Sell Solar Power Back to the Grid Thailand 2026
Your rooftop solar makes more power than the house uses — can you really sell the excess to the utility, at what rate, and where do you apply? This page condenses the official ERC / MEA / PEA announcements for the residential sell-back program (B.E. 2569 round): the buy-back rate, eligibility, the online application flow, documents, equipment and costs — plus a straight answer for businesses and factories that are not eligible.
The 50,000-baht household solar subsidy: what is official and what is still only reported
There are two separate things: (1) the Solar Phak Prachachon buy-back program (this page) — the utility buys your surplus at 2.20 THB/unit, applications via MyEnergy / PPIM have been open since 1 Jul 2026, and it carries no installation subsidy; (2) the household Solar Rooftop installation subsidy — the government will cover 50,000 THB of the installation cost, funded by the 2026 energy loan decree, and as of 4 Oct 2026 registration has not opened. Government news says participants would sell surplus power back and use that income to repay a loan for the rest of the cost, but how the subsidy ties to the buy-back program has not been announced.
Confirmed by official sources
- A 50,000 THB installation subsidy, with state banks lending the rest at low interest using your electricity-bill payment history as a criterion — announced by the Deputy Interior Minister (Royal Thai Government news, 8 Aug 2026)
- Funding comes from the 2026 energy loan decree (up to 400,000 million THB, of which the energy-transition plan is 200,000 million THB; the House approved the decree on 26 Aug 2026) — the first-phase target the government announced was 500,000 households (Royal Thai Government news, 5 Aug 2026)
- The target was expanded to 1.5 million households at 50,000 THB each, with registration “expected” in mid-October — Industry Minister, 15 Sep 2026 (Royal Thai Government news). At the full target, 1.5 million × 50,000 THB = 75,000 million THB, which matches the “75 billion baht” in news reports (our multiplication, not an approved budget we have found)
- Installers and equipment must be registered with MEA/PEA — registration ran 1 Aug–30 Sep 2026, with the list of approved vendors published from 15 Oct 2026 (PEA). Separately, on 29 Sep 2026 the Cabinet approved a draft ministerial regulation making TIS 61730 Part 2-2567 mandatory for crystalline-silicon panels
- On the buy-back side: on 18 Sep 2026 the NEPC expanded the target to 10,000 MW (about 1 million households) at 2.20 THB/unit, 20-year contracts, ≤5 kW offered per meter — details in the next box
Not in any official document yet (reported only, or not announced)
- Registration date — several outlets (e.g. Thansettakij, 2 Oct 2026) quote the Deputy Interior Minister as saying it opens on 1 Nov 2026, later than the mid-October “expected” date in the 15 Sep government news — no official announcement fixing a date has been found
- Registration channel (website/app), eligibility rules and how the subsidy is paid — not yet announced
- Cabinet approval of the project and the 75,000 million THB budget — some outlets report the loan-spending screening committee has passed it, others that it is still under review — no published Cabinet resolution has been found
- System size per household (reported as 5–10 kW), ground-mounted/floating installs under the subsidy, and loan rate/term — figures from news reports, not found in official documents (the buy-back rules still cap the offered capacity at 5 kW per meter)
In numbers (our example): the 50,000 THB subsidy equals roughly 19 years of surplus-sale income for a home exporting 100 units a month (100 × 2.20 × 12 = 2,640 THB/year) — so the main value of home solar still lies in the power you use yourself during the day, not the power you sell. What you can do now: if you install, choose from the registered-installer list (published from 15 Oct); do not transfer money to anyone claiming to “take subsidy registrations” before an official announcement; and if you install with your own money now, nothing has been announced about receiving the subsidy retroactively.
Latest, 18 Sep 2026: NEPC expands the program to 10,000 MW and 20-year contracts
The NEPC (meeting 3/2569, 18 Sep 2026) resolved to: (1) expand the program's overall purchase target to 10,000 MW, including the original 500 MW, under Net Billing; (2) keep the excess buy-back rate at 2.20 THB/unit with ≤5 kW offered per meter; (3) extend the purchase term from 10 to 20 years — existing participants included, from the 2018–2019 schemes through the 500 MW round approved on 29 Apr 2026; (4) allow rooftop, ground-mounted and floating installations. What has not happened yet (as of 3 Oct 2026): the NEPC tasked the ERC with issuing and amending the implementing rules — no new ERC announcement has been found, and PEA's PPIM program page still shows the current round's 500 MW / 10-year terms. The opening date for the expanded intake and how existing 10-year contracts move to 20 years are not yet announced; meanwhile you can still apply to the current round using the steps on this page. What it means in money (worked example): exporting 100 surplus units a month × 2.20 THB = 2,640 THB/year — 26,400 THB over a 10-year contract versus 52,800 THB over 20 years (before panel degradation). (Royal Thai Government news, 18 Sep 2026)
Yes — Thai homes can sell excess solar to the grid through the “Solar Phak Prachachon” program: the utility buys the surplus at 2.20 THB/unit on a 10-year contract under the current round. (On 18 Sep 2026 the NEPC approved extending this to 20 years — pending the ERC's implementing announcement.) Core terms per the ERC's B.E. 2569 announcement: you must be a Type-1 (residential) electricity user, the system is for self-consumption first with only the remainder sold, the offered capacity is ≤5 kW per meter, and the current round's quota is 500 MW, first-come-first-served (the NEPC has since approved a 10,000 MW overall target). Apply online: MEA area (Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan) via MyEnergy — PEA area (all other provinces) via the PPIM portal (PEA accepts filings until 30 Nov 2027 or until the quota fills). Factories and businesses are not eligible — see the C&I options at the end of this page.
How Much Does the Utility Pay Per Unit in 2026?
What Is Solar Phak Prachachon & Who Can Join?
Solar Phak Prachachon (officially: the rooftop-solar power-purchase program for the residential public sector) is a national program under NEPC resolution 1/2569 (29 Apr 2026). The new round opened on 1 Jul 2026, replacing the original scheme (a 90 MW target running since 2022) whose quota is full. Who qualifies, per the official announcements:
A Type-1 (residential) electricity user with MEA or PEA — the applicant name, house number and rate class on the bill must match reality.
Rooftop solar installed primarily for self-use, selling only the surplus (self-consumption first).
Offered capacity of at most 5 kW (AC) per meter — the current round's quota is 500 MW (per the ERC's B.E. 2569 announcement), managed jointly by MEA + PEA. On 18 Sep 2026 the NEPC approved expanding the overall target to 10,000 MW (including the original 500 MW) — pending the ERC's implementing announcement.
The applicant funds the installation entirely — this buy-back program itself carries no installation subsidy (the government's 50,000 THB-per-household subsidy is a separate measure that, as of 4 Oct 2026, has not opened for registration — see the update box above); the program grants the right to sell surplus power under a 10-year purchase contract in the current round (the NEPC has approved 20 years, existing participants included — pending the ERC announcement).
First-come-first-served within the current round's 500 MW quota — PEA's filing window runs 1 Jul 2026 to 30 Nov 2027, with commercial operation (SCOD) required within 2027.
Note: dormitories, commercial buildings and businesses on other rate classes do not meet the Type-1 condition — see “Can businesses and factories join?” below. For the current quota status, ask the utilities directly (MEA 1130 / PEA 1129).
How to Apply: Filing With MEA or PEA
Check your electricity bill to see which utility serves your home, then file online with that utility — both systems have been open since 1 Jul 2026:
MEA — Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan
File via the MyEnergy portal (myenergy.mea.or.th) — create an account, submit the new-program sell request and attach the documents. Questions: MEA Call Center 1130 (24/7). Applicants stuck in the old program's queue are emailed migration instructions by MEA.
PEA — All Other Provinces
File via the PPIM system (ppim.pea.co.th — program code VSPP-RT3-2), open 1 Jul 2026 – 30 Nov 2027; selection lists are posted daily at 09:00 / 15:00 / 22:00. Questions: PEA Contact Center 1129.
The main flow is the same at both utilities (condensed from PEA's official step chart; MEA follows the same logic through MyEnergy):
Check eligibility & prepare the meter data
Confirm the bill shows Type-1 residential service with your name and address, and note the customer account (CA) number from a recent bill — fix any mismatch at your local utility office before filing.
Create an account & file online
MEA: MyEnergy / PEA: PPIM — pick the CA number, complete the request form and upload the documents listed in its annex (a power of attorney if the filer is not the meter's registered owner). Incomplete uploads leave a PEA request stuck at “awaiting documents”.
Review & selection announcement (within 30 days)
The utility reviews the documents and the local grid's technical capacity, then announces successful applicants within 30 days of filing (PEA posts three times daily and also emails the result).
Pay the connection cost & sign the PPA (within 30 days)
Selected applicants must pay the connection cost and sign the power-purchase agreement within 30 days of the announcement — missing the deadline voids the request.
Install per the approved design & file the ERC exemption
Build the system exactly as filed (the inverter must be a utility-registered model), request grid connection from your local utility office, and file the ERC's “exempt — no licence required” notification.
Inspection, meter swap, then start selling (COD)
The utility inspects the installation, swaps in a meter that measures both directions, runs the first synchronization test, and commercial operation (COD) begins — SCOD is required within 2027.
Documents & Equipment You Need
The core list required by the official announcements and the application systems (the complete detail sits in each utility's request-form annex):
A recent electricity bill (≤3 months old) for the meter that will sell power — the name, house number and rate class must match the applicant.
The applicant's ID card, plus a power of attorney when someone else (e.g. the installer) files on the meter owner's behalf.
Details of the planned system per the request form: capacity, the single-line diagram of the connection, and equipment specs.
On the equipment side
The inverter must be a utility-registered model — PEA's approved list is at smartlist.pea.co.th/products; MEA applies its own interconnection standard.
The meter: the utility swaps in the two-way meter during the connection step — you do not buy one yourself.
Adding a battery (BESS) is allowed — the ERC (meeting 25/2569, 24 Jun 2026) confirmed the program does not prohibit pairing rooftop solar with storage, provided installation and operation meet the contracting utility's engineering standards.
Every system is inspected by the utility before it may synchronize with the grid — an installer who knows this program's paperwork saves you document-fix cycles.
What Does Joining Cost?
How Is This Different From Net Metering?
Can Businesses & Factories Join?
About the Author
Compiled by the CapSolar team under Frank Lee (Founder). CapSolar is a commercial & industrial solar EPC/PPA provider in Thailand that condenses energy policy and utility paperwork from official sources so households and businesses can make confident energy decisions.
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