Planet Calling: Movements towards Energy Transition

 Without a question, the world urgently needs to reduce carbon emissions to limit global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that limiting global warming to 1.5°C will require to the immediate and deep emission reductions in all sectors. This is particularly true for the energy sector, which accounts for the largest volume of carbon emissions among all sectors. Addressing climate change will require changes in both energy demand and supply. 

In response to the global call in the Paris Agreement, more than 70 countries, including the largest emission contributors–China, the United States, and the European Union–have set a net-zero target, covering about 76% of global emissions. Likewise, Thailand’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by or before 2065. This includes a new greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 40% in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) roadmap, announced by Thailand at COP26 in Glasgow last year. Earlier this year, the country has launched the National Energy Plan (NEP) 2022 to help move Thailand towards green and clean energy, with an aggressive plan and measures to achieve pathways to carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions. The NEP includes essential sectoral plans and policies, such as strategies for energy efficiency, renewable energy, gas and oil, and electricity.  fah talai jone

To achieve such goals, both the supply and demand sides require decarbonization of the energy sector. At the Energy Research Institute (ERI), Chulalongkorn University, a number of studies have been conducted to assist the development of decarbonization strategies for the energy sector.   

On the supply side, a study on “policy implementation for the development of hydrogen production and use to promote renewable energy” was carried out with support from the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), Ministry of Energy. A customized version of PDP was developed in the study to investigate possible options for reducing emissions in the power sector. Results show that blending hydrogen into the natural gas streams and implementing other technologies, such as solar power generation with energy storage systems, will assist the country in achieving its carbon neutrality target, while maintaining the nation’s energy security (Diewvilai & Audomvongseree, 2022).  

On the demand side, decarbonization may start with readily available resources. On that note, a study on switching fuel oil and coal to natural gas in the industrial sector was conducted with support from EPPO. Both the financial and economic feasibility study shows interesting investment opportunities for fuel oil users, located within 50 km from the compressed natural gas distribution center, to switch their fuel to natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG). For coal replacement, although the economic feasibility shows an outstanding result, it needs strong measures from the government to encourage the replacement (Nakapreecha et al., 2022).