theceomagazine.com | 77“For the most innovative and environmental leading
company, BCPG has aimed to build the solar farm which
is considered the ultimate answer for a better environment.
We are more than delighted to be a part of BCPG’s success
to deliver a clean and sustainable energy back to society.”- Virach Chanpanich, Managing Director, Process
Engineering Services CO., Ltd
In December last year, BCPG and Australian start-up
Power Ledger joined forces to use blockchain technology to
bring P2P renewable energy trading to Thailand. Operations
will start in early 2018. Together, the companies will create
a micro-grid in Bangkok where six to 10 multistorey
apartment buildings can trade one to two megawatts of
embedded solar power. “The energy market is huge in
Thailand, particularly in Bangkok. So, we partnered with
Sansiri, one of the largest property developers in the country,
to develop a Smart Green Energy Community,” says Bundit.
Made up of houses, apartments, condominiums, schools
and office buildings, this smart community will be
completely energy efficient – with solar-produced energy
allowed to be traded internally through blockchain
technology and smartphone applications. Bundit says that
cooperation is a long-term plan for the next five years.
“The government has taken notice of what we’re doing and
we’ve helped them understand the role P2P trading plays
in lowering Thailand’s overall energy prices, as opposed to
building another large-scale power plant. We are creating
a new energy economy that is more reliable and more
efficient. Instead of sending energy all the way from a big
plant, now we can just send it over the fence.”
Bundit is confident that the Power Ledger partnership
will strengthen both companies’ leadership in the renewable
energy market and pave the way for an exciting energy
future. If all goes well, he says the companies will continue
to expand their Asia–Pacific business. “Unlike many Western
“ The way we are
disrupting the industry
[is] creative and
innovative... We are
giving consumers the
power to manage their
own energy economy.”
countries, Thailand’s power sector is yet to be
fully privatised. Nevertheless, the government
has taken steps to help promote renewable
energy and it will soon launch a team to
buy back surplus energy from individuals,
communities and even industries,” he remarks.
“This is good news for us because our
trading platform is a scalable global solution- it can be used in houses, communities or
a country. It’s a big game we’re playing now
and thanks to our technology, all stakeholders
will get to enjoy a better energy life.”
In February this year, BCPG signed
a Memorandum of Understanding with
the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand
to study smart energy infrastructure for
Thailand’s iconic Smart Park in the Eastern
Economic Corridor at Map Ta Phut, Rayong
Province. BCPG will work closely with
Power Ledger to facilitate P2P energy trading
in the THB12-billion development, which
is expected to be completed by 2020.
BCPG reported a net profit of THB2.016
billion in 2017, up 30 per cent from 2016.
“We may be young, but we are already a
multinational company with many different
cultures working under our roof. I believe
if we take care of our employees, they will
take care of the company,” explains Bundit.
“In this digital world, you don’t have to be
big to succeed. We are small but beautiful,
with the most advanced technology of any
utility company in the country.”
Bundit is confident that clean energy
and P2P trading will be the main sources of
power in the future, ensuring strong prospects
for BCPG as it continues to invest in
renewable energy in Thailand and beyond.
“The term ‘disruptive technology’ can be
taken in a negative way,” he says. “But the
way we are disrupting the industry is
anything but negative: it’s creative and
innovative disruption. We are giving
consumers the power to manage their own
energy economy and create a better life for
themselves and their communities.”
Interview | INNOVATE