The end of cheap oil has fueled a massive shift towards solar energy in Thailand. The conflict in the Middle East is accelerating the use of solar power, transforming it from an option into a domestic necessity.

The age of cheap oil is over and Thailand’s rooftops are reflecting that fact. Across homes, garages and warehouses in the sun-drenched kingdom, the blue-black sheen of solar panels is spreading, as the Iran war has done what years of climate summits could not: turn solar power into a necessity. Demand for solar panels has swamped companies like Wayso, whose managing director is colouring in Thailand’s rooftops as fast as he can find technicians to do it. “We can’t hire quickly enough,” Suwat...