The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) will roll out the country’s first smart grid electricity project, worth THB1 billion (~$27.86 million), in Pattaya by early 2018 in a move to embrace internet-connected devices. Mr. Pongsakorn Yuthagovit, PEA’s Deputy Director for System Planning, said the project will cover replacement of smart meters in 120,000 homes throughout the city, and construction of a data center to process all forms of communication, especially. This will allow the authority to understand consumer behavior and collect behavioral data about their electricity usage.

Mr. Pongsakorn said smart meters could put consumers in control of their energy use, allowing them to adopt energy-efficiency measures that can help save money on their energy bills and offset price increases. Consumers can access reports via the PEA’s web portal and mobile app. The PEA will also use data analytics to produce a forecast of energy demand, savings and prediction, enabling the authority to efficiently manage electricity generation. He said the authority was drafting the terms of reference to select a potential smart meter supplier, expected to be concluded by August 2016.

Smart Grid in Pattaya City, Chonburi Province
PEA chose to implement the smart grid pilot project in Pattaya due to the high-energy consumption rate in the popular tourist city.

The project will allow consumers to access reports of their energy consumption on mobile devices as well as via PEA’s web portal. The project is aimed at encouraging consumers to adopt energy-efficiency measures that can help them save money on their energy bills and offset price increases.

If successful, the Pattaya project will pave way for the introduction of smart grid systems in other major cities such as Phuket and Chiang Mai.