The Energy Ministry yesterday launched a green-Earth campaign by replacing ordinary fluorescent light bulbs with the more eco-friendly T5 bulbs at 875 government offices across the nation.
This year, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand expects to replace 1 million conventional light bulbs with the T5 bulbs.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday told civil servants of his concerns about the planet, and called on everyone to lend a helping hand by saving on energy. Using T5 bulbs can help cut down energy consumption by 30 per cent, and using 1 million of these bulbs would help the country save Bt100 million in energy bills per year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18,000 tonnes per year.
The Energy Conservation Fund's board yesterday also approved a Bt3.2 billion budget for the 2010 fiscal year, of which Bt1 billion is allocated to promote alternative energy and Bt2 billion on energy efficiency programmes.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said that from late next month, B3 diesel formula, 3 per cent of which is biodiesel, would be made available.
The ministry has given its Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency the job of coordinating with the Commerce and Agriculture Ministries and increasing production of B100 biodiesel, which will be used to create the B3 formula. This way, demand for B100 biodiesel would rise from 1.618 million litres a day to 2 million litres a day.
In addition, increasing the proportion of biodiesel in B3 to 3 per cent would not create a shortage because there are 14 B100 biodiesel plants that have an annual production capacity of 5.6 million litres.
Also, increasing the level of biodiesel in the B3 formula would also help palm farmers to have a long-term market.
