Smart Grid Project launched in Thai North

BANGKOK, July 5 (TNA) - Thailand is carrying on a pilot project on the development of Smart Grid, promoting two districts of the northern Mae Hong Son Province as modeled areas for its implementation over the next five years. Twarath Sutabutr, Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), under the Thai Ministry of Energy, told journalists on July 4 that his office is speeding up the Smart Grid Pilot Project in Mae Hong Son's Muang and Mae Sariang Districts, with its implementation expected to begin next year. Twarath said EPPO will propose the Smart Grid Project to the National Energy Policy Committee for further consideration and action soon. In the short run, Twarath acknowledged, a pilot project of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) on Smart Grid in Muang District and that of the Provincial Authority of Thailand (PEA) on Microgrid in Mae Sariang will be further developed, along with the Smart Grid Project in Pattaya City in seaside Chon Buri Province in the Thai East. "There are both solar and hydraulic power sources in Mae Hong Son to support the Smart Grid Project, with its implementation by EPPO expected to begin in 2017 and focused on self-reliance energy sources in line with the national Smart Grid target, through which relevant innovations and locally-available energy sources are integrated to make best use of energy resources while reducing losses during power supply channels. According to the EPPO chief, the Smart Grid Pilot Project was set under a five-year timeframe of 2016-2021 to be driven by five ad-hoc working groups on the Energy Management System (EMS), the Pricing & Incentive Design & Demand Response, the Microgrid, the Energy Storage System (ESS) and the Wind and Solar Power Forecast. (TNA)