Imagine that 25-plus years ago a friend had told you that within a few decades you could turn your home into a real powerhouse and maybe even generate enough electricity to be able to sell it at a small profit, writes John Davids.
You might have looked at him askance and maybe even checked to see what strange cocktail he was drinking.
Now, of course, in this computer and mobile phone age little surprises us and not much sounds too far-fetched. But think about it again ... with the right equipment – and in an area not much bigger than a traditional garden shed – you could be self-sufficient on energy production for your home and might even have spare capacity to sell.
That’s the main message I took back with me after I attended a demonstration at Horseshoe Point (HSP) of the prototype Eco Village built there to show alternative ways of generating energy.
It was a joint presentation by HSP and the Bangkok-based Cellennium (Thailand) company which has researched and is behind a device called the Vandanium Regenerative Fuel Cell. This cell – very much like a large battery – can store energy and is at the heart of what was described at the meeting.
Those who came to inspect the project included representatives of its financial partner (MFC Fund), the PTT energy group and power suppliers EGAT.
HSP and Cellennium have a common point of contact in that HSP chairman and founder Khun Chaikiri Srifuengfung is also a director of Cellennium.
The power generation process was described by Italian-born and Cambridge-educated Cellennium director Dr Placido Spaziante. To be frank, some of it was a little too technical for my easy comprehension though his presentation was entertaining.
So Khun Chaikiri was kind enough to call me to one side when we reached the prototype showhomes and explain in terms I could understand.
“What we have here is the first in the world of its type,” said Khun Chaikiri. “We have created a self-sufficient house that harnesses solar-, bio- and water-powered energy.”
And the story doesn’t end there. At HSP every angle is covered. They even use food waste and manure produced by the many horses stabled there to create methane gas which, in turn can be used for cooking at the multi-faceted resort, hotel and housing villages complex.
“Once we have a mini-grid constructed near Mabprachan it will be able to serve 20-30,000 local homes,” said Khun Chaikiri. “Homes will be able to store power from the grid during off-peak hours when the price is cheaper and those capable of generating their own power will have the ability to sell it back to the grid.
“This cheap energy will give freedom back to people, allowing them to enjoy their homes without the ‘guilt’ of using energy from non-sustainable sources – and they might make a little money, too!” Ω