It is the first academic institution in Southeast Asia to use smart grid technology in tandem with solar cells to generate its own electricity.

Smart grids employ information and communications technology to allow an energy system to manage power with higher efficiency throughout a grid. A smart grid is an essential component in managing and distributing power from renewable sources, helping optimize power generation by communicating between consumer demands and electricity generators.

At University of Phayao, electricity is generated on campus from solar cells and managed via the smart grid system that results in substantial cost savings. 

Phayao University’s School of Energy and Environment (SEEN) is the only university in the region with programs in energy management and smart grid technology that offers master and doctoral degrees. SEEN is playing a role in smart-grid pilot projects in neighboring Laos and further afield in the Philippines with the aim of expanding the use of that technology in the energy-hungry 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

According to thaiembdc.org and khaosodenglish.com