Artificial intelligence (AI) is already helping Thailand’s renewable energy sector move faster, but industry leaders say the country’s grid infrastructure and regulatory framework must evolve at the same pace for that technology to deliver reliable clean power.
To continue reading, subscribe to Eco‑Business.
Access all our exclusive content and archive — with a 7-day free trial. Then just US$5/month. Cancel anytime.
- Exclusive access to training across business and policy topics
- Direct access to industry leaders at Eco-Business events
- A seat among the decision makers shaping the region's sustainable development
AI is being used in-house at Singapore-headquartered renewable energy developer Gurīn Energy to optimise the design of renewable energy projects before investment decisions are made, Ratchaneewan Pulnil, the company’s country manager for Thailand, told a panel at Unlocking Capital for Sustainability Thailand, held in Bangkok on 23 September.
Work that once took weeks can now be completed in hours or days, she said, adding that the time savings allow Gurīn Energy’s technical teams to run more scenarios, identify inconsistencies and errors in greater detail, and carry out more sensitivity analyses before projects move forward.
But Pulnil drew a clear distinction between progress within private companies and the slower pace of system-wide deployment in Thailand.
“In terms of investment, we have seen the tangible benefit of AI,” she said in the panel that discussed the links between AI, energy and urban resilience. “But at the public or infrastructure level, actual implementation in Thailand is still not as advanced as what you see in Australia or the United Kingdom, although there is potential.”
“
In terms of investment, we have seen the tangible benefit of AI. But at the infrastructure level, actual implementation in Thailand is still not as advanced as what you see in Australia or the United Kingdom, although there is potential.
Ratchaneewan Pulnil, Country Manager for Thailand, Gurīn Energy
She pointed to Thailand’s upcoming Power Development Plan, which is expected to add around 51 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity. As renewables become a larger share of the country’s power mix, she said, they could either burden the grid or strengthen it, depending on how quickly Thailand adopts technologies such as AI.
AI can help forecast the renewable resources entering the grid, balance variable supply and dispatch power more intelligently, Pulnil said. But while the technology already exists, regulation will be one of the key factors determining whether Thailand can unlock its full value, she added.
The challenge of turning real-time data into real-time action is emerging not only across Thailand’s power system, but also in its urban districts.
As renewable capacity expands, AI can improve generation forecasting and optimise power dispatch, but its benefits will depend on grid infrastructure and regulation keeping pace, according to an International Energy Agency study.
At One Bangkok, Frasers Property Thailand is applying a similar data-led approach at district level. Its smart-city system draws on more than one million sensor data points, over 5,000 CCTV cameras, smart poles and sensors installed in every parking bay across more than 7,000 basement spaces.
Urasate Navanugraha, Chief Investment Officer at Frasers Property Thailand, said in the same panel that the company began investing in this infrastructure more than a decade ago as part of the district’s critical systems. The data supports real-time decisions on energy use, traffic, security and building performance.
A centralised District Command Centre pulls together information from buildings across the precinct, allowing operators to monitor safety, security and performance and respond in real time. A dedicated security operations centre protects the connected system from cyberattacks.
AI to boost climate disclosure
The same need for reliable, actionable data extends beyond power systems and urban infrastructure to climate finance.
Amy Zhang, Associate Director for Asean and ANZ at CDP, said AI can help turn climate disclosure into decision-useful information by improving the quality, comparability and accessibility of data.
“The better quality of data you have, the less chance of creating rubbish out there,” she said in the panel. “You need quality, transparent, good data to produce meaningful and decision-useful insights.”
CDP has developed an explorer tool with Google that uses analytics and AI to make cities’ climate-risk disclosures publicly accessible. The platform links vulnerabilities – such as flooding and typhoons – to exposed sectors including tourism and agriculture, and identifies adaptation projects that investors and financiers could support.
“
The better quality of data you have, the less chance of creating rubbish out there. You need quality, transparent, good data to produce meaningful and decision-useful insights.
Amy Zhang, Associate Director for Asean and ANZ, CDP
Across Asia Pacific, 150 of the roughly 1,000 cities covered by the tool have disclosed information on 390 projects requiring more than US$15 billion in financing, Zhang said. Waste management projects made up the largest share, followed by nature-based solutions, biodiversity and green space initiatives, and renewable energy.
In Thailand, 22 cities, including Bangkok, disclosed climate risks and adaptation projects in 2025. Of those, 19 cities reported a combined 24 projects, placing Thailand among the top five Asia Pacific countries by number of projects disclosed, she noted.
“When you have a set of fragmented data, typically on different kind of hazards, vulnerability and climate risk, you can combine them together and present them in a standardised way,” she said. “We’re emphasising quality disclosure. We have a standardised way of disclosing the information, which makes the data comparable and interruptible.”
