Thailand Told to Follow Pakistan's Rooftop Solar Lead

Thailand's power sector relies heavily on natural gas, which accounts for 66% of electricity generation. However, domestic gas production is declining, making the country increasingly dependent on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. This exposes its power system to global fuel price volatility and supply disruptions.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has called for Thailand to reform its rooftop solar policies to reduce dependence on LNG and ease pressure on electricity costs. The report suggests that moving from net billing to net metering, increasing rooftop solar buyback rates, and streamlining tax incentives could boost the scale of rooftop solar adoption in Thailand.

Pakistan's rapid rooftop solar expansion is cited as a potential model for Thailand. Since 2018, Pakistan has deployed 38 GW of solar capacity after reducing trade barriers, avoiding strict capacity caps, and implementing a more attractive net metering framework. This has reduced payback periods to less than two years and contributed to over 350,000 connections by the end of 2025.

IEEFA estimates that moving to net metering could reduce payback periods in Thailand to around 5.5 years for 5 kW residential systems and 4.5 years for 10 kW systems. The report emphasizes the need to remove regulatory and financial barriers to support the growth of a domestic solar installation and service industry.