Wat Pa Sri Saeng Tham Abbot Questions Solar Subsidy Math Before Cabinet Meeting

Key summary

On October 24, 2569 (2024), Venerable Phra Panjawachiramoli of Wat Pa Sri Saeng Tham in Ubon Ratchathani Province questioned the financial viability of a proposed government solar project. The abbot, known as 'Jao Khun Solar Cell', criticized claims that households would have 500-1,000 baht remaining monthly after installing solar panels with a 50,000 baht subsidy and low-interest loans. He requested the government's calculation formula before the project is presented to the Cabinet on October 26, citing a hypothetical scenario where a 5 kW system costing 160,000 baht (with 110,000 baht out-of-pocket) results in a monthly deficit of 191 baht for a typical user. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Ek Niti Tanthipraphat, confirmed the proposal to target one million households with a total budget potentially reaching 100 billion baht, including investments in smart meters and grids.