Electricity is generated on campus from solar cells and is managed via a “smart-grid” system that can help the university save substantially on energy bills, Associate Professor Wattanapong Rakwichian, dean of the university’s School of Energy and Environment (SEEN), said.
He said smart-grid technology was now at a developed stage and would become more crucial in the future.
Smart grid technology is integrates information and communications technology (ICT) for a system to manage power in a centralised or distributed grid. A smart grid is an essential feature in organising power distribution from renewable sources. It can help optimise power generation by communicating between consumer demands and electricity generators.
Phayao is the only university in the Asean region that provides energy-management and smart-grid technology programmes in both master’s and doctoral degrees
SEEN has employed research on smart micro-grids and aims to be a demonstration site for smart-grid. A research grant has been provided by Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, within the Ministry of Energy.
Smart micro-grid systems will be implemented as pilot projects in Laos and the Philippines under international cooperation, with SEEN playing a leading role. There is also potential to expand smart-grid technology into the Thai business sector in the near future.
Wattanapong said the private sector was now showing an interest in investing in smart-grid networks, which has led to a growing demand for smart-grid professionals.
Recently, the Asean Centre for Energy (ACE), a regional energy policy agency which has its headquarters in Jakarta, endorsed the University of Phayao as the founding institution of the Asean Smart Grid Congress that enables smart-grid experts to share and exchange their experiences.
The University of Phayao hosted the first Asean Smart Grid Congress last December, bringing together experts and researchers from the academic and industrial worlds, as well as potential users from 13 countries to exchange knowledge and ideas on economics, technology and other aspects of smart grid.
The Asean Smart Grid Congress will be held annually in Asean countries. It will be hosted by Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines from 2016 to 2019 respectively.