Thailand is endowed with solar energy all year long. According to the Solar Map carried out by the Department of Energy Development and Promotion (DEDP) and Silpakorn University in 1999, most areas in Thailand received maximum energy from the sunlight in April to May, ranging from 20-24 Megajoules (MJ)/m 2 /day. The Northern region and part of the central region of Thailand annually received the most intensive energy with an average of 20 MJ/m2/day. These areas accounted for 14 % of the country s total area. In addition, about half of the total area received 18-19 MJ/m 2 /day. For the whole country, the average energy from the sunlight amounted to 18 MJ/m 2 /day. The potential for exploiting solar energy in Thailand is thus considerable.