SnoopBot

You must insure there isn't hidden cost. To get enough power from the Solar source the panels must be big enough to produce enough current output to do the job. Often Solar Panels are jumpered into the system so if power levels are too low regular electricity carries the load.

You might make a thousands of Baht investment and find out that you are only reducing a small portion of your bill.

I do not suggest installing Solar Energy sources unless you own the property or can resell them when you move.

Cost estimates state that the first 3-5 years you get NO offset savings to compliment the initial installation and purchase.

After 5 years the savings start under ideal situations (sunshine 340 days + a year)

Unless you're going to stay there for a long time or own it, I suggest not doing this.

If you do decide to do this you must calculate the power output of the panels and your system. You want to purchase a system that gives 10-20% more power output than your estimated load of your system.

You need to calculate between power conversions into various units Amp-hours , Watts ect to insure you don't under purchase the number of your panels.

Usually, any excess power can be sold back to the power company.. but I'm sure not in Thailand.

You must research this very well and analyze your power needs so you don't spend too much or under-spend to get the correct system.

A perfect system off the grid would use, Solar, Wind, and generator. Usually using a battery systems like UPS to keep load changes from doing any damage.

As you can see it is more complicated and getting a consultation from a third party (not the solar panel company) before installation starts is highly advised.

For those of you that are building/own a house in rural Asia, I feel this is a good idea. Investing in a good system is the way to go as unreliable power is common in the remote village areas.