Installing Solar On Our Thailand Home

Hello, Viewer! Back in October of 2023, we had solar installed on our home in Phitsanulok, Thailand. The install took 2 days and it is the best option we have added to our home. It has cut our electric bills down considerably which allows us to run our power hungry AC units.
In this episode we explore:
- Why Solar?
- Who installed it?
- Cost
- The panels (x10) installation process
- Solar electronics
- FusionSolar app
- Overall thoughts
And if you are wondering, most of the video was taken with my Insta360 One X camera mounted on a 3-4 meter carbon fiber pole. And I agree with you, the mic I used at end of the video stinks.
I hope you enjoy this video. Please Like, Subscribe, and Share! It means the world to me and helps my fledgling channel. Assembling this video was my biggest challenge yet with so many video and audio clips to massage.
And remember, Life is too short, so enjoy every moment of it!
Brian...
Chapters Index
=============
0:00 - Introduction
0:10 - Why solar?
1:05 - The fateful meeting with the neighbor
1:59 - Cost of install
2:11 - The install teams
3:08 - The install begins!
7:14 - Install completed!
7:31 - The solar system electronics
9:34 - FusionSolar App
10:41 - Final thoughts

[@RetiredandLivingthedream]

I’m on that Journey now, I put in an emergency backup but now expanding, I do it for a hobby and am interested in Solar. My electric cost per month before Solar is always less than 1,000 baht as I employ cooling techniques to the house. We hardly run aircon but hope one day to be having no electric bills. Nice video best wishes.

[@thegreatlifereset]

Wow! If you have not already done so, you should do a video on the cooling techniques! 1000 baht a month bill is really cheap. 5kW setup would cover that no problem throughout the year. Have a great one too!

[@GarNelson1]

Just for curiosities sake, what direction are your panels facing? And thank you for taking the time to post the video.

[@thegreatlifereset]

Just pulled up my compass app. With roof slant, the panels are pointed South-West. Thanks for watching and greetings from Thailand!

[@GarNelson1]

@@thegreatlifereset Thank you. I think you got lucky with your house orientation. And greetings from Udon Thani. 🙂

[@ShaiLysk]

Energy Recovery Ventilator!!!

[@thegreatlifereset]

We are solar ray collectors!

[@GuyGoesGreen]

Really helpful to see, thanks for sharing.

[@thegreatlifereset]

Sure thing! Glad you found it helpful.

[@propellerhead2000]

Interesting technique for igniting the thermite.

[@thegreatlifereset]

I agree! They sure do love their angle grinders! I wouldn't be surprised if they use it to butter their toast.

[@stanegger2699]

Wow. The reset in Thailand?

[@thegreatlifereset]

Yes, sir! Been here since September of 2022! I am finally free and enjoying every moment of life! You should visit!

[@Swenser]

For Australians in Thailand wanting a 5kw system on the cheap. I recommend getting a grid tied solar inverter from Aus. 220v compatible. They are going super cheap now that Australia is pushing battery hybrid systems. Bringing one back while traveling is easy. About 15kg checked baggage. Hunt down 20 cheap panels in Thailand. If skilled with cabling and installing hardware Should be able to set it up by yourself for around 50k baht total. PEA are now offering feed in tarrif of 2baht and have confirmed with me that after setting up your system they will inspect and Install smart meter. Going through solar setup companies is a killer.

[@thegreatlifereset]

That is an excellent price if you buy the inverter from home country! I would suggest with the savings, spend the extra dollars and upgrade to the 10kW setup. Make sure your inverter supports 10kW too.

[@Swenser]

@@thegreatlifereset think there is limits with PEA . Check with them first whatever your intentions are. 5kw was the standard in Oz so bargains may decline looking for 10kw. But sure. Sun is free so try to milk as much free as you can. Government tries it's hardest to tax the sun. I believe in Oz there is or will be an extra tax for EV vehicles. Their mindset is they want the petrol tax either way.

[@thegreatlifereset]

@Swenser Hah hah hah, you are so right! Governments trying to tax the sun. I am just waiting for them to implement an "air tax".

[@johnnunez]

Are you going to add batteries?

[@thegreatlifereset]

Probably not. They cost a lot and do not last long, maybe 5 years. Plus, not too crazy to have lithium battery attached to the home (fire hazard). I prefer to get more panels and sell excess energy back to electric co.

[@tonyrothwell5850]

@@thegreatlifereset They do not always buy back the electricity. It seems to be a lotery.

[@thegreatlifereset]

@@tonyrothwell5850 Plus, my neighbor said they would probably need to swap out the meter to allow dumping back to the grid. Let's see if they allow it (Lotto time!).

[@tonyrothwell5850]

Yes. What they can do is to change you meter so that it does not record the electricity yo put back into the system. The old style meter will actually turn backwards I think. If they do buy the lectricit from you it will be at least half the price of what they would charge you

[@thegreatlifereset]

@tonyrothwell5850 Good to know. Thanks! I did not know the half price part.

[@no_clot_shot1128]

Would you mind sharing how much you had to spend for that solar system so you can save those $30 on monthly electricity bills? Plus whats the durability of those panels?

[@thegreatlifereset]

The cost was around 185k baht, which is $5190 USD. With recent activity, the panels generate 1/3 total power consumed for our home, with the other 2/3 coming from PEA (electric company). We could push this to half and half, but the family loves their air conditioners. I hope one to double the panels. As far as panel durability, it is a bit of an unknown. The neighbor I dealt with during install did purchase quality parts, so I hope they last a while and avoid hail storms.

[@no_clot_shot1128]

@@thegreatlifereset thank you for the info. Means you will break even in 173 month. Wondering if those panels will last over those 14 years though. What do you think?

[@thegreatlifereset]

@@no_clot_shot1128 Boy, it would be great if they lasted 20 years. I will ask my neighbor what MTBF for the panels are and let you know.

[@thegreatlifereset]

​@@no_clot_shot1128The neighbor replied. "10 year warranty, 25-30 year service life." My reading of this is anything goes bad, covered by warranty for 10 years. The panels should last 25 to 30 years.

[@BenvanToor]

why only 10 panels? my bill in Thailand is about 2.000 baht (280 kwh) and i want to install 18 panels. and want to go of grid.

[@thegreatlifereset]

I do regret not going for 20 panels. It was partly a cost reason. The neighbor installer said he set it up so we can add an additional 10 on the roof. Also said we would need a new inverter and could credit the old one. I will have to save for that. Oh, our last electric bill was a tiny bit over 4000 baht. I think the panels need a good cleaning. Dirt and pigeons.

[@thegreatlifereset]

Oh, thanks for watching the video!

[@carloscolucci2003]

Where in Thailand are you?

[@thegreatlifereset]

I am currently in the Phitsanulok area. Are you in Thailand also, or planning to visit the country one day?

[@carloscolucci2003]

In Pak Khat

[@thegreatlifereset]

@@carloscolucci2003 Almost 8 hours drive from where I am. I see it is right on the border. Stay cool up north. I hope not too smokey that way.

[@ThaiLifeChronicles]

Did you have to put a new roof on that was metal for the panels? I was looking at panels for the house we will be building next year in Udon Thani but she wants a terracotta roof. Oh ya we will be moving away from Pattaya in July and get back to making videos once we away from here. Over the "winter" how much electricity have then been producing average per day? You went to quick for me to see good 😂.

[@thegreatlifereset]

We did not have to put a new roof. Original was already metal. The neighbor said they can install to a terracotta roof. The hardware is just different. You will enjoy a new home and more the country life. The system has been producing a peek at around 3.6 to 3.8 kW during the winter. During summer, I saw it hit 4.3 kW. Gotta keep the panels clean!

[@chefse5442]

Need 5 months to make the money back?

[@thegreatlifereset]

I wish. It will be more like 7 years. Panels are dirty now so not producing as much as brand new. I need a long ladder to reach up to them, like 30 feet up.

[@worldlife9834]

Investing thousands of dollars in green energy is a good idea but if you don't own the land. You wasted your money in a bad investment. Foreigners need to be educated about land rights. They are very important to protect your future and generations of your family.

[@thegreatlifereset]

That is true. It would be like investing in a home you are renting from someone else. Bad move. Luckily for us, this is not the case. Thanks for watching!

[@BenvanToor]

not true bc you have a very good ROI on 30 years and your house is worth more.

[@worldlife9834]

@@BenvanToor Wrong. If you don't land. You own nothing.

[@thegreatlifereset]

@user-ee9ni1mw8u For this argument, it is also true that in 30 year's time, I will have gotten back all the money invested in solar, and then some. I do not know, however, how the home market is here in Thailand and whether the home will appreciate in value much. Our other home we have had for almost 15 years and price wise, it is the same. Either way, I am still happy we put solar on the roof. I just wish we had put 2x the amount of panels.