Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd. {Hitachi Asia (Thailand)}, a local corporation in the Kingdom of Thailand have recently been selected for participation in a ‘Demand Response’ (DR) demonstration project driven by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), as system vendors of the EGAT-adapted DR management system (DRMS).
The project aims for system design and implementation to optimize power supply and demand balance in accordance with the comprehensive energy policy plan, Smart Grid Development Master Plan that is led by the Thai Government.
At present, thermal power stations are the principal domestic energy source in Thailand. Considering global warming, the Thai Ministry of Energy aims in the Thai Power Development Plan 2018 (PDP), which was issued in 2019 and applies to the 2018-2037 period, to realize an energy source balance that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and otherwise lightens the environmental load. It lays out a policy of more or less keeping current natural gas dependence, lowering thermal power dependence to about 10%, and adopting actively solar energy and other renewable energy sources.
With the expansion of renewable energy, the difficulties of operating systems will become apparent in adjusting power demand in response to sudden changes in weather or other factors. Then, it is expected to increase the importance of measures to stabilize systems that maintain the demand and supply balance. This new DR system is an example of such measures.
