Govt to extend study of wind energy potential
Govt to extend study of wind energy potential
The theoretical potential for wind energy in Laos is estimated to be more than 182,000 megawatts (MW), though the potential under very good and excellent wind regimes is relatively small at around 2,800MW.
This was the finding of a report titled Renewable Energy Development Strategy in the Lao PDR, published in October 2011 by the Ministry of Energy and Mines and supported by the government of Finland.
Wind resources are identified to be high in Khammuan and Savannakhet provinces, according to the publication.
According to international data sources, there may be some wind potential in the central provinces of Laos, especially in the high mountains along the Lao-Vietnamese border (Savannakhet and Khammuan) where at heights of 50 metres and above, wind speeds reach 5.8 metres per second.
However, the publication notes, there is lack of data on wind energy potential, particularly at heights above 50 metres.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines is installation wind data loggers in some sites in Khammuan and Savannakhet provinces to study the wind energy potential.
“We have completed of installation wind data loggers at four sites, two in Khammuan and two in Savannakhet,” an official from the ministry's Institute of Renewable Energy Promotion said yesterday.
The ministry also plans to install wind data loggers in other provinces in the near future.
“We have imported some equipment but we don't know which provinces will be the next sites,” the official said, adding that the project is supported by the government of Finland.
The wind energy study is one of the renewable energy projects that the government is backing.
A global electricity generator, Impact Electrons Siam Co Ltd, hopes to develop a wind power project in Laos within the next five years.
The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment last November to develop a monsoon wind farm power project.
This project will be a world class wind power development and the company anticipates that the wind farms will have an installed capacity of about 600MW.
The MOU covers the study of a proposed phased project in Khammuan, Savannakhet and Xekong provinces and the company thought investment in this venture is definitely possible. The proposal would see the first phase of commercial operations in 2015.
Even though Laos lacks conventional energy resources such as oil and natural gas and has limited reserves of coal, the country has abundant renewable energy resources including biomass, hydropower and solar energy. In some parts of the country there is potential for wind and geothermal energy.
The publication notes that the potential of biomass in Laos includes energy crops and organic wastes, such as oily crops, sugar and starch, as well as fast growing trees and aquatic cultures.
However, Laos has rather low geothermal energy potential and this source is not suitable for energy utilisation. There are some small geothermal resources in the form of hot springs only.
vientiane times
