Push for solar power to beat oil hikes
Nitiratana Suponpis, an expert from the Energy Ministry, gives a talk on solar energy at a seminar at Siam City Hotel in Bangkok yesterday.
|
|
Thailand is joining hands with international institutes in another attempt to promote the use of solar energy among local businesses as a way to cope with the oil crisis.
The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment is working with the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC) and the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems to develop guidelines and recommendations for use by policymakers in developing the industrial solar technology market, Chamnong Sorapipat, head of the school's energy department, said yesterday. If the water-heating techniques became widespread in the country it could help reduce consumption of oil and natural gas, he said. The "Market Development for Solar Thermal Applications in Thailand" project recently received a Bt5-million grant from the EU-Delegation of the Europe Commission to Thailand to conduct a feasibility study into promoting the technology here, said Sommai Phon-amnuisuk of the IIEC. The Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency agreed in principle to collaborate, but said there were some facts that the project had to consider before promoting the use of the solar-heated hot water systems. According to Nitiratana Suponpis from the Energy Ministry, the technology was introduced in this country in the 1980s, but failed to become a popular energy source due to technical and non-technical barriers. Nitiratana, referring to his own survey which had been conducted regularly, found that many hospitals and hotels stopped using their solar systems a few years after installation for various reasons. For instance, some systems used imported materials unavailable in local hardware stores, which caused problems with repairs. Some systems were badly designed, making clean up and maintenance practically impossible. And there were not enough skilled technicians for proper installation, repair and maintenance of the systems. "All the barriers created a bad impression among potential customers of the technology," he said. The project to re-promote the use of thermal technology should overcome all those barriers otherwise the technology will face even more scepticism, he said, adding it project should target hotels and hospitals first since hot water is a requisite for their services. Pennapa Hongthong The Nation
|
