A roof-top solar power system is installed on a house in central Vietnam (Photo: VNA) Da Nang (VNS/VNA) - Despite the impact of the COVID-19pandemic and many countries limiting customs clearance, solar power enterpriseswith manufacturing plants in Vietnam are still taking advantage of the domesticmarket to serve customers and sustain growth.
Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Chief Business Officer and representativeof the HCM City-based Bach Khoa Solar Energy Company (SolarBK), said variousCOVID-19 solutions had been offered to preserve the market from damage from thepandemic.
She said the global spread of COVID-19 had boosted thePhotovoltaic (PV) market in Vietnam this year since the social distance orderhad restricted trade, while solar panels were imported from foreign countries.
“Our company has offered two solutions – the BigK solarpower, BigK Basic and BigK Advance – to meet the need of customers since March2020. It means that a household that installed a system of 4KWp of the BigKBasic solution would earn its breakeven point in four years and eight months,two months shorter than before,” Quỳnh said.
“The above solutions were considered a safe and effectiveinvestment channel during the peak power consumption in the dry season nextmonth,” she said.
She said with the new purchase price from the Government,many customers have become interested in BigK solutions to ease powerconsumption in summer, and SolarBK could provide competitive made-in-Vietnam PVpanels to reduce investment for households and provide a favourable guaranteepolicy as well.
Quynh added that many businesses had suffered heavy damage aseconomic activities were suspended due to COVID-19, but banks could offer loansfor customers.
According to independent research by the Vietnam NationalEconomics University, if the COVID-19 pandemic lasts until the end of June,September or the end of the year, 6.1 percent of Vietnamese enterprises wouldmaintain their operation, while 19.3 percent will have to reduce productionscale. Meanwhile 39.3 percent would go bankrupt.
The stock market is now risky as Vietnam’s economy could fallinto the red, while different countries had to shut down their markets in orderto limit the spread of COVID-19.
Deputy General Director of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN)’sHCM City branch Bui Trung Kien said power use increased more than in previousyears during the social distancing order.
He said students and labourers had to stay at home as theirschools and workplaces were forced to shut down.
He said that EVN indicated the power consumption nationwidein March had increased by 8.55 percent over the same period last year. Twoeconomic hubs – Hanoi and HCM City – had 17 percent and 13 percent rises,respectively
He said household solar power installation could help savehome power use cost during the social distancing period.
Recently, the Prime Minister also issued Decision 13/2020 /QD-TTg (known as Decision 13) on the incentive programme to encouragedevelopment of solar energy in Vietnam
It offers the buyback rate of PV rooftop at 1,943 VND per KWh(0.0935 USD per KWh) for all solar power projects operating after June 30, 2019and December 31, 2020. The decision has earned confidence and encouragementamong solar power investors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nguyen Dinh Chien, a customer in Tan Binh district, HCM City,said he decided to install a roof-top solar power system to gain benefits fromthe government’s solar power buy-back policy, while reducing power use costs.
“My family uses on average 600 kWh of power each month, so aBigK 3kWp roof-top solar power system would help reduce half of power cost fromthe Government’s solar power buy-back policy,” he said./.
VNA
