Thailand's 50,000 THB solar subsidy: criteria and how to register

1. Get three things ready

• The ThaID app or your ID card to verify your identity. With ThaID you don't type your ID number.
• An electricity bill in your name for the account number (CA) and meter ID. The name on the bill must match your ID card; if it doesn't, fix it at the utility office first.
• A mobile number or email for the OTP code and for updates.

On the bill, the "Type" field must start with 1, such as 1XXX (residential). Temporary meters and condominiums don't qualify.

2. Register online in 5 steps

Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan register at peoplesolar.mea.or.th (MEA); all other provinces at peoplesolar.pea.co.th (PEA). They are separate websites. Registration runs 27 Oct 2026 – 31 Jan 2027, or until the places run out.

1. Verify your identity
2. Check your electricity-user details
3. Accept the terms and check your eligibility
4. Choose how you want to be contacted
5. Review your details and submit

If you can't register online, file the form at a utility office with your ID card and electricity bill. Someone else can file for you with a power of attorney. Only individuals qualify. Registering is not yet an approval of the subsidy.

3. Once you have the right, finish 5 steps on time

1. Choose a provider and install. Only the utilities or registered installers qualify (list). The system must be 5–10 kWp with panels and an inverter, and the tax invoices must be dated on or after 27 Oct 2026.
2. Apply for a loan (optional) directly with a participating bank: about 2.5% over about 7 years.
3. Apply for grid connection and export by 31 Aug 2027.
4. Get connection approval by 30 Sep 2027. The utility checks technical feasibility first, so export is not possible in every case.
5. Claim the subsidy by 30 Sep 2027, attaching the tax invoices and photos of the installed system. If you paid yourself, the subsidy is refunded by PromptPay; if you borrowed, the government pays it to the bank.

The right is tied to your electricity account number, only works for the registered address, can't be transferred, and you must claim it yourself.

Surplus power is bought at 2.20 THB/kWh, up to 5 kW, for about 20 years according to PEA’s programme page, subject to the utility confirming local grid capacity.

Registering does not make the system free. The subsidy cuts the price by 50,000 THB. If you pay cash, you pay the full price up front and wait for the refund after connection.

No lump sum? According to news reports, three state banks (GSB, GHB, and BAAC for farmers) offer unsecured loans at a fixed 2.5% for 7 years, with export income at 2.20 THB/kWh applied to the principal first, and the utility replaces your meter with a smart meter. Example from the reports: a 5 kW standard package at 140,000 THB costs 90,000 THB after the subsidy.

• The bill name doesn't match your ID, or the meter is in someone else's name (for example a parent's). The applicant must own the meter the system is installed on.
• The meter isn't Type 1: temporary meters, condominiums and businesses don't qualify.
• Installing or paying before 27 Oct 2026. Tax invoices must be dated from the day registration opened.
• Using the income tax exemption (Royal Decree 805), wholly or partly. It can't be combined with the subsidy.
• A system that is too small or too large: it must be 5–10 kWp per meter.
• Missing a deadline: grid-connection application by 31 Aug 2027, connected by 30 Sep 2027.
• Letting someone else register or claim for you without a power of attorney. Never share your OTP; the utility doesn't call or text to ask for it.

On this page the calculator subtracts the subsidy (untick it to compare). Other pages leave it off, because the subsidy and the tax deduction cannot be combined.

• Installation must go through a vendor registered for the programme with the utility; PEA and MEA publish lists.
• The installer posts a 50,000 THB guarantee per home during installation, returned once the grid connection is approved.
• A further 10,000 THB guarantee covers after-sales care.
• The installer must maintain the system for 7 years, clean the panels 7 times for free and carry fire insurance for 7 years.

These rules protect homeowners from abandoned jobs. Make sure they are written into your contract.

• Some small installers may turn down programme jobs because of the cash they must lock up as guarantees.
• The government asked GHB, GSB and BAAC, with the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation, to issue bank guarantees for installers at a fee of at most 1% a year.
• PEA says about 900 installers have registered and guarantees are refunded within 30 days. GHB is also preparing low-interest working-capital loans for installers.
• The 140,000 THB price for a 5 kW package is a reference price, not a cap; Tier 1 brands may cost more.
• The rules may be revised; check the latest announcement before signing.