Promoting Small Scale Biomass Power Plants in Rural Thailand

PROMOTING SMALL SCALE BIOMASS POWER PLANTS IN RURAL THAILAND

Involving communities in Thailand’s sustainable energy future Chiang Mai The Science and Technology Research Institute (STRI) Nakhon Ratschasima at Chiang Mai University collaborated in identifying Kanchanaburi suitable communities and institutions in Thailand Working with in-country Partners

Research and Development Partners1

Building Capacity ant giv , pl es e Installation and nt le la ct Training Courses on p ri commissioning e c h it Biomass Gasification t y of 2 Gasification d t o e

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KAPI e s

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Forest Leftovers s e

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Electricity Gas o i

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Power Plant Information and Learning centers

Training Local Policy Lessons and Guide Books Communities Paving the way for further for Developers in Biomass Electricity small scale biomass projects Production

Promoting Small Scale Biomass Power Plants in Rural Thailand for Sustainable Renewable Energy Management and Community Involvement

1.) Together with the STRI, University of Chiang Mai, 2 more partners were identified Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute (KAPI), Kanchanaburi Province Kasetsart University Faculty of Forestry (KUFF) training and research station, Nakhon Ratchasima Province Involving communities in Thailand’s sustainable energy future

With electricity demand rising annually in Thailand, the Thai government is committed to a more sustainable energy future, with renewables making up a bigger share of the energy mix. Small-scale biomass gasification plants – which generate electricity from agricultural and wood processing waste – have the potential to increase energy autonomy in rural communities, and the country as a whole, while reducing carbon emissions. With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and in cooperation with local project partners, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) implemented a project to promote this technology and build capacity for sustainable, community-driven renewable energy management in rural Thailand. The outcomes of the project included: Many small agricultural and wood process- – Biomass gasification heat and power ing operations throughout Thailand produce generation training programs for Thai biomass residues that are either unutilized developers or under-utilized. In this context, biomass – Construction and commissioning of gasification is the ideal technology, but until two 125 kW demonstration biomass now attempts to implement it in Thailand gasification plants with research part- have been unsuccessful. There are various ners in rural Thailand reasons for this, related to the regulatory – Establishment of information and environment as well as the fact that the tech- learning center at Chiang Mai Univer- nology itself, and the required equipment, sity Science and Technology Research are not mature or readily available in the Institute for training, knowledge country, and there is a lack of expertise and gathering and sharing and exhibition training. This means that successful demon- purposes stration projects are needed, as well as – Two publications based on the experi- efforts to raise capacity and promote aware- ence and expertise gained during the ness and understanding of the technology. project: a ‘Guidebook for Developers’ This GEF-funded project was initiated by the and ‘Policy Lessons’ for community- Thai Ministry of Energy, with UNIDO playing based small-scale biomass power an implementation role. Its objective was to plants in Thailand promote the use of small-scale gasification to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Building capacity while encouraging community participation The Thai Ministry of Energy’s Department in establishing and operating pilot plants of Alternative Energy Development and that use local biomass residues to generate Efficiency led on the provision of training electricity. UNIDO engaged project partners courses for biomass gasification heat and in Thailand and coordinated stakeholder power generation. The Department devel- dialog to implement a project that is build- oped training materials and a safety manual, ing capacity for decentralized, diversified and conducted a course for 200 participants renewable energy in the country. in May 2015 and again in May 2016. By mid-2017, there were 15 grid-connected “People in the communities have biomass gasification power plants in opera- been able to be part of the project tion in Thailand, with total installed capacity from the beginning,” Dr Pinalee of 14.8 MW. Vaithanomsat, Director of KAPI, clarifies. “Our aim is to establish Working with in-country partners a power plant that the community Upon project approval, UNIDO engaged the can truly benefit from, and then Science and Technology Research Institute take this model, adjust it, and ap- (STRI) at Chiang Mai University in north- ply it to other communities.” ern Thailand as technical consultant. Dr Chatchawan Chaichana, Head of the university’s Energy Technology for Environment Research Center, was instrumental in implementation of the project. Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute (KAPI) and Kasetsart University Faculty of Forestry (KUFF) were identified as qualified project partners with the expertise to help establish information and learning centers (I&LCs) at- tached to pilot biomass gasification plants for demonstration and research purposes.

Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial The Wang Nam Khiao training and research station was initiated in 2017 Product Improvement Institute (KAPI), Kanchanaburi Province Kasetsart University Faculty of Forestry KAPI’s main aim is to develop new processing (KUFF) training and research station, technology that will add value to biomass and Nakhon Ratchasima Province agricultural products. Its 41-hectare seedling KUFF’s training and research center in the production center and research station is scenic Wang Nam Khiao district of Nak- located in Kanchanaburi Province in western hon Ratchasima Province, in northeastern Thailand. It focuses on research and develop- Thailand, is the forestry faculty’s largest ment for fast-growing tree varieties, including research station. It is used to train students experimental plots for biomass feedstock. as well as to conduct research and develop- KAPI developed a plan to upgrade the ment into fast-growing trees and bioenergy Kanchanaburi center to carry out research, products. A project to develop a learning development and knowledge transfer opera- center for green energy to replace fossil tions covering the entire biomass energy cy- fuels, with community involvement, was cle, from plantations to sustainable electric- initiated at the Wang Nam Khiao station in ity distribution. Around 50 households are 2017. The pilot biomass gasification plant located within a 5km radius of the station, project was therefore a perfect fit, facilitat- and the pilot 125 kW biomass gasification ing research into the utilization of biomass plant offered an opportunity to educate feedstock produced by local communities, local farmers and communities about this the research station’s plantations, and as renewable energy model. waste from a local paper factory. Pilot plant delivery, into three zones where visitors can learn installation and commissioning about biomass fuel as well as gasification UNIDO’s project team liaised with The Ener- technology, and view tailored information in gy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India, the multimedia space. the supplier of the gasification plants, to The KAPI and KUFF on-site I&LCs were arrange site visits and consultations with opened in November 2020, when UNIDO both partners as well as to coordinate the officially transferred the gasification plants transportation and delivery of the equip- to the partners. Training for local stakehold- ment. TERI visited both sites while civil ers in the operation and maintenance of the works were in progress in May 2019, and plants took place at the centers. delivery of the first equipment was sched- uled for early 2020. Making a difference locally, The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in delays to nationally and globally the delivery of the gasifier plants. Person- Building and commissioning the demon- nel on site, TERI, STRI, and UNIDO took part stration small-scale biomass plants, in in online coaching to complete the success- tandem with community engagement and ful installation and commissioning of the education, has already had an impact on gasification plants in November 2020. local communities. Boonmee Duanglamai, a villager from Muang in Kanchanaburi Province, comments:

“It’s good that the people in the community have a job to do and a chance to earn more income. If we have leftover wood or branches, we can sell them to the power plant.”

And in Nakhon Ratchasima, villager San- itpong Tooklang confirms: “One of the benefits is that this project guarantees that Information & learning center at Chiang Mai University opened in December 2019 my community will have electricity to use. In addition, my community can become a Information and learning centers (I&LCs) place where other communities can come A key objective of the project was establish- in and learn about the operation of small ment of the I&LCs for communities, finan- biomass power plants.” Villager Boonsuk cial institutions, project developers, public Thongtae also notes, sector bodies, the private sector, students, and the general public to learn about gas- “I feel proud that my community ification technology and its potential. The is a role model for other communi- Biomass Gasification Learning Center for ties to learn from.” the Community, at the Science and Technol- ogy Research Institute, Chiang Mai Universi- ty, was officially opened in December 2019. The welcoming, modern I&LC features inter- active displays and models, and is divided Vienna International Centre Wagramerstr. 5, P.O. Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, Austria +43 1 26026-0 www.unido.org [email protected]