Published on 08/05/2013
Start selling your power soon, says minister Pongsak The Energy Ministry will start using the feed-in tariff (FIT) for solar rooftops along with other supporting measures next month, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said yesterday.
The FIT is the rate authorities pay for electricity generated from renewable energy. The study to promote the use of solar rooftops among individual home owners, factories and office buildings will be completed within a month. "We nearly finalise what and how to support this programme, which has been delayed for a decade," said Mr Pongsak. In 2008, Thailand came up with a programme to support solar farms for a total capacity of 2,000 megawatts, but solar rooftops are not included. Former energy minister Piyasvasti Amranand said the new programme should provide other measures such as tax incentives. "It could be a successful because many large houses and workplaces are ready to join the programme to cut electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions," he said. Dusit Kruangam, president of the Thai Photovoltaic Industries Association (TPVA), said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had assured him of
government support for the programme through soft loans, zero-interest rate project financing and grants. Majority-state-owned Bangchak Petroleum Plc has joined 12 universities nationwide to financially support them in designing solar rooftops for single houses, townhouses and condominiums. "We want to encourage property developers to use solar rooftops as their selling point," said Chokchai Arsawarangsalit, senior executive-vice president.