Does Thailand need a battery energy storage system?

Thailand may lack the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) necessary to navigate supply and demand challenges. The 2024 PDP draft included 10,000 MW of BESS, but this may see the country struggle to fulfil carbon neutrality and Net Zero commitments over the coming decades.

Does Thailand have a plan for renewable-plus-storage in 2023?

In April 2023, Thailand awarded project rights for 1GW of solar capacity paired with one-to-four-hour storage. However, only 0.3GW has been commissioned to date. While the draft PDP2024 has ambitious battery capacity targets, Thailand has not clarified the mechanism to support deployment of renewable-plus-storage.

How many mw can a solar generator store in Thailand?

Their total combined storage capacity was 994 MW. Interestingly, this allowed generators to sign semi-firm power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) with minimum availability guarantees. Many solar projects in Thailand have non-firm PPAs in place due to a lack of storage on site.

Will solar power increase Thailand's power generation capacity in 2050?

Under this scenario, Thailand’s power generation capacity grows nearly eightfold from 2024 to 2050. Solar provides two-thirds of the added capacity due to its advantageous economics. Solar alone would provide more than two-thirds of Thailand’s annual electricity generation in 2050 compared to only 16% for gas under the base-case scenario.

How will Thailand's energy policy affect the energy sector?

As Thailand plans to add significant amount of renewables capacity in the next 13 years, the government would consider more flexible gas power contract. As a result, thermal power plants will likely see their operational hours cut further. This will lead to costlier coal and gas power. Source: BloombergNEF.

Which energy sources are used in Thailand in 2022?

By 2022, renewable energy sources made up 18.3% of total energy generated in Thailand, a trend of 169% compared to the year 2000. Hydropower leads the way in renewable energy generation, followed by solar photovoltaics, biomass, wind, and biogas.