Power cuts (again)

General Udon Thani topics only!
Post Reply
Jase
udonmap.com
Posts: 37
Joined: November 18, 2012, 2:27 pm

Power cuts (again)

Post by Jase » March 29, 2019, 7:59 pm

I am out near Sam Prao and have had 3 or 4 hour long power cuts for the last 3 nights.

Has all of Udon been affected or is it just my 'special' part of it?

Can the PEA start employing people who have a clue please?



dunroaming
udonmap.com
Posts: 1817
Joined: July 14, 2009, 1:34 pm

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by dunroaming » March 29, 2019, 9:04 pm

We are between u and Nongnakham no power cuts here

User avatar
boes
udonmap.com
Posts: 330
Joined: March 8, 2008, 1:13 am
Location: Right here....

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by boes » March 30, 2019, 12:33 pm

Ban Lao, A Phen. Last 3 nights power cuts - last night 10 hours.
Inability to produce enough electricity comes to mind and of course unwillingness to admit it saving faces..... :^o

User avatar
FrazeeDK
udonmap.com
Posts: 4909
Joined: February 13, 2006, 2:02 am
Location: Udon Thani Thailand

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by FrazeeDK » March 30, 2019, 2:40 pm

when we have outages the wife calls the village chief to ask him what's going on.. He usually knows, particularly if its a scheduled outage or something other than a lightning strike/wire strike that trips the power off...
Dave

minimiglia
udonmap.com
Posts: 449
Joined: January 31, 2017, 10:24 am

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by minimiglia » March 30, 2019, 3:16 pm

Too easy, just buy a generator and plug in when needed

User avatar
tamada
udonmap.com
Posts: 17213
Joined: February 21, 2007, 4:03 am
Location: Down two...then left

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by tamada » April 2, 2019, 11:09 am

The power distribution network needs a whole lot of transformers installed to maintain working voltages over the spreading, overworked system, especially in these hot months before summer. These cost money and people have to be paid to install them as well. Our soi had 3 blacked-out street lights and after months of badgering the village chief to get PEA to sort something out, they finally came along. However, they replaced only 1 tube in each of the twin-tube lights. They told the village chief that they "didn't have enough" to replace all six.

glalt
udonmap.com
Posts: 2984
Joined: January 14, 2007, 10:35 am
Location: Nong Hin, Loei

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by glalt » April 2, 2019, 11:22 am

Our village installed solar powered street lights. Within a couple weeks, thieves has stolen all the batteries. That was a couple years ago and the batteries still haven't been replaced.

And yes, the grid goes down far more often than in the past. It is getting worse. A couple days ago the power was off for a long time. I have solar in my computer room so no problem there. No air con but a fan isn't that bad. I have a small generator that I tried to start. It has a gasoline leak on the shut off valve and after a half hour or so I couldn't get it started. Rather than fool with it I'll probably take it to a shop to be gone over. The generator is a pain in the ass.

minimiglia
udonmap.com
Posts: 449
Joined: January 31, 2017, 10:24 am

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by minimiglia » April 2, 2019, 11:46 am

My generator is fantastic, just regular maintance and only pure gasoline not that ethanol based crap, would not live here without it and it can run 1 aircon unit. A must have in my opinion.

glalt
udonmap.com
Posts: 2984
Joined: January 14, 2007, 10:35 am
Location: Nong Hin, Loei

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by glalt » April 2, 2019, 12:01 pm

minimiglia wrote:
March 30, 2019, 3:16 pm
Too easy, just buy a generator and plug in when needed
When you fried your generator, did you get it repaired locally? The shop in Wang Saphung told my wife to take it elsewhere because we didn't buy it from him. I'll remember that when I need to buy anything else.

We did buy the 5,000 farm generator from him but not the 3,500 watt at home.

User avatar
rjj04
udonmap.com
Posts: 1156
Joined: February 25, 2008, 2:51 am

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by rjj04 » April 2, 2019, 1:21 pm

tamada wrote:
April 2, 2019, 11:09 am
The power distribution network needs a whole lot of transformers installed to maintain working voltages over the spreading, overworked system, especially in these hot months before summer. These cost money and people have to be paid to install them as well.
Yes, and distributed roof-top solar helps reduce the load on these transformers (studies have shown). Yet, PEA has successfully stymied efforts to move forward with solar, toward a more robust grid. They'd rather spend money fixing things, continue to charge customers at the same rate as I paid back in the USA (with labour costs here 20% that of the USA?) for terrible service. Bravo PEA


An 8KW UPS/off-grid inverter is pretty cheap nowadays, with a small battery, and a small generator to charge those batteries on long outages and you have a nice UPS system on the cheap.

When battery prices drop enough (solar is already there) PEA will die as they deserve to. I just hope that day comes at a rapid enough pace such that the big share owners have a hard time exiting their positions before the deluge, as it were.
Som-nam-naa

glalt
udonmap.com
Posts: 2984
Joined: January 14, 2007, 10:35 am
Location: Nong Hin, Loei

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by glalt » April 2, 2019, 2:07 pm

rjj04 wrote:
April 2, 2019, 1:21 pm
tamada wrote:
April 2, 2019, 11:09 am
The power distribution network needs a whole lot of transformers installed to maintain working voltages over the spreading, overworked system, especially in these hot months before summer. These cost money and people have to be paid to install them as well.
Yes, and distributed roof-top solar helps reduce the load on these transformers (studies have shown). Yet, PEA has successfully stymied efforts to move forward with solar, toward a more robust grid. They'd rather spend money fixing things, continue to charge customers at the same rate as I paid back in the USA (with labour costs here 20% that of the USA?) for terrible service. Bravo PEA


An 8KW UPS/off-grid inverter is pretty cheap nowadays, with a small battery, and a small generator to charge those batteries on long outages and you have a nice UPS system on the cheap.

When battery prices drop enough (solar is already there) PEA will die as they deserve to. I just hope that day comes at a rapid enough pace such that the big share owners have a hard time exiting their positions before the deluge, as it were.
Som-nam-naa
I agree, the solar panels are the least of the problem. Altogether I have nine panels of which several are more than ten years old. I had a problem with one of them and it wasn't really a panel problem. Whoever installed the cables into the panel didn't have one pushed in far enough. I do have twice the panels recommended for my systems but that is because not all days have sunlight, like today. With over capacity panels my battery banks still reach full charge on overcast days.

I'm still waiting for large capacity cheaper batteries for home use. Lithium ion are NOT the answer. Convenient but too expensive. Hopefully the day will come when someone makes a breakthrough.

bluejets
udonmap.com
Posts: 1059
Joined: March 17, 2008, 10:05 am
Location: Australia

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by bluejets » April 2, 2019, 4:35 pm

Wouldn't hold my breath though.
Heard today about one bloke who has a battery system and has had it long enough to start doing some calculations.
Apparently, NOW he decides it probably wasn't such a good idea.

So I took a peek at a current system, Tesla 2 wall unit ( yes, the dreaded lithium) which they claim has a capacity of 13.5kWh.
Well, maybe , on a good day with Scooby Do doing backflips and Uncle Martin flying his martian spaceship backwards around the Earth.
Current cost around $6,700 ( bare, without install) but includes an inverter.
So 13.5kWh at current cost is around $3.00 worth of grid power. I use that amount pretty much every day so even if used just at night and spread out over 2 days it would take around 12 years to cut clear just on battery cost.
How long are they guaranteed...... mmm... 10 years.

https://www.energysage.com/solar/solar- ... ries-cost/

marcus1
udonmap.com
Posts: 226
Joined: July 18, 2011, 3:12 pm

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by marcus1 » April 2, 2019, 9:01 pm

Just my input.
I have a 12 volt mobile off grid power system in case the power goes down.
I use a 220 amp deep cycle battery hooked up to a 2000 watt power inverter and
recharge the battery monthly via a 20 amp smart charger which takes about 3 hours if the draw down from the battery is unused bringing the charge of the battery back up to the max of 12.8 volts...(Max Charge.)
From this I can run...
My home computer and modem.
Android box.
2 fans.
3 floor lamps.
55 inch TV.
For approx 10 hours plus straight which is more than enough for any power outage.
If I decide to run the main 2 door fridge also the power is approx reduced to 7 hours.
If I linked in another battery then the output would double which at this stage I found no reason to do.
Found this system great in case of a sudden outage.
Cost was around 15000 Baht putting it together myself.
Hope this helps.
YKICAMOOCOW

minimiglia
udonmap.com
Posts: 449
Joined: January 31, 2017, 10:24 am

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by minimiglia » April 3, 2019, 9:52 am

glalt wrote:
April 2, 2019, 12:01 pm
minimiglia wrote:
March 30, 2019, 3:16 pm
Too easy, just buy a generator and plug in when needed
When you fried your generator, did you get it repaired locally? The shop in Wang Saphung told my wife to take it elsewhere because we didn't buy it from him. I'll remember that when I need to buy anything else.

We did buy the 5,000 farm generator from him but not the 3,500 watt at home.
Took back to Tool Pro Udon where it was bought, all repaired free

glalt
udonmap.com
Posts: 2984
Joined: January 14, 2007, 10:35 am
Location: Nong Hin, Loei

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by glalt » April 3, 2019, 1:10 pm

minimiglia wrote:
April 3, 2019, 9:52 am
glalt wrote:
April 2, 2019, 12:01 pm
minimiglia wrote:
March 30, 2019, 3:16 pm
Too easy, just buy a generator and plug in when needed
When you fried your generator, did you get it repaired locally? The shop in Wang Saphung told my wife to take it elsewhere because we didn't buy it from him. I'll remember that when I need to buy anything else.

We did buy the 5,000 farm generator from him but not the 3,500 watt at home.
Took back to Tool Pro Udon where it was bought, all repaired free
I really don't remember where we bought the generator. My wife says we bought it in Loei. That may be where I need to take it. After I thought about it, I vaguely remember a large shop with a lot of generators. Hopefully she'll remember where it is at.

bluejets
udonmap.com
Posts: 1059
Joined: March 17, 2008, 10:05 am
Location: Australia

Re: Power cuts (again)

Post by bluejets » April 7, 2019, 8:52 am

Although it does not quote lithium in the report, dime to a dollar it is.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australi ... lsignout

Post Reply

Return to “General Udon Thani Forum”