On 15 October 2024, GIZ Thailand, in partnership with the US Department of Energy-led Net Zero World Initiative, launched the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Knowledge Sharing Platform, which is a key step in Thailand’s energy transition through the Partnerships to Accelerate the Global Energy Transition (PACT) project, implemented by GIZ Thailand. The event focused on the essential role of BESS in advancing climate action and strengthening Thailand’s power sector. In the opening remarks, Dominika Kalinowska, Director of Transport Projects for GIZ Thailand and ASEAN, highlighted the complexity and importance of BESS integration for a sustainable energy future, while underscoring the need to identify regional gaps and explore collaborative solutions between GIZ and Net Zero World to support Thailand’s energy transition.

Robert Horner, Global Lead for Net Zero World at the US Department of Energy, delivered a keynote speech recognising Thailand’s leadership in regional energy storage and efficiency. He highlighted the role of international partnerships in accelerating Thailand’s decarbonisation through Net Zero World’s collaboration with nine US agencies and ten national labs, aimed at transformative action and investment mobilisation. Horner reinforced Thailand’s position as a key partner, focusing on energy storage, modelling, and building efficiency to advance its decarbonisation goals.

The day featured key presentations from Dr Pimpa Limthongkul, Energy Innovation Research Group Director and Energy Storage Technology Research Team Leader at the National Energy Technology Centre (ENTEC), who provided an interesting overview of Thailand’s BESS landscape. She highlighted the importance of increasing resources, funding and public awareness to advance BESS in Thailand. Gao Liu, Senior Scientist with the Applied Energy Materials Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), added a global perspective, focusing on BESS growth in markets like the US and its potential to drive job creation and innovation in Thailand. In addition, there are complexities of second-life battery applications, underscoring the need for regulatory and financial frameworks to enable the cost-effective repurposing of EV batteries.

Another highlight of the event was the introduction of Vision 100 by Lars Allerheiligen, an advisor for PACT ​Manager for Global Activities​ from GIZ, which aims for 100% energy access by 2030 and full energy sector decarbonisation by 2050. He emphasised the GIZ-Net Zero World partnership’s complementary strengths: GIZ’s long-term local presence and Net Zero World’s technical expertise from US labs. The partnership’s immediate priority is advancing energy modelling via Community of Practice (CoP) and knowledge sharing through the BESS platform to ensure a smooth transition to renewable energy. Chatchanis Kasemwong, PACT Project Manager for Thailand, GIZ Thailand, further detailed how these initiatives, both the BESS platform and CoP, engage key stakeholders to strengthen Thailand’s energy storage and modelling capabilities, bridging critical gaps in the nation’s energy transition and advancing decarbonisation goals.

During the discussion session, Nalinrat Krittiyanont Guba, a Thailand country coordinator for Net Zero World who works at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), clarified the scope of this partnership, which extends beyond collaborative work with Thailand to include Indonesia and Nigeria, reflecting a broader regional clean energy strategy. Additionally, ENTEC and the Thailand Energy Storage Technology Association (TESTA) discussed the regulatory and technical requirements for second-life battery applications, with Liu emphasising the role of private sector stakeholders, including entrepreneurs and investors, in supporting these technologies’ market integration.

Kalinowska concluded the event by emphasising the critical role of sustainable battery value chains and the focus on decarbonisation as central to Thailand’s climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. GIZ and Net Zero World are continuing their collaboration on initiatives such as the BESS knowledge-sharing platform, energy storage roadmaps, and strategic partnerships with ENTEC and EGAT, aiming to address key gaps in Thailand’s energy transition, with deliverables extending through 2025. Reflecting on the event, Lars Allerheiligen and Zachary Hauser, Advisor, Office of Asian Affairs, at the US Department of Energy,underscored the power of partnerships and shared expertise to advance Thailand’s clean energy journey, reaffirming GIZ and Net Zero World’s commitment to supporting decarbonisation through continued efforts in energy modelling, policy support, and robust stakeholder engagement.