H2 technology firm Enapter AG and its partners have launched a project to create Southeast Asia's first green hydrogen learning centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The projects aims to turn Northern Thailand into a knowledge hub for green hydrogen and create energy professionals trained to integrate hydrogen into the country's energy mix.
The company has said that the project will be a partnership between Enapter, the German state-owned organisation GIZ, and Chiang Mai University's Energy Research and Development Institute of Nakornping (ERDI). The green hydrogen knowledge hub in Chiang Mai will consist of a training centre developing and offering hands-on courses using state-of-the art technology, and a unique green hydrogen demonstration site.
By training project developers, integrators and other energy professionals, the centre will enable the growth of hydrogen infrastructure in the region, promote regional cooperation and help position Chiang Mai and Thailand as pioneers in modular hydrogen system technology, according to Enapter.
Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, Chairman of Enapter AG, commented, "Every new technology first goes through a learning phase. The doubts that arise at the beginning can be reliably dispelled with education and knowledge transfer. This project will act like a green hydrogen lighthouse for the region and make Thailand, and especially Chiang Mai, known as a knowledge centre in hydrogen, even beyond the country's borders."
The project builds on the progress made by Phi Suea House in Chiang Mai, a multi-house residence that in 2015 became the world's first self-sustaining development powered by a clean energy system based on hydrogen energy storage. The European Commission in 2021 named it as one of 32 "Hydrogen Valley" large-scale hydrogen flagship projects around the world.
Phi Suea House was developed by Enapter CEO Sebastian-Justus Schmidt to showcase combined solar and green hydrogen tech feasibility – and has evolved into a hub of hydrogen activity and a technology prototyping sandbox. It will be part of the partnership to set up the knowledge centre, Enapter has said.
It is to be noted that Thailand has set ambitious decarbonization goals, and sees hydrogen, especially renewable energy based green hydrogen, as a key element in achieving these targets.
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