On July 9, 2024, Thailand Science Park Convention Center (TSP-CC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).
Dr. Lily Eurwilaichitr, Assistant Executive Director of ENTEC, along with the BIPV research team, welcomed Mr. Kunisada Isato, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and the delegation, which included officials from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, Kaneka Corporation, and Taisei Corporation. The occasion was a visit to the “Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV)” Performance Evaluation Building, the first of its kind in Thailand. This project is a collaboration between ENTEC and NECTEC of NSTDA, KANEKA Corporation, TAISEI Corporation, and is supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.
Dr. Sanad Wongthawethong (D.V.M.), Deputy Director of Thailand Science Park, also joined in welcoming the visitors. During the event, Vice Minister Isato congratulated the team and expressed his pleasure in supporting the BIPV Performance Evaluation Building project. He emphasized the importance of research in reducing environmental impact, particularly through the use of BIPV technology, which is crucial in mitigating global warming by utilizing clean renewable energy sources. Subsequently, Dr. Akihiko Nakajima from Kaneka Corporation presented detailed information about the project. On this occasions, Dr. Sanad introduced NSTDA and providing an overview of the collaborations between NSTDA and Japan in research, innovation, and business development.
The delegation then toured the BIPV building, led by Dr. Lily, Dr. Sanad, and the BIPV research team, which included Dr. Kobsak Sriprapha, a NECTEC researcher, Dr. Perawut Chinnavornrungsee, an ENTEC researcher, and Ms. Sasiwimon Songtrai. The BIPV project aims to study and evaluate the electricity production of solar panels integrated into building structures, representing an advancement from rooftop solar panel installations. The project develops the integration of solar cell technology with architectural design elements such as house and building walls. The study and comparison of electricity production from different solar cell technologies installed in the BIPV format represent a further step in solar cell technology development, with the goal of using the data to design the most efficient BIPV systems for Thailand.
