PTT Plc, the state-owned oil and gas conglomerate, has teamed up with data consultancy Sertis Co to explore business opportunities for a new smart energy building complex, to move the country's energy industry towards renewables.
The power market is transforming from traditional power generation supplied by state-run utilities to a production-by-consumer (prosumer) system, most notably with rooftop solar cells.
"We are looking at the possibility of trading electricity in communities from photovoltaic rooftops at PTT's pilot smart energy building on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road," said PTT chief executive Chansin Treenuchagron.
The 300,000-square-metre complex also serves as a workspace for PTT's subsidiaries and the Energy Ministry. The facility will be partly powered by a solar rooftop with a capacity of 455 kilowatts per hour.
PTT will run the project through its wholly-owned subsidiary ExpresSo Co, which is tasked with finding new business partnerships and projects to promote innovation.
Sertis chief executive and founder Thuchakorn Vachiramon said the collaboration between the two firms will set a global standard for how to best share knowledge and techniques to promote more efficient energy use.
This activity is to prepare for the advent of prosumer or power trading among communities in the Thai power market.
"Although energy policymakers are not yet open to supplying power to the grid freely, this trend will become unavoidable in a few years," said Mr Thuchakorn.
The two partners will use blockchain and artificial intelligence to optimise energy use and manage power supply and demand in the complex.
Mr Chansin said this new project is part of PTT's goal to find new high-growth businesses emerging from disruptive technologies.
Oil and gas will be challenged by electric vehicles and improved energy storage devices, technologies that will eventually drive the costs of renewable energy down to near competitive levels, he said.
Enco complex, which houses PTT's headquarters on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, was developed to be a green energy building and costs 100 baht in energy per sq m in its first year in 2009, compared with 200 baht per sq m at traditional office buildings.
The building manager has since developed a more efficient energy-saving programme over the last nine years to bring the cost down to 80 baht per sq m.
Mr Chansin said the prospect of future digital and disruptive technologies has driven PTT to invest in drones to aid in the operations of the oil and gas business.
These drones and other robot and sensor equipment observe and scout pipelines, rigs, refineries and gas separation plants to prevent accidents and observe the maintenance schedule.
PTT has set a long-term business direction aimed at increasing net profit from these new businesses by more than 10% by 2030.
The company's consolidated net profit in 2017 rose 43% to 135 billion baht. Of the total, 55% stemmed from oil and gas businesses, 29% oil refinery and petrochemicals, 10% exploration and production, and the remainder coming from electricity, coal mines and other segments.
PTT's power business arm, Global Power Synergy Plc, is also coordinating with Navanakorn Plc to develop business management techniques for solar rooftops in factories at the industrial estate in Pathum Thani.