This just dropped in my YT feed: https://youtu.be/X5Fd_vgvLc0

Solar in Thailand

What did they say?

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

What did they say?

See my edited post above...

I know it's not comparable but I had solar panels installed on my house in the UK in 2015; thirteen panels producing 3.44 KWP, fully installed for £4800, no batteries. Assume 50 to the £ baht conversion rate, so 240,000 baht. Never had a problem with the system, contractor still in business, paid for itself in nine years, everything is now profit. I will be looking to install panels on my Thai house when I semi-retire in a few years, so the information in this post is very useful, thank you.

18 hours ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

See my edited post above...

Maybe prudent to hang fire a bit and see if the grant scheme may be beneficial or not. detail still a bit sketchy

If it goes ahead and an option, the installer may be a significant factor.

nationthailand

Thailand plans rooftop solar grants of 50,000 baht per ho...

Thailand plans 50,000-baht grants and low-interest state-bank loans to help up to one million households install rooftop solar systems.

On 8/22/2026 at 1:26 PM, MIke B Bad said:

OH !!! Will look into that....cheers.

TOU meter costs around THB4,500 from PEA, cost per kWh: between 10pm and 9am weekdays = THB3, weekend 24 hr =THB3, at all other times cost per kWh = THB5.7. So to make this economical you need an alternative energy source (solar+batteries) to cover the weekday hours between 9am to 10pm, otherwise you will be paying THB5.7 per kWh.

36 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

TOU meter costs around THB4,500 from PEA, cost per kWh: between 10pm and 9am weekdays = THB3, weekend 24 hr =THB3, at all other times cost per kWh = THB5.7. So to make this economical you need an alternative energy source (solar+batteries) to cover the weekday hours between 9am to 10pm, otherwise you will be paying THB5.7 per kWh.

TOU from PEA explained by chatgpt:

If you mean PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority) Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates, the current published tariff is:

Residential TOU

For a typical household on low voltage (<22 kV):

• Peak: ฿5.7982/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.6369/kWh

• Service charge: ฿24.62/month

• Plus Ft and 7% VAT.

TOU hours

• Peak: 9:00 AM–10:00 PM, Monday–Friday

• Off-peak: 10:00 PM–9:00 AM, Monday–Friday

• Off-peak all day: Saturday, Sunday, and qualifying public holidays.

For May–August 2026, PEA's Ft is ฿0.1623/kWh. (Pea)

So, roughly, before VAT:

• Peak: ฿5.9605/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.7992/kWh

On 8/24/2026 at 10:01 AM, motdaeng said:

TOU from PEA explained by chatgpt:

If you mean PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority) Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates, the current published tariff is:

Residential TOU

For a typical household on low voltage (<22 kV):

• Peak: ฿5.7982/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.6369/kWh

• Service charge: ฿24.62/month

• Plus Ft and 7% VAT.

TOU hours

• Peak: 9:00 AM–10:00 PM, Monday–Friday

• Off-peak: 10:00 PM–9:00 AM, Monday–Friday

• Off-peak all day: Saturday, Sunday, and qualifying public holidays.

For May–August 2026, PEA's Ft is ฿0.1623/kWh. (Pea)

So, roughly, before VAT:

• Peak: ฿5.9605/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.7992/kWh

The PEA in Yasothon changed our Meter from the old fashion disk type to digital smart meter. I think because we use it more like a holiday house only one my wifes brother lives in the only room with no Air con so when we are there our the power bill goes up from under 500 Baht to a lot lot more as I use the air cons a lot. If I look at our Power bill it just shows a flat rate. I presume you have request to change to TOU. Does any one have an example of a TOU bill?

I was thinking about just installing a hybrid inverter and batteries no panels at the moment. (

I can do this myself) (Electronics Engineer) Charging the batteries off peak and an avoiding the often frequent power blackouts. Last time I was there in June we had 3 cuts in 14 days, one we only 150V to the house I think all night. There no justifion to do full Solar unless we living there full time. No I have not done an ROI calculate yet but at face value it looks like it might solve 2 problem at once for me.

3 minutes ago, barryw52 said:

The PEA in Yasothon changed our Meter from the old fashion disk type to digital smart meter. I think because we use it more like a holiday house only one my wifes brother lives in the only room with no Air con so when we are there our the power bill goes up from under 500 Baht to a lot lot more as I use the air cons a lot. If I look at our Power bill it just shows a flat rate. I presume you have request to change to TOU. Does any one have an example of a TOU bill?

I was thinking about just installing a hybrid inverter and batteries no panels at the moment. (

I can do this myself) (Electronics Engineer) Charging the batteries off peak and an avoiding the often frequent power blackouts. Last time I was there in June we had 3 cuts in 14 days, one we only 150V to the house I think all night. There no justifion to do full Solar unless we living there full time. No I have not done an ROI calculate yet but at face value it looks like it might solve 2 problem at once for me.

Interesting concept. I doubt very much it will pencil out.

In the US it's, or at least was common to run chillers at night to water-cool chillers during the day to take advantage of off-peak rates.

3 hours ago, barryw52 said:

The PEA in Yasothon changed our Meter from the old fashion disk type to digital smart meter. I think because we use it more like a holiday house only one my wifes brother lives in the only room with no Air con so when we are there our the power bill goes up from under 500 Baht to a lot lot more as I use the air cons a lot. If I look at our Power bill it just shows a flat rate. I presume you have request to change to TOU. Does any one have an example of a TOU bill?

I was thinking about just installing a hybrid inverter and batteries no panels at the moment. (

I can do this myself) (Electronics Engineer) Charging the batteries off peak and an avoiding the often frequent power blackouts. Last time I was there in June we had 3 cuts in 14 days, one we only 150V to the house I think all night. There no justifion to do full Solar unless we living there full time. No I have not done an ROI calculate yet but at face value it looks like it might solve 2 problem at once for me.

You can request a TOU meter. There may be a queue...

Beware with TOU the tariff changes from progressive rates, based on amount used, to a peak rate fixed tariff (I think approx THB 5.8/ kWh) and an off-peak tariff of approx THB 2.8/ kWh. Check those numbers...

If you install solar, TOU is optional. If you install solar and want to feed energy back, TOU is mandatory and would be installed as part of the service. Of course you don't have to feed anything back.

1 hour ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

You can request a TOU meter. There may be a queue...

Beware with TOU the tariff changes from progressive rates, based on amount used, to a peak rate fixed tariff (I think approx THB 5.8/ kWh) and an off-peak tariff of approx THB 2.8/ kWh. Check those numbers...

If you install solar, TOU is optional. If you install solar and want to feed energy back, TOU is mandatory and would be installed as part of the service. Of course you don't have to feed anything back.

I suspect that the Smart meter I have already does both Fixed rate and TOU at least that is the way it works in Australia as smart meter are read online and can be reprogrammed on line as well. I hope they would not charge me 4500 Baht if it already installed but who knows with PEA. If you look at the rates quoted for TOU you get 11 hour of offpeak at 2.6369 Baht/KWh The sliding scale of rates is what they are implementing for fix rate PEA Plan with 400kWh as the point it steps to up to much higher rate.

Yes I need do a lot more work to quantity the rates but you can charge a couple big batteries and run a 9000 BTU air con all night in the 11 hour period allowed plus all Saturday and Sunday (not sure I can program in Qualifing Public Public Holiday in the inverter!) under this Residential TOU If there no hidden details I not seen yet.

Residential TOU

For a typical household on low voltage (<22 kV):

• Peak: ฿5.7982/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.6369/kWh

• Service charge: ฿24.62/month

• Plus Ft and 7% VAT.

• TOU hours

  • Peak: 9:00 AM–10:00 PM, Monday–Friday

  • Off-peak: 10:00 PM–9:00 AM, Monday–Friday

  • Off-peak all day: Saturday, Sunday, and qualifying public holiday

2 minutes ago, barryw52 said:

I suspect that the Smart meter I have already does both Fixed rate and TOU at least that is the way it works in Australia as smart meter are read online and can be reprogrammed on line as well. I hope they would not charge me 4500 Baht if it already installed but who knows with PEA. If you look at the rates quoted for TOU you get 11 hour of offpeak at 2.6369 Baht/KWh The sliding scale of rates is what they are implementing for fix rate PEA Plan with 400kWh as the point it steps to up to much higher rate.

Yes I need do a lot more work to quantity the rates but you can charge a couple big batteries and run a 9000 BTU air con all night in the 11 hour period allowed plus all Saturday and Sunday (not sure I can program in Qualifing Public Public Holiday in the inverter!) under this Residential TOU If there no hidden details I not seen yet.

Residential TOU

For a typical household on low voltage (<22 kV):

• Peak: ฿5.7982/kWh

• Off-peak: ฿2.6369/kWh

• Service charge: ฿24.62/month

• Plus Ft and 7% VAT.

• TOU hours

  • Peak: 9:00 AM–10:00 PM, Monday–Friday

  • Off-peak: 10:00 PM–9:00 AM, Monday–Friday

  • Off-peak all day: Saturday, Sunday, and qualifying public holiday

If you have a TOU meter already, you can check your bills to find out how you're charged.

If you haven't already, suggest you install the Smart PEA app and download the last 6 invoices in PDF format. You can try to map consumption with season, rates and occupancy. e.g. I know we hardly used AC last December/ this January, so I had a "no AC baseload". Assumed everything else is AC from evening til morning, so you get an idea of what different scenarios save.

Blah blah. I'm a data junkie.

On 8/22/2026 at 12:34 PM, IsaanT said:

How much value would you add for the peace of mind that you should never have another power outage again, and the smoothest, steadiest 230 volt supply? I'd say that's worth quite a bit when you are used to the power going out several times a month.

Assuming the system allows for islanding. A lot of systems shut down on loss of mains power to avoid killing linesmen and electricians.