1. Introduction
Power generation is the main source of carbon dioxideemissions
and accounts for four in every ten tons of carbon dioxide dispatched
to the Earth’s atmosphere. How countries generate electricity, how
much they generate, and how much carbon dioxide gets emitted
with each unit of energy produced is critical in shaping the prospect
for stringent climate change mitigation. International Energy
Agency expressed the use of energy by far the largest source of
GHGs emissions from human activities, dominated by the direct
combustion of fuels [1]. Energy accounts for over 80 percent of the
anthropogenic greenhouse gases in Annex I countries, with
emissions resulting from the production, transformation, handling
and consumption of all kinds of energy commodities. With climate
change threats, the levels of GHG need to be stabilized and
eventually reduced. Clearly, our consumption of fossil fuels must
decrease, partly due to a limited and uncertain future supply and
partly because of undesirable effects on the environment [2].
Essentially, a sustainable supply of energy for societal needs must be
secured in long-termfor our future generations. With well-founded
scientific supports and international agreement, renewable energy
sources must be urgently developed and widely adopted to meet
environmental and climate related targets and to reduce our
dependence on oil and secure future energy supplies.
As developing country that heavily depending on imported
fossil fuels for power generation, Thailand already experienced
adverse impacts of energy crisis that could become major barriers
for the country’s future development. The country improves its
power development plan for the next decades to enhance higher
proportion of renewable energy generation. The critical questions
are how realistic of the plan’ s targets compared to existing
physical supplies and technical potentials, which technology
should be more pronounced, and how fast the plan’s impacts
can be acknowledged [3]. During 1993–2008, carbon dioxide
emissions from electricity generation in Thailand have increased
by 16.5 percent and this large amount is the result of demand
growth in electricity production (27.8 percent between 1993 and
2008). Department of Alternative Energy Development and
Efficiency (DEDE) reported the forecasted amount of GHGs
emission from Thailand would reach 559 MtCO2 over period
2005–2020. Fig. 1 shows historical emission trend from electricity
generation in Thailand during 1986-2008. Average growth of total
GHGs emission is estimated to be 3.2 percent per year while
estimated emission from energy sector is 4.7 percent per year [4].
Ministry of Energy (MOE) reported the CO2 emission per capita of
Thailand increased from 1.85 to 3.06 during 1993 to 2008 and
electricity consumption per population raised from 965 to
2129 kWh per capita during 1993 to 2008, respectively [5]. The
study of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
estimated every one kilowatt-hour of electricity produced in
Thailand emits CO2 approximately 0.5 kilogram. To strengthen
national energy security and reducing GHG emission from energy
sector, Thailand could effectively promote renewable energy
generation from its main agricultural products and residues.
Agriculture is a major business for Thailand. High potentials for
all types of renewable energies based on agricultural products exist
in the country and can help strengthen the national energy
security. Thai Government currently has launched ambitious
programs to enhance investments in renewable energy e.g. wind,
solar, biomass, and other clean renewable energy sources. In fact,
to secure future energy supply and incorporate the government
renewable energy efforts into actual utilization, it is not quite a
straight thinking. There are some hurdles after implementation.
One is that the commission of power plants and the transmission of
power into grid may take between 5 and 7 years. Thailand‘s power
purchase from a foreign source is limited. Power plant investments
especially in renewable energy involve large number of stakeholders,
therefore require all partners to understand and negotiate
their trade-offs, benefits and impacts. Thus, the power development
plan must be strategically designed. Inevitably, a reliable
medium and long run load forecasts are prerequisites for a wellconceived
power development plan.
This paper intends to review a recent situation of power
generation and renewable energy development strategies in
Thailand including the nature of business operation, the governmental
regulations, power development plan and its implementation/
performance. Mainly, the analytical evaluation of the current
technological capacity and country pathway toward low carbon
electricity generation is a highlight of this review. The existing
physical potentials and technological feasibility are examined and
compared with the country’s development targets. Factors
supporting and hindering the achievement of future low carbon
electricity in Thailand are elucidated. The paper aims to present
useful information and lesson learned for other countries that may
face similar situations.