Thailand’s solar panel imports jumped 88.7% year on year to US$426.7 million, around 14.93 billion baht, during the first seven months of 2026, with China accounting for almost the entire market.
According to The Nation, citing figures from the Ministry of Commerce and Customs Department, the January to July increase marked a sharp recovery after import values contracted during both 2024 and 2025.
The increase comes as the government prepares a major household solar programme and amid concerns over higher electricity costs. Energy-price pressures linked to the conflict in the Middle East have also encouraged households and businesses to consider rooftop systems as a way to reduce longer-term power bills.
China supplies 99.3% of imported panels
China supplied US$423.9 million, around 14.84 billion baht, worth of panels between January and July, representing 99.3% of the total. Imports from China were up 107.1% from the same period last year.
Singapore and Hong Kong were distant suppliers, each accounting for about US$1.1 million, or 38.5 million baht, worth of imports and roughly 0.3% of the market apiece.
China has remained Thailand’s dominant source for several years. Its exports to Thailand were worth US$407.2 million in 2022 before reaching a record US$649.1 million in 2023, when Thailand imported US$654.2 million worth of panels overall.
Chinese imports then fell to US$422.3 million in 2024 and US$364.1 million last year. Thailand’s total imports from all markets stood at US$388.9 million in 2025, meaning the value recorded during just the first seven months of this year has already surpassed last year’s full-year total.
Household subsidy could lift demand further
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said the Interior Ministry was preparing to submit the household solar proposal to the Finance Ministry for consideration.
The plan currently under discussion would allocate about 50,000 baht per participating household for rooftop or ground-mounted solar installations. An initial one million households would require about 50 billion baht, while an expansion to 1.5 million households would lift the budget to around 75 billion baht.
Registration is expected to begin around mid-October and continue until the end of 2027, although the programme remains under development and its final scope has not yet been settled.
A government announcement on September 18 separately said the National Energy Policy Council had expanded its household solar framework to 10,000 megawatts, equivalent to roughly one million homes.
The plan would allow households to use their own electricity first and sell surplus power to the grid for 2.20 baht per unit, with purchases capped at 5 kilowatts per meter and contracts lasting 20 years.
Domestic factories eye a comeback
The surge in solar panel imports has also raised questions over how much of the coming demand can be captured by domestic manufacturers rather than overseas suppliers.
Ekniti said the government is working with the Labour Ministry on training Thai workers in solar assembly, installation and maintenance. Discussions with the Board of Investment have also covered reducing import duties on production inputs that cannot currently be manufactured domestically.
The government hopes those measures could help seven to eight Thai factories with existing production capability restart manufacturing for the domestic market, while building a local supply chain around the expansion of household renewable energy.
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The story Thailand solar panel imports surge ahead of household scheme as seen on Thaiger News.
