Initiative brings European technology to develop wind power in Thailand
AIT is launching a project that transfers European wind energy technology to Thailand.
Conducted by the Energy field of study the project is called 'Transfer of EU Knowledge and Technology for Development of Wind Energy Technology in Thailand.' It is co-funded by the Commission of the European Communities through EU-Thailand Economic Cooperation Small Project Facilities.
The objective of the project is to promote the wind energy sector in Thailand with the transfer of knowledge and technology from the EU and to support the Thai government's movement toward greater energy security, diversity and independence.
The project will enhance the long-standing relationship between the EU and Thailand by mutual cooperation in the wind energy sector. The EU can have the better access to the Thai energy market and even have the prospect of establishing the manufacturing base in Thailand to serve the growing need of the wind energy technology in the ASEAN region.
The project activities will take the form of studies, workshops, seminars and training sessions that are aimed at creating awareness and capacity-building in wind energy sector in Thailand. The project activities target personnel from electric utilities, financial institution, existing independent power producers and small power producers, energy supply companies, universities and other related government and private entities. The project invites interested persons to take part in the seminars.
Electricity consumption in Thailand has grown 7 percent annually over the last five years. Imported natural gas, coal and oil are the primary fuels used for the electricity generation. The heavy dependence on imported fossil fuel has raised several issues regarding sustainability, energy security, energy diversity and price volatility. Further, with the Kyoto Protocol in place, there is more pressure than ever for the government to be better aware of the environmental issues.
Electricity generated from the alternative energy sources including renewable can address the environmental issues and diversify the energy mix. The high cost of renewable energy is a major hurdle, but energy economists believe that if full environmental costs are considered in the economic analysis, renewable could be cost-competitive. It is believed that wind will be the cheapest source of energy in the near future.
At present, electricity generated from renewable energy sources accounts for just 1 percent in the total generation mix in Thailand. The Thai government has realized the need for alternate and new energy resources and has formulated policies to promote this. The government has also adopted a renewable energy portfolio standard, which stipulates that the new generation plants must ensure that 5 percent of their capacity is met by renewable energy sources. The government has set the target to raise the share of renewable energy from around 1 percent in 2004 to 8 percent by 2011. This requires around 1,900 megawatts of renewable generation by 2011, with an estimated 100 megawatts of that wind power.
The present state of wind energy development in Thailand is in very primitive stage with total generation of about 150 kilowatts. The technical and human resource capability in this sector is also very limited. To increase contribution of wind energy in future generation mix, technical, financial and institutional supports are vital. This has to be complemented with the sound policy measures to support renewable energy, including wind.
According to Dr. N. Mithulananthan, AIT's Energy field of study coordinator, 'When it comes to energy balance, it is important to have a mixture of all the available resources in a sustainable way. Proportion of a particular resource can be increased depending on the availability, technological advancement, economical and environmental consideration.
'It is also important to not to avoid a fuel option on pure environmental ground, as there are better and cleaner technologies to convert the energy in environmentally friendly and safe manner.
'When it comes to wind energy, our inspirations are the EU countries achievement and our aspirations are to harness as much as possible as it is a renewable source. Though Thailand has a limited potential location having economical wind speed, the advancement in R&D; in the low-speed wind turbine would increase the share of wind energy in the future.'
For further details, please contact: Mr. Naresh Acharya, project manager, wind@ait.ac.th