Energy warning from Prayuth

[Lite Beer]

Energy warning from Prayuth
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand needs to revamp its energy structure and management as well as find alternative energy sources to ensure national security, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the National Council for Peace and Order, said late on Friday.

During his weekly TV show, Prayuth rebutted the claims of some activists that the cost Thais bear for energy are too high due to unfair pricing and management, as Thailand can produce energy from its own from natural resources.

"In short, let's say almost all the energy [consumed domestically] is imported, including gas and oil. We have to understand this first. If it's not like this, the [responsible] committees must consider again. Right now, our country has no capacity to produce [energy for consumption] by ourselves." He said Thai energy giant PTT should come out and clarify its role and benefit as a state enterprise and a listed company. He said Thailand did not have as many energy reserves as many seem to think. So, alternative energy sources must be studied and planned well so that the country is not very dependent on other countries.

Prayuth floated the idea of locals dealing with and reduce the smuggling of low-quality agricultural products from other countries to enjoy subsidies in Thailand. "If we want to do it right, we might have to make exceptions. I have been considering some measures to sustainably manage and reduce the exploitation of such a right. The smuggling doesn't mean bringing [products] for sale in our country. We will collect it and let the locals [in special economic zones] manage it as well as improve the quality. Once the quality becomes better, we won't sell it domestically but may export it to other countries."

-- The Nation 2014-06-15

[scotbeve]

Thai solar power companies that manufacture panels for home use have made the prices way too high for the average family household... Perhaps a bit of fair pricing is necessary here.

[cmsally]

Oh s... don't tell me he's thinking about having a nuclear power station !

[CWMcMurray]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

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Edited June 15, 2014 by CWMcMurray

[Pib]

Thai solar power companies that manufacture panels for home use have made the prices way too high for the average family household... Perhaps a bit of fair pricing is necessary here.

Actually solar power panels/systems ain't cheap anywhere in the world that I know of like if you were going to put a bunch of panels on your home's roof. Now some countries subsidize the heck out of such systems (or give big tax breaks) to get home owners to install solar systems, but that's at the taxpayers' expense to offset the high cost to the individual. Now I'm sure there are some small countries which may utilize a good amount of solar energy simply because other energy sources cost a LOT more due to taxes imposed by the country.

And in a developing nation like Thailand, if it ain't low cost, it will have a harder time catching on---unless it's smartphones or female stuff (i.e., cosmetics, clothes, etc) which seems to sell extremely well even when high priced.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Oh s... don't tell me he's thinking about having a nuclear power station !

Very Scary

[kriswillems]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Making a surface of solar panels that's strong enough to drive on is MUCH more expensive (think maybe 100 times more expensive) that putting low cost Chinese solar panels on your roof.

The efficiency of solar panels on your roof will also be much higher.

It's a nice idea but economical madness.

[robblok]

Oh s... don't tell me he's thinking about having a nuclear power station !

Maybe put one near Chaing Mai and have former redshirts manage it. Guys like Plopsadrop. If it goes wrong the locals can blame their own.

Just joking a bit but alternative energy is needed so they need somethimg. I am amazed that solar is not used more. In Germany and the Netherlands you see it a lot in residental areas.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[scotbeve]

To all,

I read something a while back that stated Thailand is the #1 user of solar power panel usage in SE Asia. Sorry, I don't have the link here and my internet here is VERY restrictive.

[Payboy]

Need to find an energy solution fast before the sun stops revolving around Thailand.

[laislica]

Oh great,

did you know that Spain has announced that it is to tax all private produces of green energy, solar, wind etc?

Pressure from the generating companies.

I know a number of people who have properties in the Styx, miles from the power grid.

At great personal expense, they installed solar panels and wind turbines.

Now they face an additional tax.

[marcusd]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

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I have a colleague in Australia who developed or worked on such a thing. His company was bought out by BHP Billiton the largest mining company in the world. What did they do with this technology? Well that was 10 years ago. They did NOTHING!

The covering was not going to be glass but some rubber bitumen compound attracting the heat - a by product from the Steel processing in Australia which ends up as roads anyway. (Wollongong is one such town where this waste is used on roads.)

It is possible but the oil and coal giants will not allow this to happen.

[selftaopath]

Thai solar power companies that manufacture panels for home use have made the prices way too high for the average family household... Perhaps a bit of fair pricing is necessary here.

I agree; if all the monopolies were eliminated in every sector of Thai society and free market was allowed I believe Thailand would prosper greatly. Then incentive, motivation, creativity, and a country moving forward would be Thailand's new "scheme"

[luk AJ]

All solved by nuclear energy, you want more coal-generated electricity with massive co2 emissions?

[BillyBobThai]

I say we build a 50,000 terawatt nuclear power station. Built by the Germans and run by the Swiss. No Thai allowed on the site.

Edited June 15, 2014 by BillyBobThai

[davehowden]

Geothermal is the way to go in the North by the look of it.

http://thinkgeoenergy.com/archives/11491

[kuiburi]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a "pie in the sky"

1. Heat strengthened glass is about 8 times stronger then normal glass , but it can't absorb impacts of pointy things ( small rocks or pebbles in the tread of ur tires )

2 Glass and rubber work perfect when dry , but when wet its like an eel in a buckett of snot .

3 U need to put immense energy in producing these massive panels .

[473geo]

Hydro

[Basil B]

As I recall Thailand has a number of geysers so there must be plenty of opportunities for geothermal energy.

[talisman01]

how about this idea which has attracted 207% of funding to date

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways

[englishoak]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Decide for yourself

Solar Roadways Are they real or workable

Besides which the Oil snd power industries would fight tooth and nail to oppose any sensible energy option thats likely to make a huge difference. Mores the pity,

Nuclear power ok thats fine cos its dangerous, only the kind you can weaponise though of course, not Thorium Nuclear or anything decent thats too safe. Just the out of date 1950s,dirty Uranium kind that scares the crap out of everyone when countries persue it. ...

I hate the energy industry for holding back progress. Such a travesty.

Besides which it might be a good idea to stop looking at everything and trying to be popular and deal with that can be dealt with, there are more pressing issues than every major industry that gets the job done for now, Too many things on the go at once cannot be paid for and is likely to have ripple effects no one has considered.

The more knee jerk in too many areas at once the more of a disaster and half effective solutions things are likely turn out.

Edited June 15, 2014 by englishoak

[Chris Lawrence]

A great idea from the General.

Need to set up a Department to look at how. Get the University's involved.

Reduced fuel consumption in motor vechiles would go a long way.

The greatest obstacle will be cost.

[CWMcMurray]

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Decide for yourself

Solar Roadways Are they real or workable

Good one.. Thanks for posting this

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CWMcMurray]

Good one, thanks

For

Posting this

To all you engineers and solar power experts out there... Is the below true or "pie in the sky?"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Decide for yourself

Solar Roadways Are they real or workable

Besides which the Oil snd power industries would fight tooth and nail to oppose any sensible energy option thats likely to make a huge difference. Mores the pity,

Nuclear power ok thats fine cos its dangerous, only the kind you can weaponise though of course, not Thorium Nuclear or anything decent thats too safe. Just the out of date 1950s,dirty Uranium kind that scares the crap out of everyone when countries persue it. ...

I hate the energy industry for holding back progress. Such a travesty.

Besides which it might be a good idea to stop looking at everything and trying to be popular and deal with that can be dealt with, there are more pressing issues than every major industry that gets the job done for now, Too many things on the go at once cannot be paid for and is likely to have ripple effects no one has considered.

The more knee jerk in too many areas at once the more of a disaster and half effective solutions things are likely turn out.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jonmarleesco]

I'm sorry, is Prayuth condoning smuggling? Or am I misreading something?

[Skywalker69]

Oh s... don't tell me he's thinking about having a nuclear power station !

Thailand Looks at Nuclear Power as Part of Alternative Energy Plans

So they did in the beginning of 2010, nothing new.

http://www.voanews.com/content/thailand-looks-at-nuclear-power-as-part-of-alternative-energy-plans-85040182/112940.html

[DeepInTheForest]

What in the world does that last paragraph mean? The Nation has outdone itself this time.

Edited June 15, 2014 by DeepInTheForest

[fab4]

Don't suppose anybody has thought about using some of that 3 trillion to further promote the use of Hydro Electric power who's output for some reason has been decreasing over recent years compared to power provided by gas, oil and coal?

[plachon]

I say we build a 50,000 terawatt nuclear power station. Built by the Germans and run by the Swiss. No Thai allowed on the site.

Run by the Swiss? You mean, as in FIFA under Sepp Blatter?? No corruption there, of course. All perfectly transparent and accountable. Especially in the decision to give the World Cup to Russia then Qatar.

Edited June 15, 2014 by plachon

[teebe]

Big infrastructure plant is an old idea, from 19th century, based on the concept that machines efficiency is generally proportional to stated power. But this is also wanted by politics and government for other reason, not concerning physics.

The actual state of the art allows to balance and probably win the bill plus tax cost to individual power generated costs.

Nuclear plants are an awful hoax, besides the toxicity and scarcity of nuclear fuel, is a wasteful power dispersion 'machine', with only 40% of produced heat converted to electricity. The waste is heat, dispersed in the atmosphere, with an increase in man made heat radiation, of course invisible and not seen as an immediate danger. By the way, the overall nuclear electricity production is similar to an inefficient internal combustion engine coupled to alternator, plus is very very expensive in building, maintaining and upgrading and lately decommissioning when the 20..30 years working life comes to an end. To not say a word on nuclear waste, who wants to live in an area with permanent buried poison? This power production has many demanding aspects, illogical and expensive, but needed mainly for political and personal reasons. May be it will have a life only in some countries.