Assessment of Thailand's energy policies and CO2 emissions: Analyses of energy efficiency measures and renewable power generation

Abstract

This study assesses Thailand's energy policies on renewable electricity generation and energy efficiency in industries and buildings. The CO2 emissions from power generation expansion plans (PGEPs) are also evaluated. The PGEPs of CO2 reduction targets of 20% and 40% emissions are also evaluated. Since 2008 Thai government has proposed the Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP) for renewable energy utilization. Results from energy efficiency measures indicate total cost saving of 1.34% and cumulative CO2 emission reduction of 59 Mt-CO2 in 2030 when compared to the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. It was found that subsidies in the AEDP will promote renewable energy utilization and provide substantial CO2 mitigation. As a co-benefit, fuel import vulnerability can be improved by 27.31% and 14.27% for CO2 reduction targets of 20% and 40%, respectively. © 2012 by the authors.