![a group of people on a boat: Solar panels over the water surface of Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxu.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2242&y=371"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxu.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2242&y=371"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxu.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=2242&y=371"}})
© Reuters/PRAPAN CHANKAEW Solar panels over the water surface of Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani
UBON RATCHATHANI, Thailand (Reuters) – Thailand is close to completing one of the world’s biggest floating hydro-solar hybrid projects on the surface of a dam, a step toward boosting renewable energy production after years of criticism for reliance on fossil fuels.
About 144,417 solar panels are being installed on a reservoir in the northeast province of Ubon Ratchathani, where workers are completing the last of seven solar farms covering 300 acres (121 hectares) of water.
The state-run Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is touting the pilot project as one of the world’s largest hybrid hydro-solar power ventures and aims to replicate it at eight more dams over the next 16 years.
![a man standing next to a net: Solar panels over the water surface of Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxz.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxz.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1fQaxz.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
© Reuters/PRAPAN CHANKAEW Solar panels over the water surface of Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani
“When all the projects are completed in every dam, we will have a total capacity to generate 2,725 megawatts,” project head Chanin Saleechan said.
Thailand has long relied on coal for power, but plans for new coal-fired projects have been met with opposition over health and environmental risks, and two proposed southern coal plants were shelved in 2018.
News source: https://www.msn.com/
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