Solar power in Thailand

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Solar potential SolarGIS-Solar-map-Thailand-en.png
Solar potential

Solar power in Thailand is targeted to reach 6,000 MW by 2036. [2] In 2013 installed photovoltaic capacity nearly doubled and reached 704 MW by the end of the year. [3] 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. [2]

Contents

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. [4]

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. [5]

In 2021, the world’s largest hybrid solar-hydropower project, the Sirindhorn floating solar farm, commenced operations. [6]

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. [7]

Statistics

Solar power in Thailand

Daily insolation in Bangkok with an average of 5.04 hours of sun per day [8]

Photovoltaics - deployment
YearCumulative
capacity (MWp)		Annual
installations (MWp)
 On-grid

(distributed)

On-grid

(centralized)

Off-gridTotalOn-grid

(distributed)

On-grid

(centralized)

Off-gridTotal
2005-1.7722.1123.88-0.01-13.05
2006-1.8628.6630.52-0.096.556.64
2007-3.6128.9032.51-1.750.241.99
2008-4.0529.3433.39-0.447.230.88
2009-13.6829.4943.17-9.630.159.78
2010-19.5729.6549.22-5.897.546.05
2011-212.2829.88242.68-192.710.23193.46
2012-357.3830.19387.57-145.108.08144.89
2013-793.7329.73823.46-436.35-0.46a435.89
2014-1,268.7829.151,298.51-475.057.04475.05
2015-1,389.5530.031,419.58-120.77 [9] 0.88121.07
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), [10] National Survey report of PV applications in Thailand [11]
Notes:
a Some of the off-grid systems were dismantled.
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
Cumulative capacity – total installed PV capacity in megawatts since 2005
250
500
750
1,000
1,250
1,500
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
Annual installations – annually installed PV capacity in megawatts since 2005

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI): Thailand". solargis. Retrieved 5 Mar 2015.
  2. 1 2 Jittapong, Khettiya (2015-07-12). "Thailand ignites solar power investment in Southeast Asia". Reuters. Reuters UK. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  3. ↑ Snapshot of Global PV 1992-2013 (PDF) (2nd ed.). International Energy Agency - Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme. 2014. p. 8. ISBN   978-3-906042-19-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Areas with solar power potential". Thailand Ministry of Energy, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency. Retrieved 5 Mar 2015.
  5. ↑ "Thailand turns to solar power". Investvine.com. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  6. ↑ "Thailand starts operating massive floating solar panel project as pressure mounts on climate action". CNA. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Solar power in Thailand: new power purchase scheme creates investment opportunities". www.nortonrosefulbright.com. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  8. ↑ "PV Watts". US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 9 Jul 2012.
  9. ↑ "Solarpv.tv".
  10. ↑ IEA-PVPS, Annual Report 2015 (AR2015), p. 105, 27 May 2016
  11. ↑ "IEA National Survey Report of PV Applications in Thailand 2018" (PDF). 2018.
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