On December 20, 2023, on behalf of CMU, Associate Professor Prasert Rerkkriengkrai, the Vice President of Chiang Mai University, received the Thailand Energy Award 2023 in the Renewable Energy category: Biofuel, for the project titled ‘Center for Knowledge Transfer and Prototypes of a Compressed Biomethane Gas (CBG) Production System in Prachuap Kiri Khan.’ The presentation ceremony was held in the Convention Center at the Rama Garden Hotel in Bangkok and was chaired by Mr. Prasert Sinsukprasert, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, who was accompanied by the Ministry’s executives.
The 2023 edition of the Thailand Energy Awards was divided into five categories, which are: Alternative (or Renewable) Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Personnel, Creative Energy, and Energy Supporter. Promoters of Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy have contributed to 562-million-baht worth of energy saved and 140,000 tonnes of reduced carbon emissions.
The Center for Knowledge Transfer and Prototypes of a Compressed Biomethane Gas (CBG) Production System by CMU, in partnership with companies CPP and PTT, is capable of producing six tonnes of CBG per day. The production system was designed by CMU using its proprietary technology, with technical assistance from Evonik Industries AG, from Germany, allowing the CBG to have properties equivalent to NGV (natural gas for vehicles), following the Department of Energy Business Announcement on the Designation of Properties and Quality of Biomethane for Vehicles, BE 2561 (2018). CPP, a major palm oil manufacturer, is set to produce and sell its biogas products to the Center, which will be used for CBG production. In 2023, the number of CBG sold to PTT at the Muthulakkana and Chang Phuek Service Stations in Bang Saphan Noi District, Prachuap Kiri Khan Province, amounts to 933 tonnes per year. Moreover, CBG has directly reduced methane emissions, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 17,569 CO2-equivalents. With an investment budget of 66.24 million baht, the project has a yield of 12% and a seven-year payback period.
The Thailand Energy Awards 2023 was held by Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Ministry of Energy, to recognize those who have dedicated effort to make contributions to energy conservation and renewable energy development, leading to exemplary success in energy that evokes learning and exchange among interested parties, as well as participation of related workforce in all levels.