Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnameselocalities are taking measures to attract more investment in renewable energy,especially solar power.
According to the Government’s targets, solarpower is expected to become the main renewable energy source in the future,with installed capacity to be increased from 6-7 MW by the end of 2017 to 850MW by 2020 (1.6 percent of the country’s power generation) and 12,000 MW by2030 (3.3 percent of the country’s power generation).
Vietnam is among countries that enjoy themost sunlight in the world, with the Central Highlands and south centralregions recording between 2,000 and 2,600 hours of sunshine every year,reported the Vietnam Clean Energy Association.
Average solar radiation is 150 kcal/sq.m,about 2,000 to 5,000 hours per year. However, the exploitation of solar powerin Vietnam has not matched the great potential.
Most solar projects are small scale. Forexample, An Hoi photovoltaic power plant, the first solar power projectconnected to the Con Dao grid in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province since late2014, has a capacity of only 36 kWp and electric power of over 50 MWh.
Experts suggested Vietnam take advantage ofabundant sunlight by building more solar power plants. According to them, withnon-renewable fuel sources running out and demand for electricity for daily useand economic development remaining high, developing clean and renewable energy isa must.
Together with the policy of renewable energydevelopment, there should be a pricing mechanism to attract investors, theysaid.-VNA