Bangkok — Thailand is close to completing one the world’s biggest floating hydro-solar hybrid projects on the surface of a dam, a step towards boosting renewable energy production after years of criticism for reliance on fossil fuels.
The state-run Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand is touting the pilot project as one of the world’s largest hybrid hydro-solar power ventures and aims to replicate it at eight more dams over the next 16 years. Thailand has long relied on coal for power, but plans for new coal-fired projects have been met with opposition over health and environmental risks, and two proposed southern coal plants were shelved in 2018. It is aiming to draw 35% of its energy from non-fossil fuels by 2037, according to its latest power development plan.
An energy management system will be used to switch between solar and hydropower, depending on which can generate more electricity, a hybrid system Chanin said allows continuous power generation.