Sustainability Projects
Innovation Management 2021
Thermal & Visual Drone Inspection
To reduce risk, time, and cost of abnormality detection in engineering works that usually requires personnel using heat detector to search for the abnormality at each particular location, innovation and new business has emerged to provide detection service using smart drone to measure heat value and record footage, as well as a software to provide real time cloud data shared between drone driver, central room, and mobile phone application. When an engineering abnormality is detected, the drone will send photo and location of such abnormality to relevant parties, and also provide a summary report of the detection.
Business Model and Result: The objective of the drone detection service innovation is to detect abnormalities in engineering works e.g. high voltage transmission line, solar cell panel, power generating wind turbine, and other machines in industrial factories, both in government and private sectors. Market value of the innovation is expected at 1,000 million baht. This drone detection service could provide 10-30 times faster and 5-10 times cost reduction compared to the detection by human using heat detector at a specific location. In addition, this innovation utilizes clean energy due to the fact that the drone uses clean energy driven batteries. In addition, this service could also apply to other inspection works e.g. security, recue, public relations, etc.
Increased efficiency
10 - 30 times faster and 5 - 10 times cost reduction, compared to the detection by human using heat detector at a specific location
Cost reduction/ increase generation
1,000 million baht.
EV KLU MINI Bike
To comply with the world’s direction, energy conservation interest, and environmental impact reduction, innovation on electric motorcycle is created to open the market that is friendly to the surrounding environment.
Business Model and Result: The electric motorcycle is designed and fabricated using materials found within EGCO Group’s power plants. The use of electric motor for the motorcycle shows environmental awareness since it does not generate air pollutants and it is 10 times cost reduction compared to the use of gasoline engine. It has low maintenance cost because it does not require engine oil like gasoline engine. In addition, electric motorcycle can be used together with other alternative energy sources e.g. solar energy, wind energy, and hydro energy. It also creates other business opportunities by selling electric motorcycles that can be adapted as per customers’ requirements, by type of usage, or as required by type of customer groups or various industries, for example, used for travel convenience for elderly, and used in film shooting team.
Cost reduction/ income generation
comparison of expense per kilometer
- Electric motorcycle = 0.125 baht/km.
- Gasoline motorcycle = 1.1 baht/km.
One Stop Service Energy Platform
Since energy sources and technology potentially impacting future energy business are changing, and users could purchase electricity by themselves via peer to peer service, it opens the opportunity for electricity producers desiring to take part in the market, resulting in business platform to provide a one stop energy service through the most comprehensive application.
Business Model and Result: This business platform aims to build the connection between electricity producers, as well as electrical service providers, both minor and major power plants and people, office buildings, or industrial factories. EGCO Group, as an intermediary, collects payments from shops and earns commissions from all transactions. This could reduce the cost/generate income at approximately 30 million baht/year. In addition, there are many benefits from market place and peer to peer energy trading concepts, for example, building more number of prosumers or solar rooftop electricity producers to the system, reducing amount of imported fossil fuel, decreasing greenhouse gases emissions, receiving benefits from carbon credit registration, and complying with EGCO Group’s policy to reduce carbon emission by 2050.
Increasing efficiency
reducing 230 BTU/kWh net plant heat rate.
Cost reduction/ income generation
30 million baht/year.
Profits from business operation
Gas consumption of 3,670,800 baht calculated from net plant heat rate; electricity selling by power plant at 70% of the contract at 24,587,625 baht; peer to peer electricity selling by prosumers at 3,000,000 baht.
Khanom Solar Floating
Raw water reservoir (Ban Klang Reservoir) of Khanom Power plant is located in a remote area (approximately 9 km from the Power Plant) where power shortage could occur that might affect the opening of water gate. If the water gate cannot be opened in time, flooding could occur in the surrounding area and nearby communities. Moreover, during summer, large amount of water could be unproductively lost due to evaporation i.e. approximately 1 cm per day. Utilizing surface area of the reservoir to install solar floating was therefore initiated to generate electricity to feed water gate pump in case of emergency during rainy season and to minimize flooding in local people’s land.
Results: Electricity generated from solar floating can be fed to water pump to transfer the water from public canal to power plant’s reservoir to produce water for domestic purposes, as well as clean water being used in electricity generating process. Solar floating innovation generates clean energy that helps reducing greenhouse gases when compared with the energy generated using non-renewable energy, which complies with EGCO Group’s investment plan. This business could be invested in subsidiaries power plants in other countries and also responds to CO2 reduction project of the company. In addition, Khanom Solar Floating Model has been further explored to build new business i.e. installing solar floating at the reservoirs of external companies. The clients of this project are aquaculture farms, reservoirs in industrial factories as well as agricultural farms.
Increasing efficiency
gas reduction of 22,663 MMBTU; gross heat rate reduction of 2.14 KJ/kWh; and increase heat margin of 0.031%
Cost reduction/ income generation
Gas supply cost reduction at 4,533,600 baht/year.
Internal Optimization: Modify Common Line of Auxiliary Steam
Currently, single shaft combined cycle power plant using standby condenser is required to create vacuum condition in the condenser before start-up, and auxiliary boiler will build auxiliary steam to seal the steam turbine gland to prevent air flowing into steam turbine and condenser, which takes about 3.5-4 hours to finish this process. Common line is therefore installed to replace auxiliary steam by using steam tapped from HRSG cold reheat steam (CRH steam) of the running power plant.
Results: The installation of common line using CRH steam could reduce auxiliary steam generation time using auxiliary boiler, which speed up power plant start-up and electricity distribution time, therefore creates 2.40 million baht to the organization. It reduces the cost of fuel and chemicals used for auxiliary steam generation using auxiliary boiler, equipment maintenance cost, personnel cost of operation and maintenance units, totaling 1.00 million baht. It also reduces the air pollutants emitted to the atmosphere.
Increasing efficiency
reduction of steam generation time from 3.5-4 hours to 15 minutes.
Reduction of diesel and other costs
1.00 million baht.
Income generation from selling electricity faster
2.40 million baht.
Other benefits from risk reduction from the maximum penalty in PPA contract
8.95 million baht/incident.
KitchenDe
The building of KitchenDe platform through @KitchenDe Line Official Account and KitchenDe application could be an alternative for fast fresh market shopping and increase the opportunity for fresh products distribution. The media between clients e.g. restaurant operators and fresh markets, namely Jae Yai, manages orders and shops for clients. The prominent point of KitchenDe is maintaining quality of orders, selecting quality products, and delivery of products to clients.
Results: This platform could help reducing time and transportation for client’s convenience i.e. restaurant operators. Benefits from the platform include:
KitchenDe
receives initial service charges (50 baht/order), additional service charges from restaurant operators (5% of material cost), additional transportation cost (free for the first 5 kilometers, and 10 baht per kilometer beyond that), and additional charges from bulk volume purchase (depending on volume of products).
Jae Yai
the representative who shops for clients, will get 55% of initial service charge.
