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Meet the Thai village that uses poop to power homes

Friday, August 5, 2016 - 13:25

Nestled in a deep pocket of forest that lies off Thailand's electrical grid, villagers in Pa Deng have become early adopters and evangelists for an unusual alternative energy source: poop.

[PA DENG, Thailand] Nestled in a deep pocket of forest that lies off Thailand's electrical grid, villagers in Pa Deng have become early adopters and evangelists for an unusual alternative energy source: poop.



"At first we didn't believe it," he told AFP from outside his wooden home, which is surrounded by fruit trees and under the shadow of a mountain range that lines Thailand's western border with Myanmar.

But with no access to state power lines and plenty of cow manure to go around, Mr Wisut and his neighbours reasoned it was worth a try.




"It's nothing complicated, just put the food and waste in," explained Kosol Saengthong, the leader of the network. "And then the gas will come".

While Pa Deng is powered solely by green energy sources, the rest of Thailand runs chiefly on oil, coal and natural gas - much of it imported.



Consumption is also heavily skewed.

Most of the power is funnelled to sprawling Bangkok, where some of the capital's luxury malls suck up more energy than entire provinces.

But compared to its impoverished neighbours, Thailand is a leading investor in renewables and plans to increase its reliance on clean-burning fuels from 12 per cent to 25 per cent in the next five years.

Groups like World Wildlife Fund say it could be setting its sights much higher, with a recent report laying out a future that would have the country operating on 100 per cent renewables by 2050.

Phirat Inphanich, a policy analyst at Thailand's Energy Ministry, agrees the kingdom could be making better use of its resources.

"Thailand is the land of renewable energy," he told AFP. "You can walk anywhere, especially in rural areas, and you will see things that can be turned into energy".



"If any Thais are still hesitating to make their own energy, just look at (Pa Deng) as an example," he said.



"So we decided to send our own villagers to learn how to fix the panels ourselves", said Mr Kosol, the group's leader.

The villagers reached out to academics and travelled to factories and research centres, where they offered fruit from their gardens in exchange for lessons on how to harness other forms of renewable sources - like the biogas tanks.


"I was surpised at how kind and eager people were to share knowledge with me. Now that it's my turn to teach, I will do the same," Mr Kosol said during a recent seminar held in the village.

But not everyone in the area is sold.


"Those who aren't interested in our ideas still want electric poles from the government," said Kosol, who believes that would waste unnecessary money and energy.


"I don't think we need air conditioning or a refrigerator," he told AFP, adding that he sees little to envy about life in noisy, bright Bangkok.

"There is no night time there," he said.


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