Almost two years since it was issued, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Decision No.11/2017/QD-TTg on mechanisms to encourage the development of solar power projects in Vietnam has created a magnet for investors in this field.
Last April, a complex of three solar power plants with the total capacity of 330 MWp was inaugurated in the south central province of Ninh Thuan. Invested in by BIM Energy of BIM Group and AC Energy of the Philippines’s Ayala Corp., it is Southeast Asia’s biggest solar power complex at present.
A view of solar panels of the Cat Hiep solar power plant in Cat Hiep commune of Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province (Photo: VNA)
In January, the Solar 1 factory of the BP Solar JSC in Ninh Thuan officially generated electricity for the national grid. With the capacity of 46MWp, it is designed to produce some 75 million kWh each year.
Aside from big investors, solar power development has also attracted many households.
With just a few rooftop solar panels, many households have been able to generate enough electricity not just for daily use, but also to put towards the national grid. Solar power, bought at VND2,134 (USD0.09) per kWh, has become a source of income for a number of families.
Nguyen Ngoc Tuong Vi, a division head at the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, said the firm has connected 1,432 rooftop solar power systems of local households with the city’s grid. They have the total capacity of 17.46MWp, generating more than 4 million kWh to the grid.
The sector has spent more than 8.5 billion VND on buying the electricity from locals, she noted.
Deputy Director General of the Southern Power Corporation Nguyen Van Ly said his firm had linked more than 1,290 household rooftop systems with the national grid as of mid-May. With their panels’ total capacity of 20,299kWp, they have generated nearly 3 million kWh of power.
He added that the corporation will step up communications to encourage people to install more rooftop solar panels in the time ahead.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 121 solar power projects have been added to the national and provincial electricity development plans. They are expected to have the combined capacity of 6,100 MW before 2020./.