Vietnam urged to explore renewable energy

Vietnam urged to explore renewable energy

The Vietnam Energy Association said Vietnam has huge potential for renewable
energy which can account for 43% of total energy used in the country by 2050
if it is invested wisely.

According to VEA's report at a recent international conference on new
technologies in renewable energy, Vietnam has huge potential in energy from
biomass and waste.

Vietnam can produce up to 1 billion kWh in 2020 and 6 billion kWh in 2050
from waste.

The total amount of energy Vietnam can produce from biomass and waste can
reach up to 9 billion kWh in 2020 and 80 billion kWh in 2050.

The solar and wind farm projects are also being expanded. However, such
projects need huge investment while electricity prices are low.

A KWh of wind power is sold only for seven to eight US cents. Bui Van Thinh,
chairman of Binh Thuan Wind Energy Association said this was the lowest
price in the region.

They can hardly compete with hydropower or thermal power plants.

Wind power in Vietnam also has plenty of rooms to grow especially in the
Mekong Delta and South Central Coast. Vietnam has about 1,300
household-sized wind farms, most of them placed in the southern region.

The potential for wind energy and the wind farm models for households are
opportunities and challenges for Vietnam.

VEA also said that many provinces, from Danang City southwards, have long
days with 2,000 to 2,500 sunny hours a year and this is an ideal environment
to develop both huge and household-sized solar plants.

VEA estimated that Vietnam will produce 101 billion kWh of renewable energy
in 2020 and 452 billion kWh in 2050, accounting for 43% of the total energy
in Vietnam.

VEA Chairman Tran Viet Ngai said, "There are still many obstacles such as
high investment and low prices. In order to replace hydropower and thermal
power with renewable energy, the government should offer more support
policies and land and tax incentives to reduce the costs of importing spare
parts and equipment."

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Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/174706/vietnam-urged-to-explore
-renewable-energy.html

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com