Solar power in Thailand explained

Solar power in Thailand is targeted to reach 6,000 MW by 2036.[1] In 2013 installed photovoltaic capacity nearly doubled and reached 704 MW by the end of the year.[2] At the end of 2015, with a total capacity of 2,500-2,800 MW, Thailand has more solar power capacity than all the rest of Southeast Asia combined.[1]

Thailand has great solar potential, especially the southern and northern parts of the northeastern region of Udon Thani Province and certain areas in the central region. Around 14.3% of the country has a daily solar exposure of around 19–20 MJ/m2/day, while another 50% of the country gains around 18–19 MJ/m2/day. In terms of solar potential, Thailand lags behind the US, but is ahead of Japan.[3]

The 84 MW Lopburi Solar Farm was completed in May 2013. German solar energy company Conergy signed a contract with Thailand's Siam Solar Energy to construct three solar plants of 10.5 MW each in addition to existing two solar plants that have been under construction since autumn 2012.[4]

In 2021, the world’s largest hybrid solar-hydropower project, the Sirindhorn floating solar farm, commenced operations.[5]

Power purchase scheme

In January 2015, Thailand's Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced a new regulation for the purchase of electricity from ground-mounted solar projects, replacing the "adder" scheme with the "feed-in-tariff" (FiT) scheme. The regulation aims to revive the investment in renewable energy projects in Thailand after a quiet period in the renewable energy sector in 2014. There are over one hundred projects, with a total capacity of 1,000 MW, whose applications have not yet been accepted under the adder scheme and therefore are eligible for the feed-in-tariff scheme.[6]

Statistics

ImageSize = width:420 height:240PlotArea = width:350 height:150 left:40 bottom:40AlignBars = late

DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:6.5TimeAxis = orientation:verticalScaleMajor = unit:month increment:1 start:0

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PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black bar:Jan color:yellow from:0 till:5.28 text:5.28 shift:(-10,70) bar:Feb color:yellow from:0 till:5.61 text:5.61 shift:(-10,70) bar:Mar color:yellow from:0 till:6.09 text:6.09 shift:(-10,75) bar:Apr color:yellow from:0 till:5.51 text:5.51 shift:(-10,70) bar:May color:yellow from:0 till:4.84 text:4.84 shift:(-10,60) bar:Jun color:yellow from:0 till:4.81 text:4.81 shift:(-10,60) bar:Jul color:yellow from:0 till:4.56 text:4.56 shift:(-10,60) bar:Aug color:yellow from:0 till:4.23 text:4.23 shift:(-10,55) bar:Sep color:yellow from:0 till:4.63 text:4.63 shift:(-10,60) bar:Oct color:yellow from:0 till:4.58 text:4.58 shift:(-10,60) bar:Nov color:yellow from:0 till:5.20 text:5.20 shift:(-10,65) bar:Dec color:yellow from:0 till:5.23 text:5.23 shift:(-10,65)Daily insolation in Bangkok with an average of 5.04 hours of sun per day.[7]

Photovoltaics - Deployment
width=65 YearCumulative
Capacity (MWp)
Annual
Installations (MWp)
  On-grid (Distributed)On-grid (Centralized) Off-grid Total On-grid(Distributed)On-grid(Centralized) Off-grid Total
2005-1.77 22.11 23.88 -0.01 - 13.05
2006-1.86 28.66 30.52 -0.09 6.55 6.64
2007-3.61 28.90 32.51 -1.75 0.24 1.99
2008-4.05 29.34 33.39 -0.44 7.23 0.88
2009-13.68 29.49 43.17 -9.63 0.15 9.78
2010-19.57 29.65 49.22 -5.89 7.54 6.05
2011-212.28 29.88 242.68 -192.71 0.23 193.46
2012-357.38 30.19 387.57 -145.10 8.08 144.89
2013-793.73 29.73 823.46 -436.35 -0.46a 435.89
2014-1,268.78 29.15 1,298.51 -475.05 7.04 475.05
2015-1,389.55 30.03 1,419.58 -120.77[8] 0.88 121.07
2016129.682,282.6433.802,446.12129.68893.0911.691,026.54
2017359.792,663.1234.143,057.05230.11380.480.34610.93
2018598.862,827.0511.433,437.34239.07163.93-10.68a380.29
Source: IEA-PVPS, Annual Report 2015 (AR2015),[9] National Survey report of PV applications in Thailand [10]
Notes:

a Some of the off-grid systems were dismantled.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Jittapong. Khettiya. Thailand ignites solar power investment in Southeast Asia. 2014-07-24. Reuters. Reuters UK. 2015-07-12.
  2. Book: Snapshot of Global PV 1992-2013 . 2nd . 978-3-906042-19-0 . International Energy Agency - Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme . 8 . 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407081455/http://www.iea-pvps.org/fileadmin/dam/public/report/statistics/PVPS_report_-_A_Snapshot_of_Global_PV_-_1992-2013_-_final_3.pdf . 7 April 2014 . live .
  3. Web site: Areas with solar power potential. Thailand Ministry of Energy, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency. 5 Mar 2015.
  4. News: Thailand turns to solar power . Investvine.com . 2013-02-25 . 2013-02-25.
  5. Web site: Thailand starts operating massive floating solar panel project as pressure mounts on climate action. 2021-11-02. CNA. en.
  6. Web site: Solar power in Thailand: new power purchase scheme creates investment opportunities. www.nortonrosefulbright.com. 2015-09-23.
  7. Web site: PV Watts . US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) . 9 Jul 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141023011914/http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/International/inputv1_intl.cgi?siteid=484560 . 23 October 2014 .
  8. Web site: Solarpv.tv.
  9. IEA-PVPS, Annual Report 2015 (AR2015), p. 105, 27 May 2016
  10. Web site: 2018. IEA National Survey Report of PV Applications in Thailand 2018.