Two-day training on applicable low-carbon technologies in Thailand

Two-day training on applicable low-carbon technologies in Thailand was co-organised by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, and Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Ministry of Energy, Government of Thailand, on 13-14 November 2018. The training was also supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Thailand Office, Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT-RRC.AP) and IGES. It was held at DEDE’s two facilities in Pathumthani, Bangkok: Practical Energy Management Training Center (Mini Plant) on Day 1 and Bureau of Energy Human Resource Development at the Building in Honour of His Majesty the King on Day 2.
 

Experts from a total of six Japanese private companies shared four kinds of latest applicable technologies in Thailand: heat-recovery heat pump; once-through boiler and steam management system; building energy management system (BEMS); and compressed air system and factory energy management system (FEMS) toward Internet of Things (IoT). Main participants were energy managers from private companies, energy auditors and officials from DEDE and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. In between the lectures, participants also visited DEDE’s training facility and technology display centre. 

Feedback from the participants was mostly positive as these technologies and knowledge were new to many of them. Accordingly, there were requests for more detailed technical information as well as financial information based on practical case studies in Thailand. There were also requests for similar training on other technologies, including IoT, air conditioning and chiller, industrial furnace and waste heat recovery.

During the training, participants also shared their energy conservation practices in each company and how current energy reporting system could be enhanced to boost more energy conservation actions. Under the Energy Conservation Promotion Act (1992, amended in 2007), factories and buildings consuming more than 20TJ of energy annually, or having an electric meter over 1,000kW or a transformer over 1,175kVA, are responsible for assigning a person responsible for energy (PRE) and submitting an annual report on energy production, consumption and conservation to DEDE. There are more than 8,000 designated factories and buildings and over 13,000 certified PREs in Thailand (as of October 2017). 

Among the 18 companies participated in the training, all of them have invested in energy conservation equipment, including LED light, chiller, boiler, air compressor and inverter, and most of them said that the energy reporting system motivated them to undertake energy conservation measures that have enabled them to detect inefficient energy use by monitoring, revise the production process, plan possible options to achieve their energy saving target (13 companies have set their targets), and change the mind-set of their staff. 

Suggestions for enhancing the energy reporting system by the participants were provision of: 1) incentives to submit accurate energy report as there is no feedback or penalty for inaccurate reporting currently; 2) financial information on investment in energy conservation equipment; and 3) support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they tend to lack financial and technical capacities to implement energy conservation measures compared to larger companies. In response, experts from Japan suggested to 1) start evaluating the energy report by applying an industry- or company-specific benchmark; 2) develop a case study booklet showcasing successful energy conservation cases with financial information; and 3) provide subsidies for SMEs’ energy audits, as these have also been implemented in Japan. These suggestions were compiled and shared with DEDE after the training for their consideration.