Inatalling Solar Panels on Roof.

[YangYaiEric]

I am planning on installing solar panels on the roof of our house as a way of reducing our monthly electricity bills.

It seems a good idea to me, as Thailand is blessed with LOTS of sunshine throughout much of the year.

There are a few companies in Thailand who offer solar panels at quite cheap prices. I was wondering if any TV members have any experience installing solar panels on their house roof-tops, and if so, what are the pros and cons of such a venture.

Looking forward to your replies!

Cheers!

[h90]

The bad thing in Europe is that the sun shines when you don't need the electric.

The good thing in Thailand is the sun shines when you turn on the aircon=need the electric

The bad thing is electric is very cheap in Thailand.

The good thing is Thailand doesn't boycott the cheap solar panels as Europe and USA does.

Very interesting for me as well.....

[YangYaiEric]

The bad thing in Europe is that the sun shines when you don't need the electric.

The good thing in Thailand is the sun shines when you turn on the aircon=need the electric

The bad thing is electric is very cheap in Thailand.

The good thing is Thailand doesn't boycott the cheap solar panels as Europe and USA does.

Very interesting for me as well.....

Thanks for posting.

Do you have any advice/experiences that you can share perhaps?

I just had a look at a Solar Energy company's website based in Bangkok. They offer Solar Water Heaters as well as solar A/C units. Looks quite interesting!...

Edited July 10, 2014 by YangYaiEric

[whiteman]

I think you will find your answers in the Home forum and I know this subject has been spoken about many times with a break even of approx 10 years any how pop over to that forum for more info

[3NUMBAS]

you need a control system to keep em at the correct orientation as they go into reverse otherwise , and too hot is no good too.

cheaper panels are expected in a few years time as breakthrus are expected in the coming years

[Crossy]

It is important to understand that there are two main types of solar PV systems:-

1. Off-grid
2. Grid-tie

Google is your friend, but in a nutshell.

An Off-grid system makes you totally independent of the mains supply, power is stored in (expensive and inefficient) batteries for when the sun is not available. You can either use the batteries directly to supply low voltage lighting and appliances, or use an inverter and normal mains appliances.

A Grid-tie system has no batteries (major saving), instead the (special) inverter is connected to the regular mains supply. When the sun is shining the inverter pushes power into the mains, if at the time your domestic power usage is less than the inverter is producing your meter will spin backwards. When your power usage increases (or the sun goes behind a cloud) the imbalance between what the solar is producing and your usage is made up from the mains and the meter goes forward again. You effectively use the grid as your batteries (and it's 100% efficient, you get back all the power you export). A disadvantage of a Grid-tie system is that if the mains goes off, your inverter shuts down (to prevent you feeding power into the dead grid and possibly injuring a worker), this is known as island-protection, all grid-tie inverters must have this facility to be safe.

Payback time for an Off-grid system could be in excess of 10 years, or even never when the cost of battery replacement is considered. If mains power is available, Off-grid is simply not viable.

Payback time for a Grid-tie system is much better, usually less than 7 years without a favourable feed-in tariff being available (just the meter going backwards). Some countries have a scheme whereby solar producers are paid more for the power they produce than the regular consumer is charged (government subsidy), in this case the payback can become less than 5 years or even sooner.

Thailand does have a subsidy programme (IIRC it's called My Solar Roof), but it was so poorly publicised that the uptake by small users was minimal. This scheme is now closed to new applicants, so we're back with making the meter go backwards.

[ozsamurai]

Some new developments to bear in mind for the near future perhaps.... I am watching it like a hawk.

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/03/ibm-solar-collector-magnifies-sun-2000x-provide-power-entire-planet.html

Oz

[passingas]

As far as installation on you existing roof goes...make sure they are not directly placed on the roofing material...leave about a 10 cm space between the bottom of the panels and the roofing material, minimum. Leave it to a Thai, and I can pretty much guarantee they will lay it right on the roof (quick and easy). Yes, it is a little more work and might even cost a wee bit more, but it is the right way to do it. pg

[IMHO]

As far as installation on you existing roof goes...make sure they are not directly placed on the roofing material...leave about a 10 cm space between the bottom of the panels and the roofing material, minimum. Leave it to a Thai, and I can pretty much guarantee they will lay it right on the roof (quick and easy). Yes, it is a little more work and might even cost a wee bit more, but it is the right way to do it. pg

Why would you say that? The mounting systems are cheap, readily available, and I doubt' any Thai doing solar doesn't know about them:

http://www.xn--c3ca0b5bmba5hvfqa3a6b5c.net/tag/solar-cell-2/

[IMHO]

It is important to understand that there are two main types of solar PV systems:-

1. Off-grid
2. Grid-tie

Google is your friend, but in a nutshell.

An Off-grid system makes you totally independent of the mains supply, power is stored in (expensive and inefficient) batteries for when the sun is not available. You can either use the batteries directly to supply low voltage lighting and appliances, or use an inverter and normal mains appliances.

A Grid-tie system has no batteries (major saving), instead the (special) inverter is connected to the regular mains supply. When the sun is shining the inverter pushes power into the mains, if at the time your domestic power usage is less than the inverter is producing your meter will spin backwards. When your power usage increases (or the sun goes behind a cloud) the imbalance between what the solar is producing and your usage is made up from the mains and the meter goes forward again. You effectively use the grid as your batteries (and it's 100% efficient, you get back all the power you export). A disadvantage of a Grid-tie system is that if the mains goes off, your inverter shuts down (to prevent you feeding power into the dead grid and possibly injuring a worker), this is known as island-protection, all grid-tie inverters must have this facility to be safe.

Payback time for an Off-grid system could be in excess of 10 years, or even never when the cost of battery replacement is considered. If mains power is available, Off-grid is simply not viable.

Payback time for a Grid-tie system is much better, usually less than 7 years without a favourable feed-in tariff being available (just the meter going backwards). Some countries have a scheme whereby solar producers are paid more for the power they produce than the regular consumer is charged (government subsidy), in this case the payback can become less than 5 years or even sooner.

Thailand does have a subsidy programme (IIRC it's called My Solar Roof), but it was so poorly publicised that the uptake by small users was minimal. This scheme is now closed to new applicants, so we're back with making the meter go backwards.

There is of course type 3 also; "hybrid" systems that have batteries, a normal inverter, a grid-tie inverter and a battery charger - which can be setup a few different ways:

* AC First mode - batts charge from solar (and optionally, mains), with excess solar generation going to the grid. Mains is the primary power source, with batteries only used for backup power (UPS).

* DC First mode - same as above, but batteries & solar are the primary power source, and the system will only switch to mains power in the event there's no solar/battery power available.

The good thing about these systems are you get the efficiency/cost benefits of a grid-tie, and can start out with just a few batteries and solar cells in UPS mode. From there you can grow the system with more batteries and solar panels, until you eventually can go semi or even fully off-grid.

The big brands like Schneider and SMA are referring to these as "increased self consumption" systems (as opposed to grid-tie / off-grid), while other brands refer to them as "hybrid inverters"

There's some interesting control boxes in this space now... Some relatively cheap, parallel-able ones from TW (5kva=27K Baht) where up to 4 units can be run together (total=20kVA) - but they lack the "grid tie" ability. There's some new Chinese players like Goodwe making all-in-one systems (but not parallel-able and a few reports of issues). Then there's Schneider who have recently released their XW+ range (pricey but you know it's good), and SMA have their "Sunny Island" range in the space.

Give it some time and I expect there will be a lot more advances and price drops in this space.

As for the "solar rooftop" program, yes, it's over... but I think we can expect a phase 2 later this year. The biggest issue with the first version of the program was that house owners had to sign a 25-year minimum-monthly kWH supply contract, with penalties for under/no-supply not clearly specified - it just made the contract too hard to sign IMHO.

The problem with doing grid-tie in the absence of the solar rooftop program is legality... which is something I am still unclear on. I summarized some of what I've learnt/read and "asked the lawyer" but no response:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737948-solar-electricity-generation/

Edited July 13, 2014 by IMHO

[IMHO]

For those considering grid-tie, here is the current list of PEA approved inverters:

https://www.pea.co.th/vspp/Documents/Rooftop/List%20of%20Inverter.pdf

Note that just using one of these doesn't necessarily mean it's legal though, but not using one of these would almost certainly be an issue.

[NoshowJones]

PM me, I have just had it done, the type of system you are interested in. It works very well. I can tell you more.

[NoshowJones]

As far as installation on you existing roof goes...make sure they are not directly placed on the roofing material...leave about a 10 cm space between the bottom of the panels and the roofing material, minimum. Leave it to a Thai, and I can pretty much guarantee they will lay it right on the roof (quick and easy). Yes, it is a little more work and might even cost a wee bit more, but it is the right way to do it. pg

I have six panels set up in a rack on the ground in front of the house, about 20 Mts from the house, Maybe no need to have them put on the roof. depending on what space you have available.

[arlenewood]

You will need to store power for when the sun is not shining if you want to get off the grid. A quality battery is something that you should look into to facilitate proper storage.

Realize that solar power doesn't need 24/7 direct sunlight. Modern, high efficiency panels can produce plenty of energy even with limited sunlight. A sunny and cold place can receive more sun that a hot but shady one.

A great option for solar electricity would be a sun-tracking panel system. These systems can track the sun for optimum efficiency. These systems are more expensive but you will be able to produce more power and get more from your investment.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Crossy
Link to commercial site removed

[CaptainFly]

I ordered two panels from China and was charged import customs cost and a 500 Baht fine. Anyone know what the fine was for?

Thanks

[Crossy]

I ordered two panels from China and was charged import customs cost and a 500 Baht fine. Anyone know what the fine was for?

Thanks

What does the receipt say?

[GAZZPA]

Does anyone have some scale on pricing for solar panels (and installation costs if available). thanks

[Crossy]

Does anyone have some scale on pricing for solar panels (and installation costs if available). thanks

ginboy did a thread here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/837457-solar-installation/ worth a look.