The landmark project was announced today at a groundbreaking ceremony presided over by Dr. Wunrattana Chanukul, the Thailand Minister of Energy. Upon completion late next year, the solar power plant will represent a major milestone in Thailand's ambitious goal to source 20 percent of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2022.
”Renewable energy technologies are an integral component of Bangchak's long-term development strategy,” said Dr. Anusorn Sangnimnuan, CEO of Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Ltd., at the launch event. ”We look forward to building our partnership with Suntech to develop more utility-scale solar projects in Southeast Asia.”
Mrs. Patama Wongtoythong, CEO of Solartron added: ”For this historic project, we needed reliable solar modules with strong, dependable power performance. ‘We were impressed by Suntech's industry-leading power output warranty, backed by a global track record of high-performing installations.”
In a November 2009 report, the Asian Development Bank projected that energy demand in Asia and the Pacific will grow by an estimated 2.4 percent annually for the next twenty years, a cumulative 80 percent increase between 2005 and 2030. Suntech believes that solar technology will account for a rapidly growing share of Asia's electricity generation capacity, as economies throughout the region embrace affordable alternatives to carbon-based energy production.
”Strong economic growth witnessed in markets like China and Thailand would not be possible without reliable access to electricity,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's founder, chairman and CEO. ”The reality is that fossil fuels alone are unable to provide long-term energy security to meet the soaring demands of Asia's rising populations. Now is the time to rediscover nature's cleanest and most abundant energy resource.”
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