Understanding the Impact of Distributed Photovoltaic on Utility Revenues and Retail Electricity Rates: Case Study on Thailand

The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Distributed PV Program and USAID Clean Power Asia, hosted this webinar exploring the impact of distributed photovoltaics (PV) on distribution utility revenue and retail electricity rates in Thailand.

The USAID Distributed PV Program, implemented by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, aims to help USAID partner countries address barriers to safe, effective, and accelerated distributed PV (DPV) deployment. The USAID Clean Power Asia Program works with Lower Mekong and Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries to encourage power sector investments in clean energy. In early 2017, the two entities partnered to quantify the impact of 3,000 MW of distributed PV in Thailand by 2020 against the backdrop of increasing consumer interest in distributed PV as well as an upcoming nationwide DPV policy in Thailand. This webinar explored Thai distribution utilities’ concerns about distributed PV deployment, provided insight into how the Thai regulatory framework is well-suited to support distributed PV deployment and explored distributed PV impacts on distribution utility financial health and customer retail electricity rates.

The purpose of the webinar was to provide policymakers, utilities and other energy practitioners a real-world example of how distributed PV affects certain stakeholders. Presentations were followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with the audience.