Two new Egat centres pave the way for grid modernisation
To strengthen the country’s stability in renewable energy under its smart grid initiative, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has opened two new facilities: The Renewable Energy Forecast Centre (REFC) and the Demand Response Control Centre (DRCC).
The REFC and DRCC are two key components in modernisation of the power grid that will prepare Thailand for future innovations and technologies in renewable energy, Kitti Petchsanthad, Egat Deputy Governor for the Transmission System, said on Thursday.
The REFC can accurately forecast generation capacity of small power producers who use clean energy, wind, or solar power. The centre therefore plays a crucial role in power generation planning, enabling the power grid to withstand fluctuations in capacity from renewable sources.
The DRCC, meanwhile, aims to reduce power usage (load) and increase overall grid stability. By working with load aggregators (LA), the centre will combine the load of power users who are willing to reduce their usage in exchange for compensation from Egat.
Kitti added that the DRCC is currently in a pilot operation phase and can accommodate a total of 50 megawatts from two public LAs, namely the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority.
In the future, the DRCC will expand its capacity to cover private LAs, which will also help create more power-related businesses, he added.
Kitti said that after the successful establishment of these two pilot centres, Egat plans to open 11 REFC throughout the country and five DRCC per region. This infrastructure will support over 8,000 megawatts of power from the renewable energy that Thailand is estimated to produce in the future.
The REFC and DRCC also contribute to Egat’s goal of driving Thailand towards carbon neutrality in electricity generation within 2050, he added.
