German-Thai Climate Talks event explores cross-sectoral approaches to achieving carbon neutrality in Thailand
The Climate Talks event was hosted by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangkok.
- The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangkok hosted a Climate Talks event to discuss pathway towards carbon neutrality, particularly in the power and transport sectors.
- The event featured key insights from German experts, highlighting Germany’s experience and strategies in energy transition through sector coupling.
- A panel of Thai experts from academia, civil society, and industry discussed potential steps for advancing sector coupling and supporting Thailand’s sustainable transition towards clean energy, focusing on technology, policy development, and financial aspects.
On 2 July 2024, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangkok hosted a “Climate Talks” event—a platform dedicated to promoting discourse surrounding the transformation of Thailand’s energy and transport sectors to become sustainable—in collaboration with the Thai-German Cooperation on Energy, Mobility and Climate (TGC EMC) project.
“Carbon neutrality cannot be achieved only by transforming one single sector, be it power or transport. Cross-sectoral and integrated efforts are imperative in realising our committed ambitions,” said Dr Dominika Kalinowska, Director of the TGC EMC project, emphasising the project’s focus on sector coupling through sector electrification, which enables energy-consuming sectors to use electricity derived from renewable sources as their primary energy source.
Following the success of the discussion event on electric vehicles (EVs) development in Thailand organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin and Agora Verkehrswende (Agora Transport) in February, this event explored the decarbonisation strategy of the power sector, with an impulse speech by Dimitri Pescia, Director Southeast and East Asia at Agora Energiewende (Agora Energy). In the speech, he noted Germany’s attempt to achieve higher renewable energy integration and the benefits of power system flexibility.
Dimitri Pescia, Director Southeast and East Asia at Agora Energy
Additionally, Christian Hochfeld, Director of Agora Transport, explained the rationale of sector coupling in transport in Germany, highlighting the importance of aligning the clean-energy transition with the increase of electricity demand in transportation. “Power sector needs transport, and transport needs power sector,” he said.
Christian Hochfeld, Director of Agora Transport
The event also featured a panel discussion on the topic of “Perspective and Reflection on Sector Coupling for Accelerating Energy Transition in Thailand”, joined by Assoc Prof Dr Yossapong Laonnual, Head of Mobility and Vehicle Technology Research Center at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT); Assoc Prof Naebboon Hoonchareon, Head of Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University; Dr Pakorn Thepparat, Head of System Planning and Energy Solution Business, B.Grimm Power PCL; and Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Managing Director of Sal Forest Co., Ltd. and Director of Climate Finance Network Thailand(CFNT).
Focusing on the technology, policy development, and financial aspects, panellists weighed in on possible steps Thailand could take to advance smart sector coupling to support the sustainable transition towards clean energy.
Thailand is not far behind Germany in sector coupling, focusing on smart grid flexibility to support the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs). With rising electricity demand from electric vehicle (EV) adoption, it is crucial to harmonise infrastructures and improve monitoring systems to manage changes in power grid operations. Concrete plans for policy deployment, regulatory improvements, and market mechanism development are needed.
Beyond technology and policy, financial and social aspects of the energy transition must be addressed. Significant funding and supportive monetary schemes are essential for innovation and infrastructure development. Institutional restructuring and incentive alignment are necessary for long-term transformative change. Social impacts, including potential job displacement and the need for new skills, must also be managed. Overcoming these barriers through coordinated efforts will ensure a successful energy transition.
Panel discussion “Perspective and Reflection on Sector Coupling for Accelerating Energy Transition in Thailand”
Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) under Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the TGC EMC project supports Thailand’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. Through its five components—Renewable Energy, Transport, Decarbonisation in Industry, Biomass, and Climate Finance, TGC EMC facilitates technology transfer, policy development, and business model innovation.
Dr Dominika Kalinowska
TGC EMC Project Director
Email:dominika.kalinowska(at)giz.de