Impact Solar Limited, a Thailand-based clean energy company, is developing the largest private microgrid in Thailand, which will be located at Saha Industrial Park in Sri Racha on the country’s south coast.
Once commissioning is complete, the microgrid is set to generate 214 MW. This will come from a combination of the existing 200 MW gas turbines, and 14 MW from rooftop solar and floating solar.
As set in the government’s alternative energy development plan, Thailand aims to reach 30% renewable energy of its total final energy consumption by 2036. Microgrids and other distributed energy resources are expected to play a role in the decarbonization effort.
Thailand’s renewable energy potential
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s Renewable Energy Outlook Thailand report, the country has the potential to reach a share of renewable energy up to 37% of total final energy consumption by 2036. Exploiting this potential can reduce Thailand’s dependence on imported energy, which meets half of the country’s demand.
Saha Group, which operates four industrial parks across Thailand, hopes that the Sri Racha site will serve as a model for the others. It also views the investment as a contribution to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids will provide a battery energy storage solution and control system for the microgrid. This is designed to optimize the power output from the distributed energy resources as well as balance energy supply and demand. The battery will also provide backup power for the business park’s customers, including data centers that rely on a stable power supply.
“The model balances generation from various distributed energy sources, builds in redundancy for future data center demand, and lays the foundation for a peer-to-peer digital energy exchange platform among the industrial park’s customers,” Rahul Mehta, regional manager, Asia Pacific, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Grid Edge Solutions told Microgrid Knowledge.
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