CASE STUDY
R&D Project: Preventing blackouts using air conditioning units in Bangkok
Client
Chulalongkorn University is Thailand’s largest university. Modelled on the University of Tokyo, it occupies a central district in Bangkok.
The University’s Energy Institute and Electrical Engineering Department had already worked with our partner I-ON, a Korean Demand Response software company.
Background
The Thai grid operator EGAT is considering demand response to increase the resilience of the network, and play its part in the energy transition. For example, the 5 largest shopping centres in Bangkok consume as much electricity as 3 entire provinces.
Bangkok is the worlds 5th most polluted city (air quality index). Solar power is a huge opportunity, but the state-run electricity system finds it difficult to deal with entrepreneurial solar installers.
Need
We needed to demonstrate that air conditioning, the highest-consuming appliance in homes and offices, can be treated as a flexible asset.
We interrupted the cooling part of the air conditioning (compressor) for either 15 minutes, or for 3 times 5minutes during the evening peak (8–10pm) for flats, or the midday peak for offices.
Challenges & our approach
Our system was installed on air conditioning units in 26 locations around Bangkok, a mix of homes and offices. In many cases, connecting to the corporate Wi-Fi was complex. Residents were given a survey pre- and post intervention.
Result
There was a general acceptance by occupants/residents of the intervention, which was noticed minimally temperature-wise.
We are continuing the research to balance air con against solar PV and EV charging on campus. Contact us to learn more.
