Solar potential[1]

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]

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

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

Photovoltaics - Deployment
Year Cumulative
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[9] 0.88 121.07
2016 129.68 2,282.64 33.80 2,446.12 129.68 893.09 11.69 1,026.54
2017 359.79 2,663.12 34.14 3,057.05 230.11 380.48 0.34 610.93
2018 598.86 2,827.05 11.43 3,437.34 239.07 163.93 -10.68a 380.29
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.
250
500
750
1,000
1,250
1,500
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Cumulative Capacity – Total installed PV capacity in megawatts since 2005
100
200
300
400
500
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
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. ^ a b Jittapong, Khettiya (2015-07-12). "Thailand ignites solar power investment in Southeast Asia". Reuters. Reuters UK. 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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