The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has unveiled two new facilities to improve the country’s stability in renewable energy under its smart grid initiative. The Renewable Energy Forecast Center (REFC) and the Demand Response Control Center (DRCC) are considered to be vital parts of the power grid modernization that would provide Thailand with new innovations and technology.
According to EGAT Deputy Governor for the Transmission System Kitti Petchsanthad, the REFC will be essential in power generation planning, allowing the power system to withstand fluctuations in capacity from renewable sources. Meanwhile, the DRCC strives to reduce power usage (load) and improve overall grid stability. The center will work with load aggregators (LA) to combine the load of power customers who are prepared to lower their usage in exchange for compensation from EGAT.
The Deputy Governor said the DRCC is currently in a pilot phase and can accommodate a total of 50 megawatts from two public LAs, which are the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority. He said that the DRCC will expand to cover private LAs in the future, which would pave the way for creating private companies in the power-related sector.
The Deputy Governor indicated that EGAT intends to establish 11 REFCs throughout the country and five DRCCs per region, which would support over 8,000 megawatts of power from renewable energy that Thailand is projected to generate in the future. He added that the project also aligns with EGAT’s goal of pushing Thailand towards carbon neutrality by 2050. (NNT)
