{
  "id": 19034503,
  "title": "Call for smart grid outlays to cut carbon",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/call-for-smart-grid-outlays-to-cut-carbon",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-08T21:02:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Bangkok Post Business",
    "slug": "bangkok-post-business",
    "url": "https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3351290/call-for-smart-grid-outlays-to-cut-carbon"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Thailand must urgently invest in smart grid infrastructure to meet carbon reduction targets and maintain affordable energy security, according to energy researcher Areeporn Asawinpongphan. A smart grid uses digital technology and two-way communication to optimise and distribute electricity more efficiently. It is crucial for supporting virtual power plants, which aggregate small renewable energy sources to supply the national grid. Ms Areeporn urges the government to allocate a significant portion of its 200-billion-baht borrowing programme to modernise electricity networks, deploy smart meters, expand energy storage systems, and improve energy efficiency in buildings. She emphasises the need for transparency in distributing funds across the renewable energy supply chain and warns against concentrating benefits among a few large corporations. Smart grids are essential for handling decentralised and intermittent electricity generation from renewable sources like solar and wind, which are variable due to weather conditions. The government's proposed scheme offers subsidies for rooftop solar installations and allows homeowners to sell surplus electricity back to the grid. However, industry sources raise concerns about hidden costs and potential inefficiencies in the licensing procedures. Ms Areeporn also expresses doubts about Thailand's plan to rely on carbon capture and storage technology to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, noting that the technology remains costly and may lead to higher electricity prices in the long run.",
  "summary": "Thailand must accelerate investment in smart grid infrastructure if it is to meet its carbon reduction targets while maintaining energy security at an affordable cost, according to an energy researcher.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}