Solar has a second income you may be leaving on the table
Most factories evaluate rooftop solar on one number: the electricity bill it cuts. But renewable generation can produce a second income — carbon credits — through Thailand's T-VER programme. For a large rooftop system, this is not a rounding error; it is a revenue stream worth understanding before you design the project.
What is T-VER?
T-VER (Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction) is the national voluntary carbon-crediting programme, administered by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO / อบก.). A qualifying project that reduces or avoids greenhouse-gas emissions can register, have its reductions verified, and be issued tradable carbon credits — each representing one tonne of CO₂ equivalent avoided.
Solar is a natural fit: every unit of solar electricity displaces a unit of grid electricity that would otherwise carry a carbon footprint.
How solar generates credits
- Your solar system generates renewable electricity
- That electricity displaces grid power, which has a known carbon intensity (an emission factor)
- The avoided emissions are calculated in tonnes of CO₂ (tCO₂)
- After monitoring and third-party verification, TGO issues credits for those tonnes
- You can sell the credits to buyers who need them for their own carbon goals
The ballpark numbers
In TGO's own 2026 survey of the Thai carbon market, most sellers were asking 50–200 THB per tCO₂e, while more than a third of buyers wanted to pay under 50 THB — a gap wide enough that a low share of offers found a buyer at all. Treat a credit as a possible bonus on top of the electricity saving, never as the reason to build. The tonnes a system avoids depend on its size and the grid emission factor. As an illustration of the method (not a quote):
- A rooftop system's annual generation (kWh) × the grid emission factor gives tonnes of CO₂ avoided per year
- Those tonnes × the credit price gives the annual credit revenue
The registration process
- Register the project with TGO under the T-VER methodology for renewable energy
- Monitor generation with metering that meets the programme's requirements
- Verify the reductions through an accredited third party
- Issue credits once verified
- Sell the credits, with support available from agencies such as EXIM Thailand for exporters
Standard vs Premium T-VER
TGO offers both a standard T-VER and a Premium T-VER with more rigorous requirements that can appeal to buyers seeking higher-integrity credits. The right track depends on your project and your target buyers — a point to settle early, because it affects monitoring and documentation.
It pairs with your CBAM / ESG story
Carbon credits are a revenue benefit, but the same measured data strengthens your Scope 2 reduction evidence for CBAM and corporate ESG reporting. One well-instrumented Solar + BESS system can serve three purposes at once: lower bills, credit revenue, and audit-ready carbon reporting.
Caveats to plan for
- Verification cost and effort — registration, monitoring, and verification have costs; they make more sense at larger project sizes
- Additionality and methodology — the project must meet T-VER's eligibility rules
- Credit ownership — if you install under a Solar PPA / BOO, clarify in the contract who owns the carbon credits — you or the developer
- Prices move — credit prices are not fixed; treat credit revenue as an upside, not the core business case
Where LEONICS fits
LEONICS designs Solar + BESS systems with GridMind AI and automated carbon reporting — metered renewable generation and Scope 2 avoided — the measured foundation that a T-VER registration and a CBAM disclosure both rely on.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a factory earn from solar carbon credits?
It depends on the system's verified generation and on finding a buyer. TGO's 2026 market survey puts most seller asks at 50–200 THB/tCO₂e against buyers who often want under 50, so a sale is not a given at any price. Larger systems make the registration and verification effort more worthwhile.Do I need special metering?
Yes — credit issuance depends on verified generation data, so metering that meets the programme's monitoring requirements is essential.Can I claim credits and still use the reduction for CBAM/ESG?
Treat these carefully: how a reduction is claimed and reported matters. The underlying measured data supports your reporting, but avoid double-counting — align the approach with your advisors.Who owns the credits under a Solar PPA?
It must be defined in the contract. Under a BOO / Solar PPA the developer may own the credits unless agreed otherwise — clarify this before signing.Getting started
Start by sizing the system to your real load, then evaluate the credit and reporting upside on top of the electricity savings. LEONICS offers a free Solar Insight Pro feasibility analysis for factories, with monitoring and carbon reporting built in.
Read the Industrial Factory solution or talk to the LEONICS engineering team.