Thailand: Northern Solar Boom: Small Contractors Face Skill Upgrades, 600-800 Baht Daily Wages, No Accident Insurance

The previous two parts described how the rooftop solar market in northern Thailand is growing, but small contractors must compete with larger firms that have more capital. This final part follows the people who actually climb onto the roofs: day laborers who, in interviews, reported earning 600 to 800 baht per day, with no discussion of accident insurance, and who must pay for their own training and purchase their own tools. Meanwhile, the Cabinet recently approved the Community Solar program, targeting one million households, and installers in the program are required to provide a seven-year workmanship warranty and fire insurance for homeowners. However, no requirements have been found regarding accident insurance for the workers who perform the installations. A just transition must therefore care for people at every level of the supply chain, from accessible training and safety to the question of who is responsible when a worker falls from a roof or when panels reach the end of their life: the state, or the large businesses that benefit from this market?

Sarunrat, a 48-year-old electrician, while working on a roof next to solar panels being installed. This report will follow up on how day laborers who actually climb onto roofs receive wages, contracts, insurance, and training, and who is responsible when an accident occurs.

Every time a new home is equipped with a solar rooftop system, someone must physically climb onto the roof to install the panels. That person is rarely the contractor who signed the contract with the homeowner, nor is it the company that sold the package. Instead, it is a technician hired through a secondary chain. Part 2 of this series discussed the challenges faced by contractors and equipment retailers, who must compete under unequal capital conditions and uneven rules. This part follows the chain to its very end, focusing on the workers at the bottom of the supply chain.

Sarunrat, a 48-year-old electrician from San Kamphaeng District, Chiang Mai Province, has been involved in solar rooftop installation for over six years. He is an informal worker with no permanent employer and no employment contract. His clients fall into two categories: contractors and installation companies, who hire him on a daily or per-job basis to supplement their workforce during panel installation; and homeowners, who hire him directly for small, non-complex tasks.

New jobs have emerged, and where do electricians fit into the supply chain?

The Northern Regional Labor Market Data Center, under the Department of Employment of the Ministry of Labor, studied the direction of the labor market in the solar cell industry as early as September 2023. The study found that four new occupational groups would emerge: engineering, installation and maintenance, energy management, and other roles such as panel recyclers. Conversely, demand for general laborers who have not upskilled, meter reading staff, and direct sales personnel is expected to decline. The report recommended that the Ministry of Labor intervene to develop workforce skills to meet these demands and establish one-stop service centers for the public.

The business sector holds a similar view. Peerakan Manakit, President of Ion Energy Corporation, told the Thai Economic Media in early October 2026 that installation technicians could become a critical bottleneck for the government’s initial target of one million households, and the subsequent plan to expand to 1.5 million households (the Cabinet later approved only the one-million-household target on October 27). He proposed that the state accelerate the training of electrical and air-conditioning technicians to become solar technicians, a skilled workforce that earns more than the minimum wage, while also establishing a certification and screening system for contractors.

The state’s assessment differs. A report submitted by the electricity utility to the Cabinet projects that approximately 1,500 installers will meet the criteria, forming more than 15,000 installation teams capable of handling up to 150,000 households per month. These teams are likely to be existing business operators rather than newly trained technicians. Consequently, the figures from both sides answer different questions: how many teams are already ready, and how many additional technicians will complete the required training.

However, Saranrat explains that a single system installation, when contracted through a main contractor, is often divided into multiple phases and assigned to different crews. The first phase involves structural work and panel mounting. The next phase is wiring from the panels to the inverter installation point. This is followed by the installation of electrical equipment, including breakers, safety devices, inverters, and batteries. The final phase involves system configuration, switching on, and testing. Most daily-wage technicians are assigned only to the initial phase.

He states bluntly, “If they only outsource this portion, the work will be gone.” For the subsequent phases, the project owners—typically the main companies or primary contractors—usually handle the work themselves. As a result, this group of technicians is confined to the most physically demanding and hazardous segments, while being excluded from the electrical skill-intensive components that generate higher value, despite the fact that they are already qualified electricians.

Electricians who perform the same rooftop work may find themselves in vastly different employment situations. A solar installation company in Pathum Thani Province announced in June 2025 that it was hiring solar rooftop installers on a contract basis. The job listing specified a total monthly income of at least 20,000 baht, including commissions, and required a vocational certificate (Vocational Certificate Level 1 or 2) or a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, along with one to two years of experience. This cannot be directly compared to the daily wage earned by Saranrat, as daily pay does not constitute regular income. However, it highlights that the path to more stable employment begins with educational qualifications that many daily-wage electricians may not possess.

"Labor costs, contracts, insurance": Who is responsible when a worker falls off a roof

Sarunrat said that the daily wage for basic work is approximately 600 to 800 baht per person. For job-based compensation, he has encountered rates of around 2 to 5 baht per watt, calculated based on the total capacity of all panels. He emphasized that this primarily refers to panel installation work and is not fixed, as it depends on site conditions and difficulty. If compared to a 5-kilowatt system as an example under the policy, the panel installation cost would be approximately 10,000 to 25,000 baht per job. For a 10-kilowatt system, which is the maximum size accepted by the project, the cost would be around 20,000 to 50,000 baht (based on the reporter’s calculation). This amount must be shared among the team, and the number of workers and days required per job remains unknown.

The benefits he receives from the employer are accommodation and meals during the work period. Regarding accident insurance, “there has been no discussion on this matter at all.” The actual security he has in life is the Universal Coverage Scheme, also known as the “30 Baht Universal Healthcare” right. If he falls from a height, what awaits him is treatment under basic rights. There is no system to compensate for lost income during the period of inability to work. Moreover, if the job is directly hired by a homeowner, there is no company acting as an employer.

The worst experience Sarunrat has had in this line of work is “contractors defaulting on wages,” which reflects unequal bargaining power. Workers without written contracts have no evidence to claim payment for risky work already performed. All of this represents the experience of a single worker and does not imply that every company lacks insurance.

The Solar for the People project requires registered installers to provide a seven-year warranty on their work, clean the panels once a year, and arrange fire insurance covering the system and the residence for seven years, which protects the homeowner. However, in the news reports reviewed by our team, we found no specific provisions regarding accident insurance or protection for the technicians performing the installation.

The solution offered by the state for informal workers is to voluntarily enroll in Section 40 of the Social Security Act, with monthly contributions of 70, 100, or 300 baht. All three options provide coverage for injury or illness, disability, and death. A news report from November 2025 stated that, according to the draft royal decree confirmed by the Ministry of Labor, if a doctor prescribes at least one day of rest for treatment, the worker would receive income replacement of 200 baht per day, up to a maximum of 30 days per year for options 1 and 2, and up to 90 days for option 3. A report from early 2026 noted that new benefits have been adjusted and increased. The 200 baht per day, when compared to a daily wage of 600 to 800 baht, equates to roughly one-fourth to one-third of daily income (calculated by our news team).

Under the law, the responsibility for safety is tied to the employer-employee relationship. The Ministerial Regulation on Working at Heights B.E. 2564 (2021) defines working at heights as any area two meters or higher above ground where an employee may fall, and mandates that employees must receive training or briefings before starting work, with supervision to ensure compliance. Regarding contract work, the Supreme Court has previously interpreted Section 11/1 of the Labor Protection Act, ruling that labor contractors must provide the same rights and benefits as direct employees. Violations carry a fine of up to 100,000 baht. It has also been explained that Section 12 makes the principal jointly liable for the wages of the contractor’s employees. However, it remains unclear whether day-rate workers without contracts in the solar sector are considered employees of a specific party or independent contractors excluded from these protections. This question has no clear answer.

Santivut Weeraphan, a director of The Planet Power and founder of Solar Academy, believes that the safety of Thai technicians is “negative.”

He recounted that, judging from the images of solar technicians seen online, almost no company ensures that its workers are fully equipped with the necessary safety gear, including hard hats, uniforms identifying them as technicians, high-visibility vests, footwear suitable for working at heights, and safety harnesses. Only a few companies require their technicians to wear the complete set. He once invited a Chinese panel importer to observe the practical training sessions at the institute. The importer asked why such strict emphasis was placed on safety, noting that he had never seen such practices in China, despite the fact that China produces the most solar panels in the world. He responded that human life cannot be measured in monetary terms; if a technician dies or a customer’s home is damaged, no compensation can make up for the loss. Therefore, the institute prioritizes safety above all else, adhering to the standards set by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and the Engineering Institute of Thailand. Consequently, he proposed that the Ministry of Labor should step in to both promote and regulate the sector, not to penalize technicians, but to encourage those who have not yet met the standards to join the formal system.

Knowledge must be sought out on one's own

For over six years in the industry, Saranrat has never received free training from a government agency. Government courses have limited enrollment, making it impossible to secure a seat. Consequently, he has paid for private courses out of pocket and gained knowledge through on-the-job experience, bearing all associated costs. He must also prepare his own personal tools, meaning his daily wages are spent on purchasing equipment piece by piece.

This aligns with Santisuk’s assessment that the Department of Skill Development (DSD) trains fewer than 100 solar technicians per year in Chiang Mai, and approximately 200 to 300 nationwide. He stated, “It’s not enough. It will never be enough” (this is his personal estimate, not an official figure). His institution has been operating for nearly 11 years, having produced 98 cohorts of approximately 20 students each, with every cohort fully enrolled. There are at least 10 private institutions teaching solar technology across the country. As a business operator in the same market, he does not criticize government instructors but expresses concern that the technology taught may not keep pace with market demands, as government agencies must wait for annual project approvals and budget allocations.

The government’s figures align with the scale he described. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), in collaboration with TV Bureepa, ran the “People Power Solar Year 2” program in 2021. The 36-hour course covered solar panel installation and maintenance, including basic safety protocols for working at heights. Twenty cohorts were held nationwide, with an estimated output of 400 technicians. In the northern region, training was conducted in Phitsanulok and Lampang.

For 2026, DOSH, together with the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), launched the “One Village, One Electrician” initiative. The program aims to develop 3,700 personnel between September and December 2026. The curriculum includes community-level electrical work, solar installation, and electric vehicle charging station installation. Although the plan covers 75,668 villages, the target of 3,700 participants represents less than 5% of the total number of villages, even when all courses are combined (calculation by the news team).

Regarding the collaboration between DOSH and New Energy Nexus, announced to upgrade solar skills across Thailand, reports indicate that in 2026, the initiative began in July 2026 by training 26 master instructors.

Most recently, on October 27, the Cabinet approved a project to hire and train workers for the design and installation of solar energy systems, with a budget of 972,213,300 baht from loans under the Emergency Decree. The project aims to train 32,000 workers, averaging approximately 30,400 baht per person (calculated by the news team). This figure is roughly nine times the 3,700-person target set by the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) for 2026, and hundreds of times the 200 to 300 solar technicians per year that Santisuk estimated the state could train. However, the news reports do not specify a timeline. Two articles describe different scopes: Infomquest stated that the budget is allocated to the Ministry of Labour to develop personnel for installing solar cell systems for the public sector, while Prachachat Business reported the Deputy Government Spokesperson’s explanation that solar energy covers residential rooftops, large power plants, floating systems, and energy storage systems. Consequently, the proportion of work dedicated to solar rooftops, the number of hours in the curriculum, and the identity of the training contractors remain questions that require further follow-up.

At the same time, the conditions have become stricter. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) opened its registration for contractors starting August 3, 2026, with a deadline set for September 30. However, as of October 28, the EGAT Governor stated that the registration period would be extended. Contractors must meet the qualifications specified by EGAT. As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, they are required to have engineers and technicians who have completed training provided by the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). Saranrat explained that standardized jobs now specify that individuals working on roofs must have completed high-altitude work training. Consequently, obtaining this certification has become a prerequisite for employment, which technicians must secure on their own. The news team has not found any indication that the community solar projects mandate this specific certification for installation technicians. Notably, when asked whether individuals without electrical skills would receive lower wages, he replied, "No, they wouldn't," because wages reflect the risks associated with roof work more than electrical expertise. Furthermore, those who have completed high-altitude work training receive "the same rate." Thus, while the certification helps secure employment, it does not yet assist in negotiating higher wages.

Will the electricians become entrepreneurs or remain as subcontracted laborers?

Parts 1 and 2 explained that small-scale contractors with limited capital face significant barriers to entering the formal market. These barriers include a minimum registered capital requirement of 500,000 baht for the smallest tier under the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), a 50,000 baht performance bond per project, upfront capital for equipment procurement, credit products designed for homeowners, and mandatory requirements for certified engineers and trained technicians. Consequently, many operators opt to work in the low-cost, unregulated market outside the electricity authority’s certification system. Industry insiders explain that small-scale contractors typically operate in two ways: selling directly to consumers or serving as subcontractors for larger firms. The latter group is closest to grassroots-level electricians. Sources within the industry who spoke to Bangkok Business also noted that small operators unable to register are forced to retreat into the subcontracting sector, where they face suppressed project pricing.

Sarunrat sits even further downstream in the value chain. He lacks the capital to step into the role of a contractor. His only option is to purchase personal equipment piece by piece from his daily earnings. The direct jobs he receives from homeowners are small and inconsistent. The reason is not a lack of skill, as he has been an electrician working on solar projects for over six years, but rather the structure of the work and the costs accumulated on the individual technician. Taking on work independently as a contractor requires fronting the costs for panels, inverters, structures, wiring, and labor before receiving any payment. As reported in Part 2, government credit schemes are designed for homeowners, and the news team found no specific credit products for small-scale solar contractors who are not registered legal entities or for individual technicians. When combined with the fact that primary contractors retain higher-value jobs for themselves, technicians like Sarunrat remain trapped in the position of low-level, downstream laborers.

Regarding who has access to this work, students at the Sati Suk Institute come from diverse backgrounds, including those with no prior technical training, graduates of technical and vocational programs, electrical engineers, and general enthusiasts. However, the news team has not found data on the proportion of women, migrant workers, or workers from ethnic groups in Thailand’s solar rooftop installation sector. Global data from 2022 reported by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) indicated that women accounted for 40% of the solar PV industry workforce but only 12% of installation technicians. As for migrant workers, the Department of Employment stated that in the first quarter of 2026, the construction sector employed 2.25 million workers, of whom 535,000 were foreign workers, or approximately one in four on construction sites. This reflects an industry where high-altitude work heavily relies on this group. Saranrat pointed out that migrant workers with only a single skill are the ones left behind, as contractors typically prefer individuals who can handle multiple tasks, including both structural and electrical work. This implies that workers who already face difficulties accessing training will be further disadvantaged.

The government views the project as offering multiple benefits. The Prime Minister stated that the initiative would reduce the electricity burden on the public by more than 24.5 billion baht annually, with these savings circulating back into the grassroots economy to stimulate employment and create livelihoods. The government spokesperson projected that the project would reduce electricity purchases from the existing grid by approximately 6.323 million units in the first year. According to reports on the announcement made on October 28, 2026, the project also helps lower the costs of importing fuel for power generation. However, wages, insurance, and protections for the technicians performing the installations were not mentioned in these statements.

Based on public information reviewed by the news team, some commitments regarding human resource development were found. For instance, Huawei previously set a target to upskill 10,000 Thai personnel within three years. This goal, focused on ICT and digital skills, was established in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and the Ministry of Labour, rather than focusing on on-site installation training. Additionally, major retailers like HomePro offer a two-year installation warranty on their premium packages. However, this warranty is for the customers, not for the technicians performing the work. Information regarding subcontractor wages, accident insurance, and liability in the event of a technician falling from a roof was not found in the public data available to the news team. This aligns with Saranrat’s statement that these issues have never been discussed.

How much responsibility do panel-selling businesses bear when panels reach the end of their lifespan?

The issue of end-of-life solar panels is no longer a distant concern. On October 17, 2016, Worawut Sripoacha, then Minister of Industry, warned that panels installed more than 10 years ago were approaching the end of their service life, and that a significant increase in panel waste could be expected within the next one to two years. A report by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) estimated that Thailand would accumulate approximately 9,900 to 57,200 tons of panel waste by 2030 (a range derived from modeling). However, there is currently no clear system for managing decommissioned panels. Only five registered recycling facilities exist, all located in Bangkok and its immediate surroundings. On the legislative front, the draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Act, which adopts a producer responsibility approach, does not cover solar panels. Meanwhile, the draft Industrial Waste Management Act, which opened for public comment in March 2025, employs a similar mechanism and does include solar panels. Nevertheless, TDRI points out that small-scale manufacturers may find it increasingly difficult to compete with larger players, and the proposed fund does not specifically target solar waste.

The Community Solar Project sets a seven-year obligation for installers, yet the operational lifespan of the panels is approximately 20 years. After the seven-year installment period ends, there remains roughly 13 years of panel life. News reports reviewed by the team have not identified any provisions for end-of-life panel management within the project.

On the business side, the news team’s review of public data has not found any Thai importer, manufacturer, or installation company that has a panel take-back program or includes a disposal fee in the sale price. What was found are installation warranties, such as a two-year warranty on a premium HomePro model, which does not cover the disposal of the panels.

Internationally, this responsibility is placed on panel sellers. The European Union requires manufacturers to register their products and fund collection and recycling. South Korea has adopted the same principle since 2023. China has also begun laying the groundwork; according to a TDRI report, the country aims to complete a plan for recycling responsibility by 2025 and build the necessary infrastructure by 2030. TDRI therefore proposes that Thailand enact laws defining the responsibilities of panel manufacturers or users, along with a registry to track panels from the point of import. Importers and panel sellers do not need to wait for legislation; they can start by including disposal costs in the price or by opening panel take-back points, rather than waiting for the burden to fall on homeowners and electricians.

What should a just transition look like, and who should be held accountable?

Across the three previous parts, the risks of solar work appear to fall most heavily on those at the bottom of the chain. The government provides subsidies for households to install rooftop solar, which has driven market growth. However, some operators argue that the government-set reference prices are below actual costs. There is no confirmed data on whether specifications have actually been reduced. Some contractors with limited capital choose to take on informal work. A day laborer interviewed for this report risked falling from a roof without any discussion of accident insurance, paid for his own training, and has experienced contractors defaulting on wages. Furthermore, there are no laws specifying who must bear the cost of panel disposal at the end of their lifespan.

Before the final draft was closed, the news team found the latest data indicating that the concerns raised in this report series are beginning to materialize. A recruitment notice from a company for small-scale contractors stated that they were participating in the community solar program in collaboration with the electricity utility. In a Facebook post after the government launched the program, the company offered installation fees differentiated by the source of the client. Jobs sourced from the electricity utility paid 10,000 baht, jobs sourced from banks paid 13,000 baht, and the company’s premium clients paid 20,000 baht or more, which is double the rate for utility-sourced jobs. The notice did not specify whether these were per-household rates or if they varied based on system sizes of 5–10 kilowatts. If the rates are per household, the lowest tier equates to 1–2 baht per watt, which is below the 3–5 baht range provided by small-scale contractors to the news team.

The conditions in the announcement are identical across all price tiers. Applicants must sign contracts for no fewer than 100 households, use a team of 5–6 people to complete installation within 1–3 days, provide a 4-year workmanship warranty, and receive the final 50% payment only after installation is completed with “no issues found.” The announcement does not specify who determines compliance or when payment will be made. If the daily wage of 600–800 baht reported by electricians to our news team is used, the labor cost for a team working three days would be approximately 9,000–14,400 baht (calculated by our news team using basic labor rates). A job paying 10,000 baht in labor costs could therefore yield very little profit or result in a loss, before deducting fuel, food, tools, and the additional 4-year repair obligations. Meanwhile, the announcement makes no mention of accident insurance, safety equipment, or who bears responsibility if an electrician falls off a roof.

Although a single announcement cannot be taken as representative of market-wide practice, and our news team has not seen actual contracts, the absence of certain terms in the announcement does not mean they are absent from contracts. However, this announcement serves as an early signal that when wages are low and warranty obligations are long, the missing elements may be shifted onto contractors who must cut costs, or onto electricians who must accept lower wages—a question this report series has raised from the outset.

If asked who should bear the responsibility, the data suggests that the state should ensure training reaches the technicians who actually perform installations and keeps pace with installation targets. Currently, regulations require businesses to employ certified technicians, and the Cabinet recently set a target to train 32,000 workers with a budget of 972 million baht, which is many times higher than the 3,700-person target set by the Office of the Civil Service Commission for 2026. This is a positive signal, but the program covers various types of solar work, not just residential rooftop installations, and the timeline and selection criteria for trainees remain unclear. Meanwhile, the installation target is one million rooftops, even though the electricity utility estimates that qualified installers already have more than 15,000 teams. The state should have the Ministry of Labor oversee solar technicians in terms of both training and safety, as suggested by the businesses interviewed by our news team. This aligns with recommendations in the Northern Labor Market Report since 2023. Labor and safety laws should also be adjusted to cover daily-wage technicians who do not have formal contracts, as current laws only protect those who are legally classified as employees.

Companies that secure contracts from this market should bear responsibility for the workers who perform the work on their behalf, including wages, insurance, and safety equipment. As the top-tier entity in the supply chain, the company has greater authority to determine these terms than the individual workers themselves. One immediate measure is to incorporate these requirements into the vendor registration criteria and standard contracts of the electricity utility. Currently, these contracts already mandate liability and fire insurance for homeowners; this scope can be expanded to cover the wages, accident insurance, and safety equipment of subcontractors.

Regarding the cost of panel disposal at the end of their lifespan, this should be the responsibility of panel manufacturers and importers, as proposed by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). It should not be borne by homeowners or electricians, as neither group has any bargaining power in this matter.

A just transition, therefore, is not a matter of the state solely subsidizing households. Businesses currently benefiting from this market, whether panel importers or installation companies, must also share the responsibility of caring for "people at all levels of the supply chain," from small-scale contractors to daily-wage workers, ensuring they have stable employment, guaranteed wages, and accountability when adverse impacts occur. Subsidies and training must genuinely reach small-scale operators, including both contractors and electricians, and must not stop at homeowners and large corporations. Otherwise, the standards established for safety may become barriers that exclude small-scale workers from a market that the state has helped create.

If Thailand spends tens of billions of baht to enable millions of households to install rooftop solar, the issue to watch going forward is not just how quickly installations can be completed, but whether the large businesses benefiting from this market will provide guarantees. Will the companies taking on work under the scheme take care of the wages, insurance, and safety of subcontracted electricians? Who will be held responsible if an electrician falls off a roof? And will panel importers and sellers take responsibility for panel waste once the panels reach the end of their useful life?

Opportunities and Challenges for Small-Scale Electricians Amid the Northern Solar Boom (3): A Just Transition Requires Upgrading the Skills of Small-Scale Electricians and Contractors | Prachatai

Reported by Wittayakorn Boonrueng, with additional reporting by Pongpan Chumchai. This report was supported by Informed Earth and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.