Solar for Petrol Stations in Southern Thailand

For petrol and gas stations in 10 southern provinces. The convenience store, café and car wash use most of their power in the daytime, when panels generate the most — and every piece of electrical equipment is placed outside the hazardous areas around the pumps and fuel tanks.

Solar panel mounting rails installed in rows on a building's concrete roof deck

Illustration: a commercial rooftop installed by our own team.

How the station uses power

Petrol station solar covers the daytime share

Petrol stations keep longer hours than most businesses, and many stay open late or around the clock. Daytime loads are the forecourt convenience store's fridges and air-con, the fuel dispensing system, the café, the car wash and the station office. Solar panels generate from roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so this power is used the moment it is made, and every unit is worth the full electricity rate of around THB 4.20 per kWh.

Canopy and sign lighting mostly runs at night and stays on the grid unless you add a battery — which we offer as backup for circuits you cannot lose, not as a way to cut the bill. The right system size therefore comes from real daytime use, not the bill total.

A petrol station's power use through the day

Petrol station power use compared with solar generation by time of day
When	Power use	Solar output
Daytime	Store fridges and air-con, café, car wash, dispensing system, office	Highest
Evening	Forecourt and sign lighting comes on; the store is still open	Falling to zero
Night	Lighting and fridges; 24-hour stations keep drawing power	None

Businesses that use most of their power in the daytime pay back in around 4–7 years. Estimated at THB 4.20 per kWh and Southern Thailand sunshine (1,350 kWh per kWp per year, rainy season included). Actual payback depends on your bill and when you use electricity — we calculate it for your property before quoting.

Safety

Safety at petrol stations: electrical equipment stays outside hazardous areas

Fuel vapor may be present around the dispensers, tank fill points and tank vent pipes, so any equipment that could spark must be kept out of those areas.

What we set in every design

Inverters and control panels are installed outside the hazardous areas around the dispensers, tank fill points and tank vent pipes
Combiner boxes and DC isolators are placed outside the hazardous areas, where they are easy to reach
Cable routes avoid the hazardous areas and stay clear of vehicle lanes
Design follows the applicable electrical and safety standards and the station's own requirements
Work that can throw sparks, such as cutting or grinding steel, is planned to take place outside the hazardous areas

What the station owner should check first

The extent of the hazardous areas depends on each station's layout, tank positions and fuel types, so it is set from the actual site and the station's own documents.

Your contract and conditions with the fuel brand or franchisor on electrical work and building alterations
The requirements of the authorities that license service stations
Existing station drawings and site plans, used to fix equipment positions

We provide drawings, an equipment list and installation positions for you to use when seeking approval.

Who it suits

Solar for petrol stations, forecourt stores and gas stations

Stations with shops and services that use a lot of power in the daytime benefit most. Stations whose heaviest use is at night need looking at case by case.

Highway stations

Often open late or 24 hours, with a convenience store, café and restrooms. Daytime store load is high, and the station buildings' roofs are the main place for panels.

Town stations

Limited site space and smaller building roofs. System size depends on the roof area that actually gets sun and on shade from neighboring buildings.

Small community stations

The main loads are the dispensing system, lighting and a small office. If daytime use is low, the bill needs checking first to see whether solar pays.

LPG and NGV stations

Gas stations also have hazardous areas around the dispensers and storage tanks, and equipment placement follows the same principles. Size is set from the station's daytime load.

Provinces we serve

We serve 13 provinces in Southern Thailand. Site surveys are by appointment, and any travel charge is confirmed before booking. See all service areas

Design points

Where panels go at a petrol station

Store and service-building roofs first

The roofs of the convenience store, office, restrooms and service buildings are the first places we look. Most of the ground is needed for vehicles and parking, so ground-mounted panels are rarely suitable.

Forecourt canopy: structural check first

Usable only when an engineer confirms it can carry the panels and the cabling and equipment can be kept outside the hazardous areas. Otherwise we use the building roofs instead.

Sized to daytime load

Buildings on commercial meters cannot sell surplus power back and must install equipment that stops power flowing into the grid, as the PEA requires. So the system is sized from real daytime use, not the bill total.

Night lighting stays on the grid

Canopy and sign lighting mostly runs at night, which panels cannot cover. A battery adds to the system cost, so it is best treated as backup for circuits you cannot lose during a power cut, not as a way to cut the bill.

Hybrid systems and batteries

Metal sheet roofs on station buildings

Many station buildings have metal sheet roofs. Rails must be fixed with hardware that matches the roof profile, and every fixing point sealed against leaks.

Solar on metal sheet roofs

Work planned around opening hours

Truck parking, fenced work areas and the short power cut for connection are agreed with the station manager in advance, so the station keeps serving customers during installation.

Tax and accounting

The tax questions accounts teams ask before approving

Tax invoices and withholding tax

19Energy is a VAT-registered company and issues full tax invoices in your company's name.
3% withholding tax works as normal for corporate clients.
Every quote states whether prices are before or after VAT.
The system is an asset that can be depreciated under normal accounting rules; ask your accountant for the exact tax effect for your business.

1.5x deduction on equipment cost

Under Royal Decree No. 805 of 2026, which runs until the end of 2028, companies and people with business income can deduct 1.5 times the equipment cost as an expense. Only the equipment counts — installation labor is not included — and these conditions apply:

The equipment must be new and never used before
The equipment must carry the No. 5 energy-efficiency label as specified by the authorities
It cannot be claimed on top of other investment-promotion measures

Confirm with your accountant how this applies to your business before deciding. Read the full 2026 solar tax deduction rules

System sizes

Common sizes for petrol stations and forecourt stores

We don't publish prices, because the real cost depends on the roof type, structure and cable runs. We quote after the site survey.

10 kW

16 panels · about 45 m² of roof · single-phase or three-phase

Large homes, pool villas, shops and daytime businesses

Shops, offices, pool villas and large homes that use power steadily through the day. The best return per baht invested. Single-phase homes can take it if the meter allows — we check the meter size first.

10 kW system details

15 kW

24 panels · about 68 m² of roof · three-phase

Small factories, hotels and commercial buildings

Businesses that run all day use almost every unit the moment it is generated, so they pay back noticeably faster than homes.

15 kW system details

20 kW

32 panels · about 90 m² of roof · three-phase

Factories, cold storage and buildings with heavy all-day loads

Continuous loads such as cold rooms, large pumps and production lines — every unit generated gets used.

20 kW system details

Larger stations are designed project by project from the real load. Examples of our larger on-grid commercial projects include a 35 kW system in Tha Chang and a 760 kW project on commercial buildings.

Equipment and warranty

Named brands you can check, warranties listed by component

Equipment we install

Solar panels: JA Solar, LONGi or Jinko Solar · N-type TOPCon, dual-glass, 620–630 W per panel
Inverters: HUAWEI, Solis or Deye · On-grid and hybrid inverters with a monitoring app so you can check your generation history yourself
Batteries (hybrid systems): LVTopsun or Sunwoda · LiFePO4 lithium batteries for hybrid systems, sized to your night-time consumption

The exact brand and model are written into your quote before you sign anything.

Warranty by component

Solar panels — product warranty
Set by each panel manufacturer for the brand and model you choose, stated in your quote
Solar panels — power output warranty
Set by each panel manufacturer for the brand and model you choose, stated in your quote
Inverter
Most major brands give 10 years, and it can be extended
Installation and mounting work by 19Energy
2 years · 19Energy's own technicians handle every job

Manufacturer warranties follow the documents for the exact model installed. See warranty terms by brand

2 years of free aftercare

Panel cleaning once a year
Annual system health check
A check of your building's wiring while we are there

We contact you 14days ahead of each visit and can book the time that least affects the station's service. Panel cleaning service

Bill review first, then the site survey

A first estimate from your electricity bill is free — just send a photo of the bill on LINE.
The on-site survey costs THB 1,200–1,500 for sites within 100 km, and it is refunded in full against your quote when you go ahead with the installation. It covers fuel, a technician's full day away from installation work, and the time to measure, calculate and write up your report.
Site surveys are by appointment, and any travel charge is confirmed before booking.

We handle the paperwork with the PEA and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC): the grid-connection application, the license-exemption notice for systems under 1,000 kVA, and the engineer's structural certification. PEA permit service

FAQ

Questions from petrol station owners and managers

Is solar safe at a petrol station? Can it go near the pumps?

Safety comes down to where the electrical equipment goes. The areas around the fuel dispensers, the tank fill points and the tank vent pipes are hazardous areas where fuel vapor may be present. Inverters, combiner boxes, DC isolators and cable routes must therefore sit outside them. We design to the applicable electrical and safety standards and to the station's own requirements. The extent of the hazardous areas depends on each station's layout, so it is set from the actual site.

Do we have to close the station during installation?

No, the station does not need to close. Work on the store and service-building roofs goes ahead while the station is open. We agree with the station manager where the equipment truck parks, how the work area is fenced off and when work happens, so it stays clear of traffic and away from the dispensers. Power has to be cut briefly while we connect to the main switchboard and when the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) changes the meter, and the station's electrical systems stop during that time, so we book it in advance at the least disruptive time.

Can panels go on the forecourt canopy?

Only after a structural check. A forecourt canopy is designed to carry its own roofing and signage, so an engineer has to confirm it can take the panels and mounting. And because the canopy sits directly above the dispensers, the cabling and equipment must also be kept outside the hazardous areas. If either condition cannot be met, we use the convenience-store and service-building roofs instead.

Do we need permission from the fuel brand?

Check your contract and conditions with the fuel brand or franchisor first. Branded stations may have requirements covering electrical work on site, building alterations and the forecourt canopy, which is part of the brand's look. It is also worth checking the conditions of the authorities that license service stations. We provide drawings, an equipment list and installation positions for you to use when seeking approval.

Is solar worth it for a station that is open 24 hours?

Solar only offsets power used in daylight — convenience-store fridges and air-con, the café and the car wash. Forecourt and sign lighting that runs at night still comes from the grid. So the return depends on how much of the station's power is used in the daytime. Businesses that use most of their power in the daytime pay back in around 4–7 years. Estimated at THB 4.20 per kWh and Southern Thailand sunshine (1,350 kWh per kWp per year, rainy season included). Actual payback depends on your bill and when you use electricity — we calculate it for your property before quoting.

Can you issue a full tax invoice to our company?

Yes. 19Energy is a VAT-registered company, so we issue full tax invoices in your company's name, and 3% withholding tax works as normal for corporate clients. Every quote states whether prices are before or after VAT.

What tax benefit does a petrol station get from installing solar?

Under Royal Decree No. 805 of 2026, companies and people with business income can deduct 1.5 times the equipment cost as an expense; installation labor is not included. The equipment must be new and carry the No. 5 energy-efficiency label, and the deduction cannot be combined with other investment-promotion measures. The measure runs until the end of 2028. Confirm how it applies to your business with your accountant.

Estimated at THB 4.20 per kWh and Southern Thailand sunshine (1,350 kWh per kWp per year, rainy season included). Actual payback depends on your bill and when you use electricity — we calculate it for your property before quoting.

Request a quote for your station

Send us your past electricity bills, the station's opening hours and a site plan if you have one. We will propose a system size and installation positions with the assumptions behind them laid out for you to check.

Our team replies in English — on LINE, by email or by phone. Sending a photo of your electricity bill and your location on LINE is the quickest way to get an estimate.

Request a quote Get a rough estimate first

Factory and commercial projects installed by our own team. See all projects