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Mae Chan

Solar power plant in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Approximate location 20.225, 99.975.

SolarChiang RaiThailand

Mae Chan is a 10 MW solar power plant in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #129 of 238 Thailand power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 5.3% of Thailand's electricity; the national grid averages 546 gCO₂/kWh (16.6% low-carbon) (2025).

10Legacy source-record capacity
4,042homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0062076.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMae Chan WRI
CountryThailand · Chiang Rai WRI
Coordinates20.225, 99.975 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity10 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#129 of 238 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#33 of 141 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.28× · 7 MW median · 141 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,042 calculated
Climate25.3°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 10 MW, Mae Chan is well above the median solar plant in Thailand (7 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Thailand

Nakhon Sawan Solar Power Plant: 101 MW101Nakhon Saw…Phitsanulok Solar Power Plant: 101 MW101Phitsanulo…Lampang Solar Power Plant: 90 MW90Lampang So…Lopburi - NED Solar Power Plant: 55 MW55Lopburi - …Prakhon Chai: 50 MW50Prakhon Ch…Lopburi SSP: 40 MW40Lopburi SSPSai Phet Solar Power Plant: 29 MW29Sai Phet S…Bangchak III: 25 MW25Bangchak I…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.3°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,669cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
426 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 21 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 26 °CON: 23 °CND: 21 °CD28 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.2% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
7.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
479 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #33 largest solar power plant of 141 in Thailand by capacity.

Thailand has 141 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 1,416 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.225, 99.975 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mae Chan?

Mae Chan is a 10 MW source-record solar power plant in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

How many homes can Mae Chan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,042 homes (estimated).

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