Thailand’s growing dependence on renewable power is fuelling demand for reliable electrical equipment to avoid facing an issue similar to one that took place in Australia where energy controllers led to a serious issue rather than instilling confidence.
In November, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced Sigenergy, which specialises in developing solar energy controllers, energy storage systems and electric vehicle chargers, had to recall Single-Phase 8/10/12kW energy controllers.
A small number of the inverters were found to have problems related to safety issues.
Though Sigenergy responded quickly to the system malfunction, industry observers cast doubt on the way the Shanghai-based firm approached the problem.
SAFETY AWARENESS
Nobody wants such technical concerns to happen in Thailand, which is depending more on renewable energy, leading to wider use of such energy controllers, said an inverter sales representative who requested anonymity.
Energy controllers manage how electricity flows in a home or business. It converts and regulates power, particularly from solar panels or batteries, into usable electricity.
The issue in Australia comes as Thailand is stepping up efforts to boost clean power development.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul earlier announced that Thailand wants to achieve its net-zero target, a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and greenhouse gas absorption, by 2050, 15 years earlier than previously planned.
Renewable energy is set to spearhead the state’s campaign to combat global warming.
A significant portion of clean electricity will come from solar panels, no matter what type they are — be it a rooftop solar panel project for 90,000 households, the installation of solar-powered water pumps for farmers in areas spanning 700,000 rai, and the development of solar farms and floating solar farms countrywide, according to the Energy Ministry.
“The energy outlook offers a clear, detailed picture of the situation,” the sales representative told the Bangkok Post.
“It tells us that high-quality energy controllers are crucial for our transition to clean energy.”
BURNING QUESTION
It is not known whether Thai users of energy controllers will face a similar problem to the one that took place in Australia, a situation that is still under debate in terms of establishing who was really at fault — Sigenergy or the installers of the inverters.
Even BCPG Plc, the power generation arm of energy conglomerate Bangchak Corporation, is not familiar with this safety issue, though the company has developed and operated a ground-mounted solar farm in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district since 2010.
BCPG’s senior executive vice-president for investment Charnvit Trangadisaikul said his company has never used products under the Sigenergy brand.
In Australia, around 100 inverters were impacted by unexpected technical problems, the ACCC announced on its website.
Sigenergy, which is committed to rectifying this issue, is working with the ACCC, state and territory electrical safety regulators and installers to ensure the ongoing safety of the affected product.
Consumers will receive a free replacement product that has an updated AC plug.
The defects raised concerns over overheating that can damage plugs and potentially cause fires, though there have been no reports of injuries or property damage, according to SolarQuotes.com, an Australian platform helping consumers compare solar energy solutions.
The platform suggests Sigenergy better communicate with customers and not blame installers for possible installation mistakes.
Sigenergy Thailand argued that its products sold in Australia and Thailand are of high quality.
“The installation of the equipment and the connection with alternating current cords did not meet our standards,” claimed a Sigenergy Thailand representative, who preferred not to be named.
“This led to overheating and it can occur with every brand.”
Sigenergy is willing to take responsibility by immediately replacing defective products for customers to protect them against risks allegedly caused by installation mistakes, he said.
“We have monitored online comments after the event. Most of them applauded Sigenergy’s response to the problem,” he added.
SAFETY STANDARDS
Thailand has criteria to inspect whether energy controllers meet acceptable standards, though there have been no such talks on the Sigenergy case, following the event in Australia.
Mr Charnvit assured consumers in Thailand that inverters and various electrical products are required to meet standards issued by the Engineering Institute of Thailand.
However, the Thailand Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) has yet to launch standards specially for these inverters, he said.
The TISI is looking into the Sigenergy case but said it needs time to check and recheck facts surrounding the issue.
“The government has never heard this news before and currently has no idea to give more details to media members,” said Ekaniti Ramyananon, secretary-general of the TISI.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
