Thailand Doubles Residential Solar Power Target to 1 Million Households

The National Energy Policy Council has expanded the promotion of residential solar power, doubling the target from 5,000 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts, aiming to cover approximately 1 million households. This initiative seeks to boost clean energy production and consumption at the household level. The "Net Billing" system will be utilized for purchasing surplus electricity. Households will consume their generated power first and then sell any excess to the grid at a rate of 2.20 baht per unit, with a maximum capacity of 5 kilowatts per meter for sale. The power purchase contract period has been extended from 10 years to 20 years to align with the lifespan of solar panels. This expanded framework will cover the period from 2026 to 2028. Furthermore, installation formats have been broadened beyond rooftop-only to include ground-mounted and floating solar systems for households. This aims to enable more people, including those with rooftop space limitations, to participate. Residents can install systems larger than 5 kilowatts, but the purchase of surplus electricity will be capped at 5 kilowatts per meter. To alleviate electricity cost burdens from September to December 2026, the retail Fuel Adjustment Charge (Ft) will be maintained at 16.23 satang per unit. Guidelines for fuel cost management were also established to mitigate the impact of rising spot-market LNG prices. To ensure grid readiness for the increased generation capacity, the Energy and Interior ministries, along with three state-owned electric utilities, have been tasked with finalizing an infrastructure support plan within one month. This plan will cover electricity generation forecasting, real-time data monitoring, transmission and distribution system control, and battery energy storage systems. Smart meter data will be linked with EGAT to assist in managing voltage, frequency, and system fluctuations.