Things about Thailand that boggle my mind (1 of a series): Solar Power

[recycler]

It's simply lack of awareness and the people selling the energy are not interested in promoting awareness and the use of alternative energy or saving energy.

No houses are insulated, no double glazing, all local produced cars consume outrages amounts of fuel.

Thailand could easily be providing it's needs by using solar energy, but who's gonna buy the gas than?

By the way, the same story applies to the whole world, there is enough sustainable energy, but interests of the fossil fuel prevent it from happening.

[IMHO]

It's simply lack of awareness and the people selling the energy are not interested in promoting awareness and the use of alternative energy or saving energy.

No houses are insulated, no double glazing, all local produced cars consume outrages amounts of fuel.

Thailand could easily be providing it's needs by using solar energy, but who's gonna buy the gas than?

By the way, the same story applies to the whole world, there is enough sustainable energy, but interests of the fossil fuel prevent it from happening.

What you're saying might ring true for the particular are of Thailand you live in, but I can assure it's not typical elsewhere.

Most medium-high end new houses are using things like foil under tiles, double cavity walls, AAC blocks, cladding, double glazing and/or solartag glass, solar backed curtains, insulated or reflective gypsum etc. You won't find them in 1M Baht neighbourhoods though

As for solar electricity, there was a program to promote that back in late 2013 called "Solar Rooftop", which offered domestic producers very favorable feed-in tariffs (over 7 Baht/unit), but round one of it failed to meet expectations, mainly I guess due to contract wording (well, that's the reason I didn't sign). Hopefully they'll relax the rules a little in round #2 and it'll become easier to to give your John Hancock...

With a more open contract between the house owner and the PEA/MEA, there would even be a strong business case to privately commercialize it (i.e. supply systems for low cost or even free, in return for a % of feed-in tariffs).

[keeniau96]

Had solar hot water panel installed in several houses, including the current one I live in. Cost for last system (installed about 5 years ago) was just about 30k baht which included the flat rooftop collector, copper piping to our two bathrooms and the kitchen and all installation. Note these systems include an electrical connection for heater to heat water if the sun has been inadequate which is the case during some of the rainy season. Forgot what capacity but it has been more than adequate for two people most of the time and no problem with four Euro guests for several weeks.

[Seligne2]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

Don't you want to wash dishes in hot water?

Don't you have a kettle?

Sunlight is free and clean. The juice to run the kettle is not.

[yellowboat]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

Don't you want to wash dishes in hot water?

Don't you have a kettle?

Sunlight is free and clean. The juice to run the kettle is not.

See the mentality you have to deal with.

[Seligne2]

Thais are used to the cold showers and feel no need to have hot water

With the hot weather year round, no real need for water heaters

So wy spend money on something you do not need and can live without?

When my Thai friends come over they invariably choose to shower in warm/hot water.

Hot weather year round? The coldest winter I ever spent was in the mountains of Chiang Mai Province (and I'm from Canada), with icy cold showers every morning. And I would prefer to wash greasy pots in free hot water.

[SoiBiker]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

Don't you want to wash dishes in hot water?

Don't you have a kettle?

Sunlight is free and clean. The juice to run the kettle is not.

Is installing a solar heating system just for a couple of litres of hot water per day to do the dishes likely to be a cost-effective solution?

[seancbk]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

I do.

Why suffer cold showers when you can have the water warm?

Same with swimming pools, the pool at my condo despite being exposed to the sun for most of the day, is still too cold to swim in at the moment (unless you like the shock of cold water on your skin).

[ToddinChonburi]

I have never taken a cold shower here, she comes through every time.

[SoiBiker]

How are people managing to take cold showers here anyway? My water usually comes out of the taps at around 30 degrees C.

[seancbk]

How are people managing to take cold showers here anyway? My water usually comes out of the taps at around 30 degrees C.

I don't have a thermometer to test the water temp, but just put my hand under the tap in the kitchen and the water feels cool.

If the water is cooler than my body temp then my skin is going to notice the sudden chill factor. I don't like that sensation.

[SoiBiker]

How are people managing to take cold showers here anyway? My water usually comes out of the taps at around 30 degrees C.

I don't have a thermometer to test the water temp, but just put my hand under the tap in the kitchen and the water feels cool.

If the water is cooler than my body temp then my skin is going to notice the sudden chill factor. I don't like that sensation.

I guess you're just the delicate type.

[duanebigsby]

Thais are used to the cold showers and feel no need to have hot water

With the hot weather year round, no real need for water heaters

So wy spend money on something you do not need and can live without?

When my Thai friends come over they invariably choose to shower in warm/hot water.

Hot weather year round? The coldest winter I ever spent was in the mountains of Chiang Mai Province (and I'm from Canada), with icy cold showers every morning. And I would prefer to wash greasy pots in free hot water.

Are you from Vancouver or the Island?

My coldest winters were in Regina!

Anyways thanks for the topic and I should get off my butt to do something passive solar for my kitchen. I hate washing dishes in cold water; you've got me thinking.....

[louse1953]

Love the cold showers.

[smotherb]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

The minimalists among us may have decided a hot shower is an unnecessary expense, but I imagine many other people prefer a hot shower.

I like a hot shower, but I use aircon, so I don't have to sweat in my house. My hot water tank and pump are on the roof, so I do get the advantage of warm water in the evening, but I want it warm in the morning.

It does get chilly in Chiang Mai and other areas in the North; so a hot shower may be welcomed by many residents there.

[Seligne2]

Thais are used to the cold showers and feel no need to have hot water

With the hot weather year round, no real need for water heaters

So wy spend money on something you do not need and can live without?

When my Thai friends come over they invariably choose to shower in warm/hot water.

Hot weather year round? The coldest winter I ever spent was in the mountains of Chiang Mai Province (and I'm from Canada), with icy cold showers every morning. And I would prefer to wash greasy pots in free hot water.

Are you from Vancouver or the Island?

My coldest winters were in Regina!

Anyways thanks for the topic and I should get off my butt to do something passive solar for my kitchen. I hate washing dishes in cold water; you've got me thinking.....

Quebec, plenty cold there. Good luck. If nothing else, in the corner of your garden (assuming you have one), put in a simple sun-powered shower. You will never shower inside again!

[SoiBiker]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

The minimalists among us may have decided a hot shower is an unnecessary expense, but I imagine many other people prefer a hot shower.

I like a hot shower, but I use aircon, so I don't have to sweat in my house. My hot water tank and pump are on the roof, so I do get the advantage of warm water in the evening, but I want it warm in the morning.

It does get chilly in Chiang Mai and other areas in the North; so a hot shower may be welcomed by many residents there.

I have both a water heater and aircon in my apartment. I just prefer not to use them.

This is not out of 'minimalism' or frugality. I just like it that way.

[whaleboneman]

It seems we have two different conversations here. There's a big difference between Solar Hot Water, and Solar Power Don't be fooled by the topic title, the OP is talking about water, not electricity

Exactly! My question is about passive solar, not active solar (PV panels, etc.). The latter is expensive and I get that, but passive can be as cheap as putting a bucket out in the sun. Someone earlier said that tap water in Thailand is ~30 degrees C. Not in northern Thailand in the cold season!

Even just a garden hose in the sun makes hot water ...

The only thing about going passive with the black bucket idea is, you're only going to gravity fed static pressure of course (~1.4 PSI per M). The pressurized system we have can fill our (huge) bath in only a few minutes

Just run pressurised water to black drum and then to heater.

[BKResort]

Yes! Very interesting.....and probably the Thai King talk about solar power during its years of research, but public information and implementation failed him. That's is a problem in many countries, not only Thailand, referring to simply techniques. In 1967 I saw modest houses in South Africa well "refrigerated" by very cheap made wind and water windows screens. I built a small house in Spain in 1990 using it, and using solar and wind power for hot water and energy. Also using sewer water to irrigate the gardens. Works perfectly!

I never saw any of that in any tropical country I visited in my life.

Got an example of that refrigeration technique? Honestly interested.

Unfortunately I do not have with me the pictures I took at that time. Another member said that will not work here because the humidity, and may be right, specially in areas without strong winds, but I wonders why the portable electric cooler, using cold water and a fan, selling here in Thailand, is working OK. It is the same concept.

Anyway. The window cooler is a wide (about 1') hard wood frame with a fine mosquito screen in both sides, the same size of the window, and with hinges in one side or top (depending how the window opens). Inside, between the screens, is filled with fine wood strips spirals, big just enough to be able to let light inside the room. At the bottom of the top frame piece, a perforated 1/2' pipe runs connected with a water faucet in one side, closed in the other side.The water supply may be just enough to the pipe keep dripping over the wood strips and keeping it wet. The excess water will run out at the bottom of the frame, to the ground or a planter,...very, very slowly. The window have to face the windy side of the site, and open when the system is in use. When is not in use, will work like a mosquito net, or just opened aside Very easy and very cheap to build.

[trainman34014]

The problem here is that electricity is so cheap compared to most other countries that you can't really justify the price of Solar Panels. It would take so many years for the costs to amortise that a good many of us expats would be ashes before it happened.

As for cold showers; i take them twice a day for 10 months of the year and don't need hot water for that purpose personally. My main requirement for boiling water is to make my tea.

[BadBouy]

Bad Kitty nailed it. My fiancé was having many guests at her house for a wedding and had talked about not having hot water for them.

So I bought her an inline heater for the shower prior to the wedding. She had said "I will still shower in cold water". Now, nothing but HOT showers for her.

And me (being a sucky from Canada), when we visit friends who don't have hot water, she boils water and pours it over me. Oh those Thai girls are so caring !

Now I want to get her one for kitchen so she will wash the dishes with HOT water.

Why not buy her a dishwasher that heats the water, it saves water, her time, and effort with minimal cost of electricity.

[IMHO]

It seems we have two different conversations here. There's a big difference between Solar Hot Water, and Solar Power Don't be fooled by the topic title, the OP is talking about water, not electricity

Exactly! My question is about passive solar, not active solar (PV panels, etc.). The latter is expensive and I get that, but passive can be as cheap as putting a bucket out in the sun. Someone earlier said that tap water in Thailand is ~30 degrees C. Not in northern Thailand in the cold season!

Even just a garden hose in the sun makes hot water ...

The only thing about going passive with the black bucket idea is, you're only going to gravity fed static pressure of course (~1.4 PSI per M). The pressurized system we have can fill our (huge) bath in only a few minutes

Just run pressurised water to black drum and then to heater.

Err, how do you propose to make your drum a pressure vessel that can withstand the kind of PSI it would be subjected to? LOL

Every time I read your post, I have a vision of an exploding drum, sending 90c hot water out in all directions

[poweratradio]

Forrest Gump knows the answer.

The water is already warm without being solar heated further.

[poweratradio]

The problem here is that electricity is so cheap compared to most other countries that you can't really justify the price of Solar Panels. It would take so many years for the costs to amortise that a good many of us expats would be ashes before it happened.

As for cold showers; i take them twice a day for 10 months of the year and don't need hot water for that purpose personally. My main requirement for boiling water is to make my tea.

Dont' know where you have been buying electricity outside of Thailand but if you think this is cheap here then many would love to disagree with you here.

[bangon04]

Bad Kitty nailed it. My fiancé was having many guests at her house for a wedding and had talked about not having hot water for them.

So I bought her an inline heater for the shower prior to the wedding. She had said "I will still shower in cold water". Now, nothing but HOT showers for her.

And me (being a sucky from Canada), when we visit friends who don't have hot water, she boils water and pours it over me. Oh those Thai girls are so caring !

Now I want to get her one for kitchen so she will wash the dishes with HOT water.

" she boils water and pours it over me"

that does sound a bit painful........

Several posters have talked about the "payback" if they invest in solar panels etc. But so many other posters have complained about the high cost of running the air conditioners.... surely the solar panels will be cost effective for anyone who runs AC 24/7?

[smotherb]

Who wants to take a hot shower in this climate?

The minimalists among us may have decided a hot shower is an unnecessary expense, but I imagine many other people prefer a hot shower.

I like a hot shower, but I use aircon, so I don't have to sweat in my house. My hot water tank and pump are on the roof, so I do get the advantage of warm water in the evening, but I want it warm in the morning.

It does get chilly in Chiang Mai and other areas in the North; so a hot shower may be welcomed by many residents there.

I have both a water heater and aircon in my apartment. I just prefer not to use them.

This is not out of 'minimalism' or frugality. I just like it that way.

Okay, glad you prefer cold showers.

[thehelmsman]

Thais are used to the cold showers and feel no need to have hot water

With the hot weather year round, no real need for water heaters

So wy spend money on something you do not need and can live without?

It get plenty cold up north, it's always nice to take the bite out of the shower water.

[bikerlou47]

Keeping with the thread title:

After 10 yrs I could add much but let me start with this:

A hotdog is put on a stick while a hotdog roll is used for ice cream!

LOL cracks me up every time!

[draftvader]

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[mogandave]

I brought s 50 gal electric water heater from the US and love it. Hot water in every sink and shower.

People that believe energy companies are holding solar back crack me up.