Thailand

A new report from financial think-tank Carbon Tracker has found that coal developers risk wasting more than $600 billion due to stubborn resistance to the already cheaper electricity resources provided by renewable energies worldwide. The report finds, in short, that a new coal plant is about as prudent an investment today as a Clydesdale and cart. 

French floating PV specialist Ciel & Terre is teaming up with SCG, an Asian petrochemical company, to develop floating solar plants at hydroelectric dams in Thailand.

Renewable energy investment in the APAC region, excluding China, will overtake spending on oil and gas exploration and production spending by 2020, finds Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy. And Australia is set to emerge as one of the leading investment destinations.

The Brisbane-based battery supplier has deployed 10 of its zinc-bromine flow batteries coupled with three li-ion batteries to store solar generated power in a far-flung village in northern Thailand.

Wrapping up the year in which it established its wholly-owned manufacturing facility in Thailand, the Brisbane-based battery supplier says it is negotiating contracts with a number of customers, sharpening its focus on key target markets in Australasia, Asia Pacific and South Africa.

Solar power will be traded across the meter among four participating entities at Bangkok’s T77 precinct – a shopping centre, international school, serviced apartments and a dental hospital.

The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are on track to make solar and other renewables account for 23% of the region’s total primary energy supply (TPES) by 2025, but governments will need to create better policy and investment frameworks to make it happen, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Australian stock exchange-listed battery maker Redflow has announced a AU$14.5 million ($11.25 million) funding round, as the Brisbane-based company takes its manufacturing base offshore and turns its attention to a market “sweet-spot” including the off-grid, telecom, commercial and industrial sectors.