Solar energy Incentive

[glalt]

No doubt such a system could be built but that is far beyond my abilities and would also be cost prohibitive. There are many problems with solar energy. Batteries are a major cost and discharging too much shortens the life of the battery bank drastically. Batteries also are damaged by trying to charge them too quickly. That means that a diesel generator will provide way too much energy to charge them as recommended. Cloudy and rainy days means that you will need extra panels and those too are expensive. On a sunny day the extra power produced is wasted, so to utilize the extra energy you will need part of the panel array to feed into the grid with a grid tie inverter. I do that manually. Here again that could be done automatically but that is also too expensive. The payback from solar systems is many years. Our main electricity from the grid at the house goes off and back on normally every day. Not to mention surges and brownouts. That justified my solar system at the house. My computer, fans and lights are quite happy running off the battery bank for about 12 hours a day. At the farm there is no grid so electricity is provided with a generator or a solar system. The generator is noisy and very expensive to run. That justifies the solar system there.

Will I ever get a payback from the house solar system? It's doubtful, but I am assured of clean power and a steady safe supply. There is satisfaction from eliminating the government grid and isolating my computer room from the crappy grid power.

Added - Both my systems are still fairly new and have been online for about 16 months with no component problems. I do keep a spare charge controller and inverter in case of a failure but so far I have had no problems other than a failed connection from one of the panels. I eliminated the recommended connectors and wired it direct.

[qon]

SWD

Sharing my isolating 3 ways switch system
To switch
1) Switch off SW1 to isolate refrigeration unit
2) by default power is from Solar inverter
3) switch over to select external source
4) Switch 3 to select source: Diesel or Electricity. NO problem leaving it on either when solar.

Allow power source to stabilize, add indicator Lamp where required Switch back breaker 1

[rjj04]

Just a little update on the GT system I bought from Amorn. The JFY inverter and 1475W of solar panels seem to be about 10% more efficient than the non-string panels. I suppose this is due to the string inverter (high voltage). Anyway, the inverter seems very robust. No problems with it at all. The panels on the other hand. Well, I have one panel that has one cell that seems to have fried itself. Along the two trace lines it has actually burned through the backside of the panel. Quite strange. The bypass diode seems to be working as the panel still produces power (1 cell lost out of 72*5 is not very perceptible in output watts/volts). I believe the problem stems from the alignment of the the cell upstream from it. The two cells are out of alignment by a few millimeters. Perhaps this caused some sort of arcing/spark which fried the cell. Anyway, quite strange. The good news is that I sent some photos to Vachira at AmornSolar.com and he responded within a couple of days that all I need to do is go in to Amorn and swap the bad panel out. I have to say Vachira is quite professional in his work. Now, if I had ordered the panels directly from China... I'd probably have a lot of work to do.

[glalt]

I was quite interested in your 10 percent gain from series versus parallel connected panels. Since I installed a double throw switch I was able to easily separate the panels by feeding one panel into the grid tie inverter and leave the other charging the battery bank. This lead me to do some Internet research. Some say that parallel is better and MOST others say that series is more efficient. You certainly CANNOT trust some of the information on the Internet.

I have since connected the 310 watt mono panel directly to the grid tie inverter and left the other to charge the batteries. The smaller Poly panel easily charges the batteries when we have sunshine. It now appears that mixing the mono and poly panels in parallel has cost me some efficiency. Thanks for your observation. I would advise anyone with different panels to connect them in series for better efficiency. That also seems to be the best advice from the Internet experts. (?).

[qon]

Hi
There are merits in both setup, series=current source, parallel=voltage source, the two are interrelated, although internal electrical works differently. In series mode, think of each panel as a battery ie. voltage produced and current; this however is a function of the amount of sun light, that produces the current and may cause a drop in voltage. In bank of a series of panels (each panel produces varying current ie. age and efficiency), by adding up the current (series connection) it can be said to more 'efficient'.
In parallel, again look at the panels as batteries = suppose to be supplying and maintaining voltage at varying current supply (age and efficiency of panels); parallel wiring suits new panels where all panels produce and maintain good voltage, therefore more 'efficient'. As in batteries, if a panel drops in voltage significantly, it can 'drag' down the overall output voltage and create some internal resistance thereby 'waste' some energy.
Which one is best? it is really up to your maintenance to monitor panels output and efficiency. I have posted somewhere before, manufacturer warrants panels in terms of percentage of efficiency left; panels don't die 100% (well they do). Also the industry prefers German transformers in inverters, Chinese's ones last not as long and they hums=heat=waste.
For these reasons it is a better to buy from a local supplier who can warrant the panels and the inverter, normally amortized over 5 years. Direct import in small quantity can be risky.

[qon]

Caveat: watch the input specs to the inverter ie.current & voltage max

[Barney]

Did the feed back tariff ever see the light of day?
Has any one gone down this track and getting something back?

[glalt]

My home 600 watt inverter is a cheap Chinese model. It is a pure sine wave and it does not hum, nor does it get hot. It does get warm to the touch but not hot. I would never buy a modified sine wave inverter. I paid about $112 for the inverter and although I have doubts about my multi-meters accuracy, they read a better than 95% efficiency. The inverter puts out 229 to 230 volts and it never varies. I view buying an inverter about the same as buying an Apple computer. Is it really worth the premium price.

I do buy pure sine wave inverters and MPPT charge controllers. I believe that they are well worth the extra cost.

[glalt]

Another scheme ??

The National Reform Council (NRC) is backing plans to liberalise rules governing the installation of solar roof panels, claiming the move would radically boost alternative energy use in the country.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... anel-boost

[jackspratt]

Another scheme ??

The National Reform Council (NRC) is backing plans to liberalise rules governing the installation of solar roof panels, claiming the move would radically boost alternative energy use in the country.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... anel-boost

Follow the money!

Due credit, however, to the NRC for trying to apply a green tinge to the trough. =D>

[glalt]

Unfortunately it's good publicity for a government agency to promote green power but another thing for the electric companies to cooperate. It's a case of the right hand having no idea what the left hand is doing.

[Barney]

Where will this solar technology go next.

Quote from an article

LONDON, Jan 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new generation of solar panels made from a mineral called perovskite has the potential to convert solar energy into household electricity more cheaply than ever before, according to a study from Briain's Exeter University.
Super-thin, custom-coloured panels attached to a building's windows may become a "holy grail" for India and African countries, Senthilarasu Sundaram, one of the authors of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"In those countries these types of material will be like a holy grail: they can both shade windows ... and at the same time produce electricity," he said.
With a thickness measured in billionths of a metre, solar panels made of perovskite will be more than 40 percent cheaper and 50 percent more efficient than those commercially produced today, Sundaram said.
Unlike other solar panels, those made of perovskite can absorb most of the solar spectrum and work in various atmospheric conditions, rather than only in direct sunlight.
"This type of material for solar cells works in diffused conditions much, much better than the other types of solar cells," said Sundaram. "It won't be 100 percent, but it will be much more than what we have now."
Researchers have already tested the material in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Current commercial products used to generate solar power, such as silicon or thin-film based technologies, are expensive because they are processed using vacuum-based techniques, the Exeter study said.
The production process for perovskite panels is very straightforward, but researchers still have to test the material under different conditions to better understand its properties, before companies embark on industrial-scale production, it said.
The photovoltaic (PV) energy market has been growing because of government targets for renewable energy production and CO2 emission controls, and the International Energy Agency has said that solar energy could be the world's biggest source of electricity by 2050. [ID: nL6N0RU2DI]
Sundaram said perovskite could also be used to power mobile gadgets like laptops and tablets.
First found in 1839 in the Ural Mountains, perovskite is named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski.

[rjj04]

New Solar Rooftop Program for this year 2558. The document is available as before on the PEA website.
100MWp to be purchased (maximum 10KW per system). So, that is at least 10,000 lucky individuals. Of course, they have rationed out the allocation to areas. Bangkok and areas of Central Thailand will get around 80MW of the 100MW. So, you all must be curious about the opportunity for us folks out in Issan. They grouped Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, and I think Loei and a couple surrounding Janwats into one group. That is what, at least several million people, no? So, proportionally speaking there should be at least several hundred slots (or a several MWp of power) assigned to our area, no? Well, NO... we get 0.004 MWp, in other words 4KW TOTAL, or less than the maxium for one installation (10KW). No discrimination here folks... nothing to see... please carry on, and remember... be happy.

[ChampDob]

OK, I am still looking for The best price on a Three Phase Inverter Grid Tied and Mono solar panels.
I would appreciate advice
Thank You in advance

[glalt]

The prices for solar panels is still coming down. I don't know what anyone would do with 800 panels and I have no idea what kind of tax Thai customs would add;

There are 800pcs 300w mono solar panels in stock now .
Size:1990×990×45mm
GRADE A , USD 135.00/pcs , FOB GUANGZHOU

If you are interesting in , please reply me soon .
Thank you .

Best Regards,
Mike Zhang

Skype:newenergy2010
Whatapp:+86 186 0893 6852

Ningbo GAIA new energy technology co., ltd.

[old timer]

Did the feed back tariff ever see the light of day?
Has any one gone down this track and getting something back?

The excess back to grid electricity generated by a household photo voltaic system cannot be credited to your account under the present system in Udon Thani at least. The Electric company would need to install two way metering for your property to measure the incoming and outgoing (back to grid) supply and credit or debit your electric bill accordingly with the balance.
There is no profit to be made for the Electric Company on the electricity produced sent back to the grid from a household PV system and although for the western world this is not an issue for the LOS it is. They want to sell electricity at a profit.
The next house OT builds or buys in LOS will have a back to grid PV system installed and hope someday a two way metering system is available from the Electric Company, in the meantime the PV system will just provide the household with electricity and the mains supply used as back up which will keep the bills down. You could go one step further and install a battery system to harness the unused electricity produced from the PV system which could then could be used at night or at other times when the solar panels are not capturing enough energy for your demands, this would also go towards keeping the electric bills down.

OT................

[glalt]

Well OT, At this point the government talks up green power but unfortunately the left hand doesn't have any idea what the right hand is doing. It would be a good idea if the government and the power company would work together. I really don't blame the power company because they are not in the business of buying power. They sell power.

I'm a believer in solar power but at this point, I think you should think about isolating some of your house circuits to use solar power and forget about trying to sell power to the electric company. The main problem is as always storing the power. Deep cycle batteries are expensive. My small home system cost me about 48,000 baht total and runs my computer room for about 13 hours a day. It may never pay for itself but I have a reliable electric supply for my computer. I should add that the power here goes off sometimes several times a day for a few seconds and sometimes for several hours. I did have a fairly large UPS but it would only run my computer room for an hour or so. When it died, I decided to go the solar route. I have no regrets and in the past year, no equipment failures. I am hoping my batteries will last for ten years. I only discharge them to about 50 percent. The quickest way to kill an expensive battery is to discharge it too much.

As a side note, Tesla, the electric car company, is now into the home solar business big time. Unfortunately their systems are too expensive at this point to compete with the existing systems. The cost of the batteries is just too expensive. Hopefully in the near future someone will develop a cheaper more efficient battery. More efficient solar panels are not the answer. Storing the energy is the major problem.

[rjj04]

Did the feed back tariff ever see the light of day?
Has any one gone down this track and getting something back?

The excess back to grid electricity generated by a household photo voltaic system cannot be credited to your account under the present system in Udon Thani at least. The Electric company would need to install two way metering for your property to measure the incoming and outgoing (back to grid) supply and credit or debit your electric bill accordingly with the balance.
There is no profit to be made for the Electric Company on the electricity produced sent back to the grid from a household PV system and although for the western world this is not an issue for the LOS it is. They want to sell electricity at a profit.
The next house OT builds or buys in LOS will have a back to grid PV system installed and hope someday a two way metering system is available from the Electric Company, in the meantime the PV system will just provide the household with electricity and the mains supply used as back up which will keep the bills down. You could go one step further and install a battery system to harness the unused electricity produced from the PV system which could then could be used at night or at other times when the solar panels are not capturing enough energy for your demands, this would also go towards keeping the electric bills down.

OT................

OT.. if you are going grid-tie without being in the "roof-top solar incentive program", you'd better be careful. The first time that your meter reading goes backwards they will replace your meter with a new meter which will not spin backwards (thus you give the majority of your power to PEA to sell onwards and profit from). Who knows, in the future they might even get more oppressive and simply use a video of disc in the meter spinning backwards as proof you are "selling" power to PEA