Thailand, a land of natural beauty, faces an escalating pollution crisis that threatens its environment. Yet, amid this challenge, collaboration with China is driving innovative solutions.
In the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, the Hydro-Floating Solar Hybrid combines solar and hydropower, reflects a future where technology and nature coexist harmoniously.
The vast array of over 144,000 floating solar panels, covering an area equivalent to 70 football fields, combines with hydropower to generate 81MW of electricity, solar by day and hydropower by night.
"This is called a Hydro-Floating Solar Hybrid. Now it's considered as the largest one in the world," said Arthit Phornkuna, chief of the Sirindhorn Hydro Power Plant Department.
It is a project co-developed by China Energy Engineering Group.
"The majority of products and equipment from are from China. The solar panel that is used is JA brand. The inverter is Sungrow brand, also from China. They also brought knowledge and knowhow about the linkage system," said Phornkuna.
But this dance of sun and water is more than just a technological achievement; it is a glimpse into a future where harmony reigns between humanity and the Earth. It minimizes land use and its impact on ecosystems. The solar panels also reduce water evaporation from the reservoir, crucial in a region where water is vital for agriculture and daily life.
"The growth of Ubon's city is that the development is increasing with the growth of industrial sectors and farmers' productivity. Ubon city and province are growing. So, we need to make energy available to support increased usage," said Phornkuna.
The villages in Ubon Province are remote. Many have limited access to electricity. Others faced with high electricity costs that are too much for the people to bear. For Sisaengtham School, the story was no different, until one monk dared to dream differently.
The monk imagined a school that could harness the power of nature, reduce its carbon footprint, and empower students with the knowledge that they could be part of the solution to the world's biggest challenges, where the sun's rays could become a source of enlightenment in more ways than one.
"China is the leader in solar technology. They also have their own products and materials. We can import their products inexpensively. It's the best in the world. In terms of quality, there is no better choice than this. If the (solar) system is turned off, the electricity bill costs around 20,000 Baht ($580) per month. When the solar system is turned on, we pay only 40 Baht per month. It is extremely economical and the obvious savings can generate more income for our school," said Phra Panyawachiramoli, founder of Sisaengtham school.
For students, sustainability is a lived experience. They know firsthand how renewable energy can change lives. They study solar power, monitor the school's energy production, and contribute to community sustainability projects.
Panyawachiramoli has become known as the "Solar Monk." Just like his teachings, the school, even the whole community has become a unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern innovation, an extension of their belief in sufficiency and balance—a way to honor the Earth while embracing the future.
"We start with the environment as the foundation. Then there are two things, energy and agriculture. Agriculture is connected to individuals and the way of life of the community. No one can live without energy. So, I used this concept as a model to develop and drive this school," said Panyawachiramoli.
China and Thailand's collaboration in the solar sector is a natural fit. China's advanced technology complements Thailand's growing demand for renewable energy. Thailand's solar power strategy combines large-scale projects with community initiatives, featuring floating solar farms, and panels on temples, schools and rural homes.
But there is still a long way to go. Thailand's energy grids continue to rely heavily on fossil fuel, making up approximately 70 percent of the country's power, while only around 29 percent comes from renewable sources.
Amid the general gloom of climate change, pollution and a global energy crisis, Thailand's story is generally changing. The plot of sustainability is now emerging not as a distant ideal, but as a vivid, urgent reality for this country.
Chasing the sun: China's footprint on Thailand's energy landscape
The Chinese government has stepped up its ecological conservation and green development efforts this year, with new policies aimed at ensuring harmony between humanity and nature as the country modernizes.
To upgrade its legal system for ecological protection, China this year has adopted a new Ecological and Environmental Code, a new National Parks Law and revised Regulations on Nature Reserves.
China has also started implementing its stricter ambient air quality standards since March and is taking measures in key counties to tackle pollution and stagnant water in small water bodies, and remove heavy metal pollution from agricultural soil.
"Building a beautiful China is a major strategic effort being made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, taking into account the overall situation of modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature as well as people's aspirations for a better life. It requires us to reject the short-sighted approach of draining the pond to catch the fish and the practice of leaving ecological deficits to future generations. Instead, it asks us to shoulder the historical responsibility of benefiting generations to come by laying a solid ecological foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This is not only a change in the development paradigm, but also an innovation in the concept of civilization," said Li Hongwei, a professor at the Social and Ecological Civilization Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.
In addition to national measures, countless local projects are also underway to address specific issues.
Jiangsu Province in east China has established the country's first application and service system presenting real-time 3D visualizations of the province and its cities and counties to provide digital support for targeted ecological governance.
In east China's Jiangxi and Zhejiang, a number of protection and restoration projects for abandoned mines and marine ecosystems are accelerating.
"Now, we have started the application process for Shan-Shui Initiative projects, encouraging and guiding neighboring provinces to break down boundaries, plan and jointly apply for cross-provincial Shan-Shui Initiative projects for the same natural geographical unit, and carry out inter-provincial prevention and control efforts around national ecological security barriers such as the Three Eco-zones and Four Shelterbelts," said Zhang Jianjun, deputy director general of the Department of Territorial Space Ecological Restoration at the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The Shan-Shui Initiative, which translates as "mountains and rivers" initiative, is China's ambitious country-wide effort to restore 10 million hectares of natural spaces, including mountains, forests, grasslands and waterways, by 2030.
The Three Eco-zones and Four Shelterbelts are the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Eco-zone, the Yellow River Eco-zone (including the Loess Plateau Ecological Barrier), the Yangtze River Eco-zone (including the Sichuan-Yunnan Ecological Barrier), and the Northeast, North, South, and Coastal Shelterbelts.
This year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will push for implementing ultra-low emission standards for 100 million tons of cement clinker production and 50 million tons of coking production.
In the meantime, the ministry will promote the building of more zero-carbon industrial parks and factories, revise regulations for the management of carbon emission trading, and continue increasing supply for the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market.
China has already seen fruitful results from its ecological conservation efforts this year.
The Xiliao River, once the only major river among China's seven major river systems to suffer long-term drought, has seen full spring water flow return for the second consecutive year, signaling new progress in the ecological recovery of the river basin.
The latest satellite remote-sensing images show that in some sections, the water area has increased from less than 5 percent of the waterway in 2024 to 90 percent today.
The rising water levels over the past two years have also led to the return of migratory birds and other ecological improvements.
Progress has also been made in biodiversity. This year, a breakthrough has been made in wild reproduction of the Chinese sturgeon, a group of endangered Baer's pochards were released into the wild for the first time in the world by Chinese biologists, and the populations of giant pandas, crested ibises, and Hainan gibbons continue to recover.
On the consumption front, China has improved a trade-in subsidies program for consumers choosing to upgrade to energy-efficient home appliances.
Meanwhile, a national campaign to double the number of charging facilities for electric vehicles in three years is in full swing, with a goal of establishing a nationwide network of 28 million charging facilities by the end of 2027 to meet the needs of more than 80 million electric vehicles.
China intensifies conservation, green development programs
