Government Defends Solar Roof Project Against Favoritism Claims
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At 2:00 PM on October 28, 2026, at Government House, Interior Minister Polpeer Suwanchwee, government spokesman Ekapap Phiapiphat, Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) Governor Ditchawan Chan-ee, and Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Governor Mongkol Trikiatjanon held a joint press conference to address the 'People's Solar Project.' The scheme aims to let households use their own rooftops to generate electricity for self-consumption and sell surplus back to the grid. With energy prices rising, the government wants to help citizens become power producers themselves, inviting those with high electricity bills to install 5-kilowatt solar panels that can save around 2,000 baht per billing cycle. The panels have a lifespan of 10 to 25 years.
Regarding concerns about favoring big capital, officials insisted this is not the case because participants choose their own providers. Providers must pass equipment safety checks and meet standards set by the PEA and MEA, which assess each company's capacity to serve the public. On the guarantee money that operators must put up, this will be returned after equipment passes inspection; if an operator fails to maintain service, the funds will be used to rectify the situation.
Minister Polpeer said the claim of favoring big business is unfounded because selection rests with the people — a household in Chiang Mai is unlikely to pick a provider based in Phuket. He emphasized the government favors no one and urged the public to seek details from the MEA and PEA. Spokesman Ekapap said misinformation after the launch has caused public worry, but the project is beneficial and helps the country transition on energy. The accusations are baseless because the public, not the utilities or a single company, chooses the installers, so there is no reason to support any specific provider.
Governor Ditchawan noted about 1,000 providers have registered. The public can review them on the website before deciding. All solar panels and equipment must pass standards checks by both the PEA and MEA, ensuring quality and safety. Over 12,000 people have registered interest. Governor Mongkol added that nearly 1,000 providers have signed up, and households can freely select installers in the system based on the providers' registered knowledge and experience.
