BCPG bringing solar to campus

A BCPG solar rooftop panel in Bangkok. The company will be installing panels at Chiang Mai University.

SET-listed BCPG Plc, the renewable energy arm of mostly state-owned Bangchak Corporation, will develop a 12-megawatt solar power rooftop project, the second-largest in Thailand, on the roof of Chiang Mai University (CMU).

The company won an auction to install the system under CMU’s Smart City-Clean Energy Project, one of the smart grid’s pilot projects.

Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus has a solar rooftop that generates 15MW, the largest in the country, after starting operations last year.

The CMU project, built and operated by BCPG, will help conserve energy and promote the use of renewable energy by selling electricity to the university for a period of 20 years.

BCPG president and chief executive Bundit Sapianchai said the 12MW rooftop solar power systems in Suan Sak, Suan Dok and Mae Hia areas will sell electricity to the university.

The company will also install a smart distribution network that connects and communicates with the university’s Smart Campus Management Center through CMU’s existing information technology system.

BCPG plans to use a peer-to-peer trading platform using blockchain technology developed by Power Ledger, BCPG’s digital energy partner, to study energy consumption behaviour.

The company will also install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station to study the usage behaviour of electric cars at the university. Both projects will be used to support the development of CMU’s smart campus programme.

In addition, BCPG is evaluating a plan to turn student projects into startup businesses through the Bangchak Initiative and Innovation Center.

Students may also be recruited for internships with BCPG and other companies under Bangchak Corporation.

“The collaboration with CMU will bring innovation to help drive smart energy projects," Mr Bundit said. "We are also looking for further opportunities to bring digital energy to Chiang Mai province.”

Separately, BCPG is conducting a feasibility study for the development of renewable power generation under the smart grid at Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong. The tentative cost is 7 billion baht, which includes renewable power facilities with a capacity of 100-200MW.

The project is in the concept design stage and is expected to be finalised soon. The project will begin construction at year-end and start operating in 2022.

The smart grid in Map Ta Phut will use blockchain technology to manage demand and supply.

BCPG recently teamed up with business partners to develop smart grids among industrial estate projects in the Eastern Economic Corridor. The plan is in the drafting stage.

BCPG also plans to develop smart grids in residential properties under leading developers, including at Sansiri Town Sukhumvit 77 and Park Court Sukhumvit 77.