In July 2019 SCG Chemicals and French company Ciel & Terre signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop floating solar system for hydro dams in Thailand.
SCG Chemicals, part of the Siam Cement Group Public Company Limited, is one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Thailand. Established in 2006, Ciel & Terre specializes in the development of floating photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ciel & Terre Thailand said that Thailand has always been a promising market for Ciel & Terre, a country where the solar industry is in demand of cost competitively without compromising the safety and quality of the PV installation. Moreover, he added that the company looks forward to extend similar partnership to a broader regional level.
Thailand is aiming at developing its capacity for floating solar installations, particularly on dams. According to Bloomberg, the country plans to install nearly 2.7 GW of solar capacity on nine dams by 2037.
In April 2019, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) announced its first Floating Solar Project with a capacity of 45 MW.at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani Province. The Hydro-Floating Solar Hybrid Project combines hydropower from EGAT’s dams, which can generate a limited amount of power in some seasons, and solar power. When there is enough water, the dam can generate power to meet the system’s peak demand, but when there is a limited amount of water, the solar cells can generate power from sunlight during the day and use hydropower to support high power demand during night time. It is expected to begin commercial operation in December 2020. In June 2019, EGAT invited sealed bids for the project.
(Sources: Bangkok Post; PV-Magazine; Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand)
