View Full Version : EnergyAlternatives:GreenShins
Funnily enough, Yala is one of the few places in Thailand that has an up-and-running biomass power station. I may have got the facts wrong, but I believe they burn rice-husk from a ricemill to produce electricity. I have no idea how it is faring. Perhaps no publicity is a good thing in such a troubled region.
But this idea for the deep south didn't go down very well:
No takers for southern wind farms
(dpa) - Special incentives have failed to persuade investors to set up wind-power turbines in Thailand's troubled Pattani province, deemed one of the best locations in the kingdom for the renewable energy source, energy officials said Monday.
"We have offered to pay investors in Pattani 4 baht (11 cents) per megawatt for wind power for the first seven years of operations instead of the 1.5 baht that is usually paid per megawatt bought from the private sector, but nobody has applied for the project," said Panich Pongpirodom, director-general of the Energy Ministry's department of alternative energy development and efficiency.
The Energy Ministry has been offering special incentives to investors in wind power as part of Thailand's effort to boost its use of renewable energy to 8 per cent of the country's total electricity supply by 2011, compared with 5.3 per cent at present.
To encourage investment in renewable energy, in keeping with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the government pays 2.5 baht per megawatt for electricity generated by privately-owned energy sources using alternatives to fossil fuels such as wind, solar and biomass.
But for renewable energy projects based in Thailand's three majority-Muslim southernmost provinces Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, where a violent separatist struggle has claimed more than 2,100 lives over the past three and a half years, the ministry offers up to 4 baht per KW.
Despite the special rates and data which shows Pattani is one of the best places in Thailand to generate wind energy, not one investor has applied this year, perhaps for good reason.
"I have been telling everyone interested in wind energy to go Pattani but I haven't found anyone interested yet, especially after our wind speed measurement centre was burned down by insurgents a few months ago," said Energy Minister Piyavasti Amranand at a press conference held over the weekend.
The ministry is considering setting up its own wind turbine in Pattani, 730 kilometres south of Bangkok, if the private sector continues to shun the opportunity.
"I'm ready to go set one up as soon as the government gives me the budget," said Panich.
Thailand has set itself a target of generating 3,246 MW of electricity off renewable energy sources by the year 2011, with wind accounting for a targetted 115 MW. Currently the country has no wind energy.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=119376
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38134
ENVIRONMENT-THAILAND: Seeing the Light With Solar Power
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
KO SI BOYA, Jun 12 (IPS) - Till over a year ago, health officials worried over maintaining the cold chain for vaccines delivered to children on this island. These included the ten given to new-born Thais, such as those for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Japanese encephalitis and tuberculosis.
The nearly 30-minute journey on the Andaman Sea, the transfer to the health centres and the storage before final administration were points where the vaccines could get exposed to high ambient temperatures and lose potency.
But there is relief now on the faces of women like Sumon Kritiden, 54, who heads a staff of three at the health clinic, an open and airy building located at the entrance to this village of 126 families. A solar power system installed in 2006 now generates enough electricity to keep the vaccines cool in a fridge.
‘'It is so different now, very convenient. We can treat children and mothers who come here without the old worries,'' says Sumon as she lifts the lid of a sturdy blue container where the vaccines are stored. The temperature inside this fridge for vaccines is at the recommended eight degrees Celsius.
Mothers in this community are welcoming the difference in their worlds since solar power took over from generators run by diesel and where candles were often used at night. ‘'Having a fridge for vaccines here is good. We do not have to worry about getting bad medicine,'' says Siranee Yarii, 29, a mother of two boys.
Others, such as Halima Cholathi, a 33-year-old mother of two children, points to further benefits that the new alternative power source has brought. ‘'We can watch some television at home. We can charge our mobile phones here,'' she says.
However, many in this Muslim community agree that there still is a need for caution. If the power supply is not carefully managed, overuse during the day could result in limited or no power at night. In Ko Si Boya's school, for instance, only one of its six computers can be used at a time, says Somsak Nakarang, the principal.
This community's predicament of not having the benefit of a 24-hour power supply is an anomaly in Krabi, the southern province it is located in. It is one of the most developed areas in this South-east Asian nation with a high per capita income thanks to a bustling tourism industry -- it topped over a million visitors last year.
What adds to this mismatch is the proximity of Ko Si Boya to a major power plant in Krabi. ‘'It is a funny situation, because the island is located close to a power plant,'' energy minister Piyasvasti Amranand told reporters over the weekend. ‘'You can see the Krabi power plant from the island but there is no electricity there.''
‘'This is a common situation in Thailand where communities close to power plants do not get the immediate benefits and are excluded from the national grid,'' he added. ‘'That is why there is a need for solar cells.''
In fact, Bangkok's plan to supply this island with power through an environmentally friendly alternative is part of a national initiative that brought power to 353 villages in the country. Like Ko Si Boya, they are all isolated or located in places where laying electricity cables have proved costly or daunting.
‘'Most of the villages that are non-electrified and receiving solar power are in the north, in the hilly areas close to the Burmese border,'' Suree Buranasajja, senior scientist at the bureau of solar energy development in the energy ministry, told IPS. ‘'It has been difficult to connect them to the national grid.''
But the aim of the Thai authorities is to move beyond harnessing solar power for communities lacking access to the national power grid to one that serves as a genuine alternative fuel. The ministry wants to use solar power ‘'for electricity generation in order to reduce peak demand in the power generation system,'' according to a note on Thailand's alternative energy plans.
Currently, renewable energy contributes a mere 5.37 percent of all the fuels Thailand uses to generate electricity. Of that, biogas, palm oil and paddy husk are the major contributors to the power distributed on the national grid. The country is hoping to add 44 Mw of electricity through solar power by 2011.
Thailand has potential to produce more solar-power energy than the target set by the government, Suphakit Nuntavorakarn, an independent alternative energy researcher, explained to IPS. ‘'The figure should be much higher, since we have so much to draw from here.''
There are problems though. Many of the earlier solar power generating systems introduced across the country as models fell apart quickly. ‘'The officials did not teach locals how the system works and when they broke down the people did no know how to fix them,'' Suphakit said. (END/2007)
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But the aim of the Thai authorities is to move beyond harnessing solar power for communities lacking access to the national power grid to one that serves as a genuine alternative fuel. The ministry wants to use solar power ‘'for electricity generation in order to reduce peak demand in the power generation system,'' according to a note on Thailand's alternative energy plans.Interesting point. Let's think a bit further:
If I am not wrong, peak demand in Thailand occurs when it's very hot. At the same time, the generating capacities of hydropower and coal-fired plants may decrease in hot/draught periods (I think) due to water supply shortages. So using solar energy would effectively counter that problem/dilemma, as you'd get the most energy from it when the irradiation is strongest and it's necessary to sustain all that massive aircons usage. Thus, in Thailand, or the tropics in general, solar power would be readily available exactly when it's needed the most.
From the Letters section of The Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/06/26/letters/letters_30037797.php), 26 June 2007:
Get with the hemp programme
In a recent letter, I was too quick to judge when I said "Thailand is out to lunch" on the topic of allowing hemp to be farmed in here.
I now see a report that HM the Queen herself is encouraging research into hemp farming possibilities. As mentioned in The Nation's article of June 10: "The Royal Project Foundation is looking into developing strains ... containing levels of THC lower than 0.3 per cent." While it's commendable for Thai plant breeders to be looking for new strains, there are currently strains available that are below that level.
Incidentally, comparing hemp to ganja is akin to comparing tomatoes to belladonna (deadly nightshade). Both are very closely related, although belladonna leaves are hallucinogenic when smoked. The same people who want to continue to criminalise hemp should perhaps criminalise tomatoes and belladonna's other immediate relative, potatoes.
Last year, Canadians grew 120,000 rai of industrial-grade hemp and averaged 3,000 baht per rai net profit. Farmers in China grew 5 million rai last year. Much of that hemp was processed into construction materials, paper, reinforcement fibres in plastics for auto products and floor coverings. In Sweden, companies including IKEA, Volvo and Saab use hemp fibres for use in vehicle interiors and furniture. In the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, hemp composites are in auto parts for BMW, Chrysler and Mercedes. What sort of research and/or applications are being done in Thailand regarding hemp products?
Another practical use for hemp: Thai officials are seriously considering building a nuclear reactor. A cheaper and safer way to heat water (that's basically what a power station does) would be to burn hemp stalks. They're renewable and grow like hardy weeds on poor soil. On second thought, that's too tacky for Thai planners to consider. More prestige in joining the world's nuclear club with a shiny new reactor. Building contractors would certainly prefer that option - just hope it's not the same contractors who built the airport. :rolleyes:
Ken Albertsen
Chiang Rai
06 August 2007
Energy Ministry plans to generate 100 megawatts of electricity from garbage by 2011
The Ministry of Energy is urgently working on a project to generate at least 100 megawatts of electricity from garbage within 2011. The project will help reduce the quantity of waste materials by 10,000 tons.
Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand (ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์) says Thailand is not short of technological innovations, but the country needs to have a systematic management in order to lower the operation cost. Therefore, the Energy Ministry is promoting relevant units in generating electricity from garbage as it can benefit the natural environment and help lower the emission of carbon dioxide, reducing global warming as a consequence.
Mr. Piyasvasti says the value of garbage would be added and the country does not have to import fossil fuel from foreign countries. He says the Energy Ministry is aiming to produce 100 megawatts of electricity produced from garbage as it can lower the amount of garbage in the country by 10,000 tons.
In addition, the ministry is preparing to initiate the project to convert plastic wastes into fuel. The ministry is now conducting a research and preparing this project in the province of Samut Prakarn (สมุทรปราการ).
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255008060019
NEWS HEADLINE :. Minister of Energy promotes energy production from biogas
The Energy Minister, Mr. Piyasvasti Amranand (ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์), is expediting support for the processing of waste water and garbage into biological gas in order to assist in electricity production in the nation.
Mr. Piyasvasti says biological gas, or biogas, is another alternative energy source for Thailand. He reports that biogas is most commonly a byproduct from the industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as from garbage landfills.
Mr. Piyasvasti affirms that Thailand currently has the technology to process biogas for energy production. The interim government is currently providing a two-billion-baht loan for alternative energy producers, and will increase total loan provision to 4 billion by 2008.
The Energy Minister added that major alternative energy producers in Thailand accounts for 5-6 percent of the nation's total energy production. Mr. Piyasvasti believes that the number will increase to 7-8 percent in the next four years due in part to energy derived from biogas.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255008290020
Whereas there are undoubtedly ways in which sewage could be used to generate electricity, I suspect someone got the words 'garbage' and 'sewage' mixed up here. Phuket has more garbage than it can currently deal with, but probably does not have a fully-integrated sewage system:
Rubbish set to fuel Phuket power plant
YUTHANA PRAIWAN
Electricity Generating Plc (Egco), PTT Plc and Sepco Asia Group will invest 100 million baht to build a sewage-fuelled electricity generation plant in Phuket.
The three parties yesterday signed an agreement to begin project preparation and design of the plant, which would recycle garbage for generating power.
Egco president Visit Akaravinak said construction would begin before the end of the year.
The plant would be operated by a new joint-venture company that has yet to be given a name.
Egco would hold a 50% stake in the new company, PTT 35% and Sepco 15%.The Phuket plant would be the first in the country to use refuse-derived fuel (RDF) technology provided by Sepco, a UK-based company specialising in waste energy technology.
The plant would be located on 125 rai of land near an existing landfill estimated to contain one million tonnes of rubbish. Phuket produces an estimated 550 tonnes per day of garbage.
The amount of waste in the area is sufficient to be converted to fuel for electricity generation using the RDF system for about 10 years.
The plant would have a generating capacity of 10 megawatts, which would be sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
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May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/06Oct2007_biz33.php
10 more EGCO garbage-burning power stations are also under study:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=17572#post17572
Including one in Songkhla:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=17573&postcount=158
See also previous post.
EGCO invests in waste
Published on October 6, 2007
After signing an agreement for a waste-powered electricity plant in Phuket yesterday (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=2716), Egco Group executives said it plans to invest up to Bt15 billion to construct 10 more plants over the next eight years.
President Visit Akaravinak said that Egco Group would continue to be a leader in investment in waste-powered electricity plant projects. The company will hold a 50-per-cent stake in each project, while PTT and Sepco-Asia Group will hold 35 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
"The power plants using waste will be built in 10 provinces, one plant in one province with a total investment of Bt15 billion," he said.
Visit added that the plan for expansion of power plants should start operation in the next eight years because it is a period that can enjoy the highest rate of electricity sales, priced at Bt5 per unit. In the following years, the electricity price will be quoted at Bt2.5 per unit.
He said power plants using waste would be built in large cities that have a large amount of waste and face the problem of removing it.
"The company is considering investing in two more waste-powered electricity plants, in Nonthaburi and Songkhla," said Visit, adding that both projects were now under feasibility study.
At a ceremony presided over by Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand, Egco signed the contract, along with PTT and Sepco Group, for construction of the waste-powered plant in Phuket.
Piyasvasti said the project would be finalised in the first quarter of next year and construction was expected to take around a year to a year and a half. The plant will have a production capacity of 20 megawatts of electricity a year.
Phuket has accumulated waste of approximately one million tonnes, with an increase of another 500 tonnes per day. The Phuket municipality can clear only 250 tonnes a day.
Watcharapong Thongrung,
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/08/business/business_30051727.php
17 November 2007
EGAT to buy more electricity from SPPs
The Committee of the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) authorizes the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to buy more electricity from small power producers (SPPs).
The EPPO Director and the Committee’s Secretary-General, Mr. Veerapol Jirapraditkul (วีระพล จิรประดิษฐกุล), discloses that EGAT is allowed to buy additional 500 megawatts from each SPP which produces hydroelectricity. However, the total amount of electricity to be bought from each SPP should not exceed 4,000 megawatts.
Mr. Veerapol says 28 SPPs have offered to sell electricity to EGAT. He adds that the committee also instructed EGAT to support SPPs which use wind and solar energy to generate electricity by buying electricity from them at higher prices.
The price of wind electricity is increased from 2.50 to 3.50 baht while solar electricity is sold at the same price of 8 baht. EGAT will also extend the period it buys electricity from wind and solar SPPs from 7 to 10 years.
In addition, the committee has approved amendments to EGAT’s contracts made with Non-Firm SPPs and Very Small Power Producers (VSPP). The one-year base contracts will be changed to five years and automatically renewable.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255011170004
Demco investing in energy sector
Demco Public Company Limited, Thailand’s leading electrical engineering and telecom system providers, is geared up to invest more than 1.8 billion baht in alternative energy, as the firm has confidence in the democratically-elected government’s ability to revive the national economy.
Mr. Pradej Kitti-itsaranon, the Managing Director of Demco, says alternative energy is very essential or Thailand because the oil prices are rising continually. He says wind power is the most appropriate due to its low construction cost. However, its profit is high in the long run. He says another suitable option is energy plants.
As for the higher construction cost, especially steel, Demco had already assessed the situation and bought more steel in advance. Therefore, the situation does not significantly affect the company in constructing sky-train stations and building steel posts.
The businesses of Demco have perked up following the reinstatement of the democratically-elected government. The company has invested in many projects worth more than 700 million baht in total, after waiting for the new government for eight months.
Recently, Demco is preparing to seal an agreement to construct an electrical plant fuelled by rice husks worth about 330 million baht in Roi Et province. The company is also planning to sign a memorandum of understanding with a foreign company to build a 100-megawatt wind power plant worth about 1.5 billion baht in Phetchabun province. Demco is currently studying three more locations for setting up the windmills worth around 15 billion baht. The project will be carried from 2009 to 2012.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255106030010&news_headline=Demco
It doesn't say where this will be, but I imagine it could be someplace around Bangkok:
Waste-to-energy plant to open
Published on July 22, 2008
Better World Energy will proceed with its waste-to-energy investment, placing a US$7.95 million (Bt265 million) order for a plant from New York-based W2 Energy.
The plant, expected to start operating in July 2009, will convert 40 tonnes of municipal waste into electricity and 70 cetane synthetic diesel. W2 Energy will build, install and commission the plant, which will use its proprietary plasma and gas-to-liquid technologies. - The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/22/business/business_30078654.php
Better World Energy Purchases Waste-to-Energy Plant From W2 Energy Inc.
W2 Energy Inc. OTC (PINKSHEETS: WTWO) is pleased to announce that Better World Energy of Thailand has issued a purchase order for a waste-to-energy plant that will convert 40 tons of municipal waste into electricity and 70 cetane synthetic diesel. The plant will use W2 Energy's proprietary plasma and gas to liquid technologies.
Better World Energy will pay $7,950,000 to W2 Energy. W2 Energy will build, install and commission the plant. The plant includes a waste handling section, a reactor which turns the municipal solid waste into syngas, a gas-to-liquid section which converts the syngas into synthetic diesel, and a steam turbine which converts the heat produced into electricity.
"This will be the first of many projects we will develop with Better World Energy," says Mike McLaren, CEO of W2 Energy. "Better World Energy and W2 Energy share the same world view. Both companies are committed to creating clean energy without using food as a feedstock."
Dullajit Apaivongse, Managing Director of Better World, states, "We are thrilled to have W2 Energy as our joint venture partner. They have brought to market the best small-scale waste-to-energy and gas-to-liquid systems in the world."
W2 Energy expects to begin construction of the plant within the next 90 days. The joint venture expects to commission the plant by July of 2009. The plant will produce approximately 100 barrels of synthetic diesel per day and will have a 5 MW steam turbine for electricity production.
W2 Energy and Better World Energy have formed this joint venture to develop renewable and sustainable energy sources which grow the world economy.
About W2 Energy Inc.
W2 Energy is a growing, publicly traded company that develops renewable energy technologies and applies it to new generation power systems. Specifically, W2 Energy's plasma assisted biomass to energy plants utilize state of the art technologies to produce green energy both fuel (sulfur free diesel) and electricity at the most efficient cost in capital investment and production per/barrel, per/Megawatt.
About Better World Energy
Better World Energy works in Thailand and the Far East to help clean the environment and provide energy for the global economy. They build waste-to-energy plants which remediate municipal solid waste, human and animal waste, agricultural waste and commercial and industrial waste, and turn those feedstocks in to electricity, liquid fuels and valuable commodity by-products.
http://www.interestalert.com/story/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/07170006aaa04026.iw&Sys=e4asia&Type=News&Filter=Thailand&Fid=THAILAND
Kudos to MCOT English News (& doubtless also MCOT Thai News) for highlighting projects & interests of this type in the community rather than just those handed down by some charitable feel-good big-business know-it-alls. See also video at this link:
http://enews.mcot.net/clip.php?nid=15299
Energy saving school
A school in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen has carried out numerous campaigns to promote energy saving at school. Students learn to use environment friendly energy sources in their every life. We have more details in this report from Thai News Agency.
At Thetsaban Kumnongkoo school, all students from kindergarten to primary level wash their dishes after lunch. Water in the first two bowls runs through grease trap tanks before it is released into the drainage system. Water in the last two dish washing bowls, drained into a cesspool, is filtered and pumped into a tank by bicycle pedal power. The water is then used to water plants and vegetables.
A student said “We recycle water used to wash hands and dishes. The recycled water can be used to water plants and to raise fish in a pond. The PH level shows a good quality of water.”
The school started environmental activities in 2000. Energy saving campaigns were launched in 2005. The school’s curriculum includes lessons on environment conservation and energy saving, based on practical methods.
Chaimongkol Utthaponpaisarn, Director of Thetsaban Kumnongkoo School said “Our students learn to use alternative energy. We teach them to find other existing sources of energy from their surroundings, which can be adapted for activities in everyday life.”
The school doesn’t focus only on textbooks but also on real experiments. Students have fun studying energy through a milling machine and a washing machine run by bicycle pedal power. Solar cells were installed in one building to produce electricity to power lights in the hallways.
Last Update : 2008-07-24, 2008-07-24 (GMT+7:00)
From the clan who wish to be all things to all men for their own sake, we now get the environmentally-friendly malarkey.
WASTE
UK firm Sindicatum committed to helping Thailand
By Chalida Ekviitthayavechnukul
The Nation
Published on August 7, 2008
Sindicatum Carbon Capital, a leading global turnkey developer of greenhouse gas abatement projects, is entering Thailand in a joint venture with GRTech.
GRTech's managing director and chief executive is Piroon Shinawatra, the nephew of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
UK-based Sindicatum has been dedicated to the acquisition, development, structuring and financing of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries.
Its strategic shareholders include Citigroup, the world's largest bankฌing group, and AIG, the world's largest insurer. Other shareholders include Black River Asset Management, a wholly owned subฌsidiary of Cargill.
"We have a longterm commitment to improve environment and selfsufficiency in clean energy in Thailand. Importantly, we are particularly encouraged by the Thai government to make environmental improvement a reality," said Sindicatum Carbon Capital Asia's executive chairman Anthony Moody.
William Byun, representative director of its subsidiary Sindicatum Clean Energy, said Thailand had a lot of opportunities in the alternativeenergy business due to the huge volฌumes of biomass and biogas in the manufacturing sector.
Meanwhile, Piroon Shinawatra said GRTech had started to invest about US$85 million (Bt2.86 billion) in two clean-energy projects in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
The project will produce clean energy by capturing methane and other gases emitted from the waste landfills.
The project in Chiang Mai will commence electricity generation at 1.2 megawatts and the other project in Bangkok will start with 8.5 megawatts. Both the projects are expected to commence operation next year.
Piroon said the two projects would generate revenue of around Bt300 million to Bt400 million per year by selling electricity and carbon credits.
GRTech has registered capital of Bt20 million, which is expected to increase soon in a bid to support the company's new investment projects. However, Piroon declined to disclose the figure as well as the financial source for its investment.
"I cannot reveal further details about our joint venture and financial sources," he said.
Energy Minister Poonpirom Liptapanlop was also invited to the press conference yesterday.
Only on Tuesday, the Energy Ministry announced a programme to sponsor 20 per cent of investment in each project to encourage manufacฌturers to produce electricity using biogas technology.
The programme is sponsored by the Energy Conservation Fund with a budget of Bt204 million.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/07/business/business_30079977.php
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