Thailand doubles capacity of public solar power scheme to 10 GW, official says

BANGKOK, Sept 18 : Thailand will double its public solar power scheme to 10 gigawatts from 5 GW previously, government spokesperson Lalida Periswiwatana said on Friday.

Here are the details:

• The expansion of the plan was approved by Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas in a bid to boost clean energy production and consumption among households, Lalida said, adding that the scheme would cover 1 million households.

• New installation formats were also approved, and now include ground-mounted and floating solar installations, Lalida said.

• In the scheme, households will use the power they generate and then sell any surplus to the grid at a rate of 2.20 baht ($0.0661) per kilowatt-hour, with maximum generation capacity capped at 5 kW per metre, she added.

• Earlier this month Energy Minister Akanat Promphan said the programme would start in mid-October with a target capacity for solar rooftops of 5 GW.