AIS, GULF, and Highland Research and Development Institute Unite for “Green Energy Green Network for Thais” at Thailand Research Symposium 2025

Empowering Thailand's Highland Communities with Sustainable Solutions

Across Thailand, many remote and rural villages still lack digital access and basic infrastructure. The “Green Energy Green Network for Thais” initiative, now in its second year, directly tackles these challenges by supporting communities in highland with by providing the sustainable infrastructure and green technology.

What began with two prototype villages has grown to include 12 villages of highland areas in 2025, with an ambitious target of 30 villages over the next five years. The campaign integrates renewable energy, clean water systems, and digital connectivity to create digital inclusion, self-reliant, eco-friendly communities and lead to equality.

Measuring Impact Through Social Return on Investment (SROI)

To ensure measurable results and gain strategic directions, the project utilizes the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework, pioneered in this context by AIS, Thailand’s leading telecom provider, and partners for the research review with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA). SROI allows the team to quantify social and economic benefits from the project, focusing on the direct impacts on people’s lives and how to support for the better quality of life.

Early results from the first two prototype villages revealed an impressive SROI value of 2.37 THB from every 1 THB investment, translating into over 8.6 million baht in social value—more than double the investment impact. This data underscores the real-world, life-changing benefits of green infrastructure in rural Thailand. This 1st-year research also was recognized to receive the award from the National Research Council of Thailand.

Engaging the Public at the Research Symposium

At the research symposium, visitors experienced the project firsthand through an interactive booth featuring:

• Locally grown coffee beans, one of the agricultural products that thrived due to improved energy and water access.
• Digital visitor e-books, showcasing real stories and results in areas such as water access, solar electricity, and agriculture.
• Community representatives from participating villages, sharing personal experiences and answering questions at the press conference on June 16th.

This human-centered approach not only highlighted the technological innovations behind the campaign but also emphasized the real-life transformations in the communities reached by the initiative.

A United Mission for Thailand’s Sustainable Future

This cross-sector partnership between AIS, GULF, and the Highland Research and Development Institute illustrates the power of public-private collaboration in driving sustainable development in Thailand. With continued expansion, “Green Energy Green Network for Thais” stands to make a lasting impact by improving the quality of life, reducing inequality, and promoting sustainable green innovation across the country further.