Since founding renewable energy company Energy Absolute (EA) in 2006, Somphote Ahunai has become one of Thailand's wealthiest individuals, with a net worth of about US$4 billion at its peak in 2022 (since then, this has been adjusted to $2.1 billion at the end of 2023). Formerly a securities trader, he took the company public in 2013 and has since built EA into a conglomerate comprising more than 50 companies.

Under his leadership, EA is pioneering the production of Thai-made electric vehicles, and also operates the largest battery factory in ASEAN, marking a substantial contribution to the region's energy and automotive sectors. Mine Mobility and Absolute Assembly, two subsidiaries of EA, produce electric cars and electric buses, respectively. A third, Energy Mahanakorn, has built more than 2000 charging stations for electric cars in Thailand. BCPG, the energy-generation unit of the conglomerate, has built solar and wind farms across the country.