by Dr. Iain
Corness
Hans-Dieter
Westphal is the managing director of a new company in Pattaya, called
ReTech Energy. This is a new string to his bow, as he is also in the MD
position in the well established Rieckermann Thai Engineering. He is a
busy, but very excited workaholic, who is revelling in the new challenges
provided by his new company and the field that it is in.
Known as Hans, “Only my mother calls me
Hans-Dieter,” he is a German who has spent more time in Thailand than he
ever did in his native country, but still speaks English with a
discernable Germanic inflection, in what is otherwise perfect English
expression. He also tells a mean joke or several, often mocking his own
background!
Despite always being an optimist, Hans began the
interview saying, “The end is near!” The end that he is referring to
is the availability of fossil fuels, not just in Thailand, but in the
world. In fact, he believes that even before the world’s oil wells run
dry, it will have become so expensive as to become uneconomic as a fuel
source.
ReTech Energy he describes as his “brain-child”
after applying his engineering thought to the energy source problem. “I
observed there was nothing being done about renewable energies in
Thailand. All countries are only starting now, as the oil prices rise.
Fossil energy will have run out in 40 years,” said Hans, with the
finality of someone who knows what they are talking about. “Hydrogen
will be the fuel of the future,” he said. “Hydrogen comes from water
(two hydrogens and one oxygen) and water is available abundantly.”
(Other than just before Songkran if you lived in Jomtien!) According to
Hans, there are still problems associated with hydrogen, as apparently
storage is very critical, with the tanks having to withstand 700 bar
pressure.
But it is renewable energies that have Hans excited.
“Wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, hydro-power, Biomass, Biogas and solid
waste,” all came rolling off his tongue as he launched into full sail.
“I saw the opening in the Thai market, so I source the technologies in
the world market and supply to the Thai market. I want to supply the
technology and the plant for renewable energies.”
For Hans, the future in renewable energies is in
Biogas, Biomass and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), dismissing wind power;
“It’s too limited in this country,” and solar; “The price of solar
panels is too high, so the power ratio is not good enough yet.”
As it was obvious that I was not as ‘au fait’ with
all the energy terminologies as Hans, and I was a ‘captive audience’,
Hans began his afternoon lessons! “Thailand is blessed with Biomass,
because of the agriculture. Tapioca, corn and sugar cane (processing) have
been producing waste which has been polluting Thailand for a long time.
They treat the wastewater which produces methane gas which then pollutes
the air and is 32 times more dangerous to the atmosphere than CO2. With
our technology we digest the organic matter in the wastewater and collect
the Biogas, which runs a gas engine generator to produce heat and
electrical power. There’s so much electricity there’s enough to sell
it to the national grid,” said Hans triumphantly. By this stage, I was
starting to understand that Hans might be on to something good here! I
began to get excited too.
But Hans’ renewable energy sources do not stop with
just wastewater from agricultural by-products. “Bangkok produces 10,000
tons of waste a day,” says Hans. “You can get 30 megawatts of
electricity from one thousand tons.”
Hans has certainly thrown himself into this new project
with an enormous amount of enthusiasm; in fact I have never seen Hans more
fired up. “This field is very, very exciting. It’s very logical.
Forget about the past – the petrol nozzle is finished! We supply
boilers, power plants, gas engines – in the end, it’s all waste to
energy.” This concept is now being seen as very important by the Thai
government, as well as by the rest of the world, and Hans Westphal’s
ReTech Energy fits in well with the Kyoto Protocol, which will be a very
significant factor in the coming decade.
Hans admits that to use these new technologies there is
an up-front cost factor, but can show that the initial investment is
recouped within 30 months.
In an interview with Hans a couple of years ago he was
very specific, citing the problems associated with the “farang”
viewpoint, tainted by generous social securities handouts. “You educate
people the wrong way into thinking you can succeed without hard work. You
have to sacrifice personal enjoyment. (He himself has not taken holidays
for many years.) You have to work hard and look deeply into the culture of
your host country.”
As he strongly advocates integration, I asked him if he
felt more German or Thai, within his own mind? “I have lived longer in
Thailand than in Germany, and I may have blended in. You have to find a
good mixture to be able to work in this multi-national community and carry
no cultural burdens. I am German – I could have changed my nationality
years ago, but I don’t think it is necessary.” He shows a strong
truth-seeking side to his nature, but admits he was not born with this
philosophical attitude. “I think it has a lot to do with the environment
you live in. From day one I liked the Thai people. I live in this
culture.”
So that self-same work ethic is now taking Hans
Westphal and his ReTech Energy right into the heart of the necessary
renewable energy fields. “Renewable energy is not new,” said Hans at
the end of the interview. Fossil energy is what was new – and we have
used it all up in 100 years – energy that nature took millions of years
to produce!”
Listen to Hans Westphal for a few minutes, and you will be convinced
too.
