Missing pieces in clean power bid

POLICY FOCUS

- AREEPORN ASAWINPONGPHAN ANNOP JAEWISORN KORN AMNAUYPANIT

Two missing pieces in Thailand's clean energy sector cast doubt on whether Thailand can reach its ambitious goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.

Behind these bold targets, critical building blocks are still missing especially energy storage systems (ESS) and electric vehicles (EVs) which are essential to making clean energy reliable and practical.

While many countries are accelerating investments in advanced batteries and smart EVs, Thailand is lagging behind. Time is running out. Simply increasing the share of clean energy isn't enough without the right technologies to store and use that energy efficiently, Thailand risks falling short of its climate promises.

Thailand is building solar farms and wind turbines at a faster pace than ever. But here's the problem: clean energy is unstable. Without smart ways to store and manage that energy, we can't always use clean energy when we need it the most.

Two of the most promising tools are energy storage systems (ESS) and electric vehicles (EVs). If properly integrated into the country's power system, they would help Thailand move towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

But if we ignore them or are too slow to adopt them, the risks are clear. As the share of clean energy grows, the electricity grid could become unstable. We could also miss out on investments from industries that rely on steady, clean power like data centres.

WHAT ESS DO

Energy storage systems (ESS) are important in the hybrid clean energy system. They store extra energy when there's a surplus like on sunny or windy days and release it when demand is high or supply is low. ESS help control grid frequency and reduce pressure on the system during peak times.