Powering sustainable, low-carbon Thailand
As the world moves towards the trend of net-zero carbon emissions for the future, the Thai government has set the goal of ‘Carbon Neutrality 2050’. With the exponentially growing economy, the world’s resources are being depleted, resulting in constant carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. This has led to climate change and global warming, which has become an urgent issue that requires all parties to come together to find a solution by utilising digital technology. Additionally, digitalization in the business sector amidst the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to the acceleration of the overall process of greater digitalization. Several countries, including Thailand, have set a national agenda to reduce carbon emissions through innovations to ensure sustainable development, which is in line with the goal of carbon neutrality. In addition, Thailand’s Ministry of Energy has set its strategy with a mission to drive the Thai economy with support from Huawei Thailand to drive green development for the country using digital technology.
‘Green Development’ – the future trend of the world
Mr. Abel Deng, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., gave a speech on the importance of sustainable development and digital technology at the ‘Go Green 2022’ event, driving green businesses and powering a low-carbon society, saying: “Green Development means fostering economic growth while ensuring the sustainable function of natural resources and social well-being. As human society looks into the future, digitalization and low-carbon use have become two of the world’s hottest topics – as well as the two main approaches to green development. Globally, more than 66 countries and regions have set national carbon neutrality targets and roadmaps, and more than 170 countries have announced national digital strategies, which amounts to about 87% of countries in the whole world.”
Mr. Abel stressed how digitalization has become the key to supporting Thailand’s and the world’s recovery and growth. For example, every 10% increase in fixed broadband penetration will increase GDP by 0.8%-2.3%; every 10% increase in mobile broadband penetration will increase GDP by 1.5%-2.8%. In the future, digital technologies including 5G, cloud, and AI will assume primary responsibility for driving economic growth. According to the latest World Bank report, since the outbreak of Covid-19, the adoption of digital and disruptive technologies generates up to 110.1 billion baht ($3.4 billion) each year in additional investments, savings, and revenue for Thailand. Apart from playing a vital role in driving the digital economy, digitalization is also the key for green development. This is true to the extent that if there were no digital, there would be no green development.
“Huawei is very excited to see that Thailand is the first ASEAN country to commit on the carbon neutrality journey. Thailand proposed the Carbon Neutrality 2050 roadmap to address climate change, which is in line with the EU milestone, and Huawei believes that digitalization will be the key to achieving this vision. Thailand has an advantage since the country is already a leader in 5G technology, with over 10,000 5G base stations nationwide – with installation supported by Huawei. We also see Thailand’s potential, which has prompted us to launch our Cloud business as well as the Digital Power business to serve Thai customers and help Thailand in achieving the goal of sustainable development,” he added.
Huawei unveils solutions to achieve low-carbon society, powering Thailand to sustainability
Mr. Abel also commented on the approach that Huawei has taken to help reduce carbon emissions on a global level as well as in Thailand: “Huawei has already committed to making its products 2.7 times more energy efficient by making breakthroughs in theorising, materials, and algorithms in the entire life cycle, including operations and networks. Thailand has formally set the national agenda for carbon neutrality by 2050 and the visionary goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.
In order to achieve this goal, we need to start with Thailand’s top three CO2 emission sectors: Power Industry (37%), Transport (29%), and Industrial emissions (28%). Huawei would like to highlight four important digital power solutions for Thailand, each with a unique role in driving green development:
- Cost-effective 4th generation solar power technology: After decades of development, PV technology has evolved to the 4th generation in the past five years. The current Levelised Cost of Electricity can reach $0.037 per kilowatt-hour. Modules and self-operation and maintenance features make it easy to deploy on residential roofs.
- Smart String Energy Storage systems (ESS): The combination of lithium battery and digital control technology makes the Smart String Energy Storage system increasingly popular, which fundamentally solves the discontinuous solar and wind power generation issue.
- All scenarios and modular green data centres and communication sites technology: According to Huawei Research, 6% of energy consumption will come from ICT by 2030. Therefore, we need to deploy green data centres and 5G base stations from the outset.
- Economical EV and super-fast charging technology: The widely deployed charging pile, economical EVs, and 1,000 km long-range EVs will bring Thailand into zero-carbon travel in the next decade.
Additionally, Huawei also introduced the Smart PV industry solution ‘FusionSolar Residential Smart PV’ as Thailand’s first residential PV solution. The solution combines AI and cloud technology with PV technology to produce balanced energy, with the level of quality, safety and reliability guaranteed by Smart O&M and Grid Supporting, building the foundation for solar energy as the main energy source for the future. The solution is aimed at both residential customers as well as corporate customers. Although this is a new business unit, Huawei already has a customer base in retail business – from department stores and universities to businesses that require data centre management. This is in line with the Ministry of Energy’s mission as well as the national agenda to drive the country towards carbon neutrality. Huawei believes that as we look into the future, energy will be greener and more intelligent, and an ‘energy Internet’ will emerge.
“Facing a multitude of uncertainties and opportunities, digitization and low-carbon use are the two most widely-embraced consensuses in the world. As a leader in green energy solutions, ICT partner and digital transformation accelerator, Huawei is committed to driving Thailand to be the ASEAN leader in low-carbon societies. The company will continue to innovate and leverage green energy, collaborating with the government and industry partners to make the world a better place. We will achieve a digital, clean, and sustainable Thailand by bringing digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent, and low-carbon country,” Mr. Abel concluded.