Bangkok Grid Energy Storage Project

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.

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.

Thailand can manage its energy transition and solve the energy trilemma of sustainability, security and affordability by accelerating renewable power additions and grid capacity expansion, while limiting new thermal power capacity addition.

The project is a prime example of the energy transformation underway across Thailand, as the nation sets a new renewable target of 30 percent of total final energy consumption by 2036 in its Alternative Energy Development Plan.*

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.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with smart grid technology plays important role to offer substantial benefits for balancing intermittent renewable sources and also provide end-users a consistent access to clean electricity with a clear environmental benefit and cost effectiveness. Masahiko Maeda, CEO, Toyota Motor Asia: