CHPP and Nuovo Plus, the subsidiaries of GPSC, have joined force with SUT to kick off the smart energy innovation project in higher education institutions of Thailand. The project is also expected to serve as a model learning center of energy management for sustainability focusing on the technologies of solar rooftop, floating solar, and digital platforms with an intention to optimize energy management and energy storage system to the level of Smart Grid and promote Korat to be a Smart City in the future.

Mrs. Rosaya Teinwan, Executive Vice President - Business Development of Global Power Synergy Public Company Limited or GPSC, the innovative power flagship of PTT Group, revealed that, on 7 September 2023, GPSC launched the Smart Energy Project at Suranaree University of Technology, which is a collaboration between the subsidiaries of GPSC, i.e., Combined Heat and Power Producing Company Limited (CHPP), and Nuovo Plus Company Limited, in which GPSC holds 100% and 49% of shares, respectively and Suranaree University of Technology (SUT). The objective of this project is to promote power generation from solar energy (Solar cells) inside the university buildings in order to conduct research & development collaboration on solar energy while serving as a learning center for renewable energy technology and innovation in Thailand.

The power generation capacity of this project is 6 MW, 1.72 MW from solar rooftop and 4.28 MW from floating solar. The project also employs the digital system coupled with the installation of battery energy storage system (BESS) in order to manage the energy consumption for maximum benefit. It is regarded not only as the smart renewable energy project in higher education institutions of Thailand but also as a model institute of Smart Grid that can be further upgraded into a Smart City of Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

“Thanks to the implementation of this renewable energy project, the university is able to produce electricity from clean energy up to 8.5 million kWh per year, which is expected to save its electricity bill by 510 million baht throughout 25 years of project term, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 115,000 tons. Meanwhile, the installation of floating solar technology will also help reduce water evaporation in the reservoir over 30,000 cubic meters per year, increasing the efficiency of renewable energy. In addition, the project will be serving as a new learning center on solar energy for communities, playing an important role in sustainable energy conservation that is also friendly to the environment,” said Mrs. Rosaya.

The implementation of this project started in 2021 and it has been supplying electricity to the university since the beginning of 2023. The electrical system installed here is divided into 3 sections. The section 1 is the solar rooftop installed on 5 buildings with the total power capacity of about 1.66 MW, using Mono PERC Half-Cell Module, small solar cells made from silicon with high performance and long service life. The section 2 is the solar rooftop on the roof of the corridor in Building 1, with the installed capacity of 0.06 MW, using Bifacial Cells that allow the sunlight to pass through both sides for maximum efficiency. The section 3 is the floating solar system installed at Sura 1 Reservoir, with the installed capacity of 4.28 MW, using G Float pontoons by CHPP technology. The innovation is made of a special-grade polyethylene with UV stabilizers that offers excellent strength, environmental friendliness and recyclability after their service life.

To ensure the continued availability of clean electricity, grid reliability and become a pioneer in Peer to Peer Trading with real-time trading results, the 100 kWh and 200 kWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) have been installed along with a system of AI monitoring platform that can analyze the electricity consumption behavior in each period and align the power generation accordingly. This is all considered the development of a smart trading platform that will support an integrated energy management in an efficient manner.

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