EGAT kicks off largest wind-hydro energy project in Asia

  

BANGKOK, 7 September 2016 (NNT) – The Energy Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has geared up to establish Asia’s first wind, solar and fuel energy production facility in support of better balance in energy resources. 

EGAT Governor Korndis Pakchotanont has signed a second phase development plan for wind turbines with HydroChina Co. as part of a project to ensure energy stability through the use of wind power. The authority has also signed deals with Hydrogenics Europe NV and Phraram 2 Civil Engineering Ltd. to establish a wind-hydrogen hybrid system, which will allow for the storage of wind power in the form of environmentally-friendly hydrogen gas. 

The projects make Thailand the first country in Asia to use such technologies on a large scale. The projects will be set up in Nakhon Ratchasima province and include 12 wind turbines able to produce 24 megawatts of power each. They are slated to available for commercial use by as soon as 2017. 

 

-- nnt 2016-09-07

Each producing 24 megawatts - wow. Think again, try 2 megawatts each, total potential power output is 24 megawatts

12 wind turbines  -  not exactly big time.  Off the coast of my home-town there are over 200.  Trouble is, not just how inefficient they are and how the ruin the views, but when it's too windy they shut them down and then when the wind drops they don't work.  OK it's good to have a mix of power generation, but wind turbines are probably the most inefficient of the bunch.

In the past wind power had a high cost per unit of power produced, but I am sure that has come down a lot.  Carbon foot print is a concern.  There is an awful lot of non-productive land in Issan, that could be used for solar power.  How do they compare for cost per unit and solar foot print?

20 hours ago, webfact said:

better balance in energy resources. 

Hardly better when Thailand is building 7 coal-fired electrical power plants to provide base-load energy needs. Wind power provides diurnal off-peak power load at a much  lower capacity. So its effect on balancing energy resources will be minimal.

Probably worth the experiment.

Would prefer to see them use European technology rather than Chinese as do not think their quality

is up to scratch nor quality of construction

I think the main point has been missed. It's not the fact that it's another wind farm (there are quite a few around Thailand) but the fact it's:

a wind-hydrogen hybrid system, which will allow for the storage of wind power in the form of environmentally-friendly hydrogen gas. The projects make Thailand the first country in Asia to use such technologies on a large scale.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_hybrid_power_systems

9 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

storage of wind power in the form of environmentally-friendly hydrogen gas.

But technology is not there as yet according to your link -

"Successfully storing hydrogen has many issues which need to be overcome, such as embrittlement of the materials used in the power system."

 

Having spent a lot of years working with Hydrogen gas, I regard it as a highly dangerous material. Good luck to those who will be working with it, because they will need it.