Bioenergy technology in Thailand faces both opportunities and challenges. The country has strong potential for bioenergy production from feedstocks like sugar cane, rice, and palm, but faces challenges in improving yields and developing technologies for thermochemical conversion, liquid biofuels, and biogas. Government policies support renewable energy through pricing incentives and targets, but the bioenergy sector must still address issues of competing with food production and developing technologies for large-scale harvesting and conversion of feedstocks. Overall, bioenergy represents an important part of Thailand's renewable energy goals, but continued progress in technologies and overcoming resource constraints will be needed to realize its full potential.

1. BIOENERGY TECHNOLOGY STATUS
IN THAILAND:
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
By Srichattra CHAIVONGVILAN, PhD
Senior Policy Researcher, Energy and Environment Division
National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office (STI),
THAILAND
Email: srichattra@sti.or.th
22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Hamburg, Germany
June 26, 2014

2. Outline 1. Thailand – The country in brief
2. Government policies on renewable energy
3. Bioenergy Status
• Potential
• Yield improvement technology
• Thermochemical conversion technology
• Liquid biofuel technology
• Biogas technology
4. Opportunities
5. Challenges

3. 1. Thailand – The country in brief
Location - Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman
Sea and the Gulf of Thailand
Climate – Tropical, rainy, warm
Time zone - +07.00
Population – 67 million
Literacy level – 93.5% of total population
Life expectancy – 74 years
GDP Growth rate – 2.9% (2013)
GDP (ppp) – $673 billion (2013)
GDP composition (2013)
agriculture: 12.1%, industry: 43.6% ,services: 44.2%
Agricultural products
rice, cassava (manioc), rubber, corn, sugarcane,
coconuts, soybeans Source: CIA World factbook, 2014

4. Land resource
km2 %
Total land area 513,120 100
Landmass 510,890 99.6
Water mass 2,230 0.4
Agriculture
Forests
Others
205,248
159,067
148,805
41%
31%
28%
Economic summary
Labor force - 39.38 million (2011)
Labor composition:
services: 48.2%; agriculture: 38.2%; industry: 13.6% (2011)
Exports - $225.4 billion (2013)
Commodities:
Electronics, computer parts, automobiles and parts, electrical
appliances, machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear,
fishery products, rice, rubber
Partners:
China 11.7%, Japan 10.2%, US 9.9%, Hong Kong 5.7%, Malaysia
5.4%, Indonesia 4.9%, Singapore 4.7%, Australia 4.3% (2012)
Imports - $219 billion (2013)
Commodities:
Capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer
goods, fuels
Partners:
Japan 20%, China 14.9%, UAE 6.3%, Malaysia 5.3%, US 5.3%
(2012)
Major agriculture 2013
Production
million tons/year
Export World
Rank (FAO)
Rubber 4 1
Cassava 29 3
Sugar cane 102 -
Rice 38 6
Source: Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), 2014
Source: CIA World factbook, 2014
Source: CIA World factbook, 2014

5. The energy sector
Total Primary Energy Consumption in 2011: 136 Mtoe
❐ Fossil fuels contribute more than 80% of Thailand’s primary
energy consumption
Final Energy Consumption in 2011: 70.6 Mtoe
• Fossil fuel (petroleum, coal and natural gas) share more than 63%
of the final energy consumption
• More than 90% of electricity generation contributed by fossil fuel
(71% by natural gas, 21.4% by coal and 1.6% by oil)
Hydro
5.9%
Fuel Oil
1.4%
Diesel Oil
0.2%
Coal and
Lignite
21.4%
Natural
Gas
71.0%
Others
0.0%
Source: DEDE, Thailand Energy Situation 2011
Electricity
Generation
=> Import energy more than 50% of primary energy consumption

6. 2. Government policies on renewable energy
The Eleventh “National Economic and Social Development Plan” (2012-2016)
1
Development Strategies
Promoting a just society
2 Developing toward a sustainable lifelong learning society
3 Strengthening the agricultural sector, food and energy security
4 Restructuring the economic toward quality growth and sustainability
5 Creating regional connectivity for social and economic stability
6 Managing natural resources and environment toward sustainability
By Office of the National
Economic and Social
Development Board

7. Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP) (2012-2021)
By Ministry of Energy
AEDP Target:
Using 25% of
renewable energy for
total energy
consumption (heat
and electricity
generation) by the
year 2021
Source: DEDE, Thailand Energy Situation 2011

8. National Science Technology and Innovation Master Plan (2012-2012)
By National Science
Technology and Innovation
Policy Office
Ensuring energy,
resource and
environmental
security with STI

9. Thailand’s Energy Policies (Current Situation) as of June 2014
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)
 Formulate energy policy
 Reform to ensure fair energy
prices
 Revise the energy pricing
structure
 Restructure institution
 Coordinate with state
enterprises and the private
sector
Social Economy
Security
Special Tasks
Legal
Peace&Order Forces
NCPO secretary
Others
- Ministry of Science
and Technology
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Public
Health
Ministry of Social
Development and
Human Security
- etc.
as a prime minister
- Ministry of Energy
Ministry of Agriculture
and Cooperatives
Ministry of Commerce
Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Transport
- etc.
National Energy Policy
Council (NEPC)
play a key role in formulating criteria and
conditions for setting energy prices
Source: Bangkokpost, 2014

10. Performance on Alternative Renewable Energy
Types of Energy Unit Target in 2021 2013
Solar
Wind
Small Hydro
Biomass
Biogas
MSW
New Energy
MW
MW
MW
MW
MW
MW
MW
3,000
1,800
324
4,800
3,600
400
3
823.46
222.71
108.80
2,320.78
265.23
47.48
-
Total Electricity MW 13,927 3,788
Solar
Biomass
Biogas
MSW
Ktoe
Ktoe
Ktoe
Ktoe
100
8,500
1,000
200
4.54
4,694
495
85
Total Heat Ktoe 9,800 5,279
Ethanol
Biodiesel
New Energy Replacing Diesel
Compressed Bio-methane Gas (CBG)
ML/day
ML/day
ML/day
ton
9
7.20
3
1,200
2.6
2.9
-
-
RE Consumption: Energy Consumption 25% 10.9%
ElectricityHeatBiofuel
Source: Alternative Energy Development Plan, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, 2014
Performance of
bioenergy is ongoing
with opportunities
and challenges!!

11. Electricity Heat
Biofuel
Source: Alternative Energy Development Plan,
Department of Alternative Energy Development
and Efficiency, 2014
Renewable energy share in 2013
Having high potential
but not enough to
convert to energy.
69.5% in RE share
99.9% in RE share

12. 3. Bioenergy Status
Bioenergy Supply Chain
1) Potential
2) Yield
Improvement
Technology
Feedstock
Supply
Biomass
Conversion
Bioenergy
Distribution
Bioenergy
End Use
3) Thermochemical
Conversion Technology
4) Liquid Biofuel Technology
5) Biogas Technology
STI cross cutting
Electricity and Heat
Source: Thailand Bioenergy
Technology Status Report 2013
Transportation

13. 1) Potential
Source: Thailand Bioenergy
Technology Status Report 2013
Agriculture residues for
Electricity and Heat
Top 3 potential resources for bioenergy in 2012
Sugar cane:
Top & Trash 3,672 ktoe
Biogas Biofuels
Rice:
Husk 800 ktoe
Straw 1,610 ktoe
Total potentials 9,232 ktoe
Palm:
EFB 639 ktoe
Total potentials 6,561 ktoe
Wastewater:
5,927 ktoe
Cattle:151 ktoe
Pig:109 ktoe
MSW: 269 ktoe
Bio-ethanol:
642 million litres
(324 ktoe)
Bio-diesel:
883 million litres
(697 ktoe)
Total potentials 1,020 ktoe
Corn, Cassava, Bark, Saw dust, etc. Chicken, Duck, Elephant, etc.

14. Potential in Thailand
Woody bunch
TapiocaRice strawSugar cane
leaf and trash
 Thailand has strong potential in bioenergy, but:
 Compete with food and feed.
 Collection and conversion are barriers.

15. 2) Yield improvement technology
Source: Thailand Bioenergy Technology Status Report 2013
ASEAN Bioenergy Technology Status Report 2014
Crop Improvement Propagation Cultivation Harvesting
Conventional Breeding
- Genomics Technology
- Marker Assisted
Selection (MAS)
- Genetic Engineering
(GMO)
Tissue Culture
Stem Cutting
Crop Management
Integrated Pest
Management
Precision Farming
Mechanising Farming
Advanced and practical in
sugar industries
Status Sugarcane Cassava Oil palm
Conventional Breeding Implementation Implementation Implementation
MAS R&D R&D R&D
GMO R&D R&D R&D
Precision Agriculture Implementation Implementation Prototype stage
Mechanised Agriculture Implementation Prototype stage R&D
 Yield can be around 2 times of
the average yield when better
management such as integrated
pest control, precision farming
and mechanized system applied.
 Yield can be lifted to 3-4 times
when technologies improved.

16. 3) Thermochemical conversion technology
Source: Thailand Bioenergy Technology Status Report 2013
 In Thailand, biomass is
used as fuel for electricity
and heat production
mainly via combustion
boiler and steam turbine.
 Gasification is applied only
for small-scale power
generation systems (i.e. less
than 1 MW) or for
industrial heat application,
while pyrolysis is still in
the laboratory scale study.

17. 4) Liquid biofuel technology
Source: Thailand Bioenergy Technology Status Report 2013
 Majority of ethanol
production is produced by
the fermentation of
molasses, a by-product of
sugar manufacture.
 The governmental plan on
10% ethanol blended with
gasoline, so called gasohol
E10, is currently applied, as
well as promotion of E20
and E85.

18. Source: Thailand Bioenergy Technology Status Report 2013
 Biodiesel is
manufactured from
the transesterification
of palm oil.
 Insufficient due to
compete with food.

19. 5) Biogas technology
Source: Thailand Bioenergy Technology
Status Report 2013
 Commercial and successful for
electricity and heat.

20. 1) Potential
2) Yield
Improvement
Technology
Feedstock
Supply
Biomass
Conversion
Bioenergy
Distribution
Bioenergy
End Use
3) Thermochemical
Conversion Technology
4) Liquid Biofuel Technology
5) Biogas Technology
STI cross cutting
Electricity and Heat
Transportation
Good
R&D
 Commercial for heat
 Small scale for electricity
Conflict with food
Commercial for heat
and electricity

21. 4. Opportunities
Regulatory framework supporting renewables
Energy Conservation and Promotion Act (1992, amended 2007)
provided a basis for:
• Power Purchase Regulations - permits private Small Power
Producers (SPPs) and very small power producers (VSPPs)
using renewables to connect to the grid since 1995.
• Introduced “adder” (a kind of Feed-In-Tariff) in 2007, now
being revised to “Feed-in-Tariff”.
• Price incentives for biofuels.

22. Adder and FIT for renewables in Thailand
Fuel Adder (Baht/kWh)
VSPP
Extra adder*
(Baht/kWh)
Supporting
period (Year)
Biomass
- Installed capacity <= 1 MW
- Installed capacity > 1 MW
0.50
0.30
1.00
1.00
7
7
Biogas (all categorise of production sources)
- Installed capacity <= 1 MW
- Installed capacity > 1 MW
0.50
0.30
1.00
1.00
7
7
Waste (community waste, not hazardous industrial waste, and inorganic waste)
- AD &b LFG
- Thermal Process
2.50
3.50
1.00
1.00
7
7
Wind power
- Installed capacity <= 50 kW
- Installed capacity > 50 kW
4.50
3.50
1.50
1.50
10
10
Mini and micro hydropower
- Capacity 50-200 kW
- Capacity < 50 kW
0.80
1.50
1.00
100
7
7
Solar power 6.50 1.50 10
Pilot project on green energy for community enterprise
(biogas production form Napier grass) (1MW)
Feed-in-Tarff
4.50 20
Solar PV Rooftop 0-10 kW
>10-250 kW
>250-1,000 kW
6.96
6.55
6.16
25
25
25
Solar Community 9.75 (Year 1-3)
6.50 (Year 4-10)
4.50 (Year 11-25)
25
*Special Adders for
- 3 Southern Provinces
- Diesel-Gen. replacement on PEA system
New
New
New (30 Baht = 1 USD)
Good to invest in
bioenergy

23. Napier grass project
Objective
1. Power generation 3,000 MW
2. CBG for transportation
3. Replace LPG
• Encourage community enterprise for energy crop production
• Contract between community enterprise and biogas plant
• Secure income for farmers
• All stakeholders generate income from biogas utilisation
• Energy security in Thailand
CBG pilot station at ERDI in Chiang Mai province Feed
Source: DEDE, 2014
Biogas
Still in R&D, we need
technology transfer!

24. Price Incentive for Liquid Biofuel
Price of molasses-based ethanol
Pmol = Rmol + Cmol
Where
Pmol = Price of molasses-based ethanol (Baht/Liter)
Rmol = Raw material cost of molasses (avg. export price)
Cmol = Production cost of molasses-based ethanol (6.125 Baht/Liter)
Price of cassava-based ethanol
Pcas = Rcas + Ccas
Where
Pcas = Price of cassava-based ethanol (Baht/Liter)
Rcas = Raw material cost of cassava (avg. export price)
Ccas = Production cost of cassava-based ethanol (7.107 Baht/Liter)
Tax incentive and State oil fund applied to subsidy E20 and E85
Biodiesel (B2,B5, B20, B100)
Source: Klanarong Sriroth, 2011
- Mandatory of B5 rules
(January 2012)
- Promote by B5 HSD lower
than of regular diesel at 0.50
Baht/Liter
- Price subsidy on B100
B100CPO = 0.94CPO + 0.1MtOH +3.82
Where
B100 = Price of Biodiesel
CPO = Price of crude palm oil
ST = Price of stearin
RBD = Price of RBD crude palm oil
MtOH = Price of methanol
B100ST = 0.86ST + 0.09MtOH +2.69
B100RBD = 0.93RBD + 0.1MtOH +2.69
Source: DEDE, 2014
Good to invest
Compete with food
Compete with food

25. 5. Challenges
• Efficiency improvement and technology upgrading
for biomass conversion: bagasse, rice husk, wood
waste, co-firing
• Feedstock yield improvement and utilization of
alternative feedstocks: rice straw, sugarcane leaf,
palm empty fruit bunch, cassava rhizome
(Collection, handling processing, conversion
technologies)
• Preprocessing: Pellets and torrefaction
• Gasification, pyrolysis research and development
1.) Technology for heat and power
Pilot gasification plant, JGSEE,
KMUTT, Thailand

26. • Biogas management in community scale
• Reactor design and operation optimization of
conventional systems (animal manure and
wastewater)
• Gas cleaning and enrichment
• Technology and policy for biogas production
from cellulosic materials (agricultural and agro-
industrial wastes; short-rotation energy crops)
• Innovative use of biogas: CHP
• CBG technology in transport
2.) Technology for biogas
1st CBG project in Chiangmai,
Thailand

27. • Feedstock yield improvement:
sugarcane, cassava, oil palm
• Logistic management
• Conversion process improvement,
automation, co-product utilization
• Sustainability issues: food, fuel, land use
(zoning), water
• Economic and technology viable of 2nd
generation: Cellulosic and biomass-to-
liquid (BTL) and 3rd generation: algae
3.) Technology for liquid biofuel
Biodiesel plant in community
scale, Jantaburi, Thailand

28. • Competition with food, competing use
of land and water
• Access to biomass feedstock at volume
& pricing
• Access to financing for biomass
ventures
• Lack of support from domestic market
• Commercialisation of local
technologies
• Sustainability requirements and
certifications
• Low-value utilisation of biomass by
local companies
Cross cutting

29. Area for collaboration with Thailand
Policy Technology transfer Pilot project
Technology roadmap Capacity building Technology for
community system
Science technology
and Innovation
Policy
Technology for
feedstock
management
Pellet production
standard for
commercial purpose

30. Further information on www.sti.or.th
Thailand Bioenergy
Technology Status Report
2013
ASEAN Bioenergy
Technology Status Report
2014
THANK YOU