Hello again!
For this post,
let's take a look at the solar energy potential in Vietnam. Like I mentioned in
my other posts, I think that solar energy could yield positive outcomes in
emerging economies.
Note
that the references are rather restricted, since there has been little research
on renewable energy and environmental issues in Vietnam. The deficit in the
literature has been recognised and many researchers are now turning to Vietnam
as a case study.
-
This blog post was adapted from an on-going, unpublished literature review by
Nguyen and Diep (unpublished).
With a year-round high
solar radiation of 4 to 5.2 kWh/m2/day in most provinces,
Vietnam has great potential to harness solar energy for a sustainable future
(Nguyen, 2005). Trinh (2009) estimated the solar energy production potential in
Vietnam to be 43.9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) per year.
 |
| http://www.vietnam-travel-guide.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vietnam-map.jpg |
The solar energy potential varies spatially across Vietnam
(Table 1) (Polo et al, 2015). The current installed capacity in Vietnam is
estimated to be 1.5-1.6 MWp (Dang, 2012). The cumulative installed capacity up
to 2012 was ~1.5-1.6 MWp, where 25-30% was applied to rural areas in the form
of stand-alone systems. There is a lot of scope for Vietnam implement
grid-connected PV systems, which is only currently in the demonstration phase
(Dang, 2012).
Table 1 - Annual average solar energy density and number of
sun-shining hours in various sub-zones (Source: Dang, 2012)
Territory
|
Annual average solar energy (kcal/cm2/year)
|
Annual average number of shining
hours (hrs/year)
|
North-East
|
100-125
|
1,500-1,700
|
North-West
|
125-150
|
1,750-1,900
|
North-Central
|
140-160
|
1,700-2,000
|
South-Central and
West Highlands
|
150-175
|
2,000-2,600
|
South
|
130-150
|
2,200-2,500
|
Country Average
|
130-152
|
1,830-2,450
|
Solar energy potential
in Vietnam is relatively good, with photovoltaic (PV) installations increasing
over the last decade (Table 2). However, the main types of systems in place are
currently stand-alone technologies. The grid-connected PV technology is
still under development phase in Vietnam (Trinh, 2009). Unfortunately, many PV
modules in Vietnam are imported, with the effect of raising investment costs of
solar electric power projects in Vietnam (Nguyen, 2005). Thus, most solar
electric power projects have only been applied on small scales. On the other
hand, solar heat projects has seen more successes and developed significantly
throughout the country in recent years (Dang, 2012).
Table 2 - Development of PV applications in Vietnam
(source: Trinh, 2009)
DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAIC
APPLICATIONS IN VIETNAM
|
||||
Year
|
Photovoltaic application
|
Number
|
Installed capacity (Wp)
|
Total capacity (kWp)
|
1989-2008
|
Solar home system
|
4,000
|
22 - 100
|
314,010
|
1989-2008
|
Public systems
|
152
|
100 - 300
|
30,394
|
1989-2008
|
Medical centre
|
24
|
150 - 300
|
3,450
|
1990-2008
|
Telecommunication systems
|
2,000
|
500 - 3,000
|
1,000,000
|
1996-2000
|
Radio telephone
|
2
|
75 - 100
|
0.175
|
1995-2008
|
Forest guard station
|
90
|
100 - 1,000
|
32,000
|
1989-2008
|
Cultural & battery charging centre
|
80
|
300 - 3,200
|
52,000
|
1990-2008
|
Navigation beacon
|
1,300
|
50 - 150
|
45,000
|
1995-2008
|
Satellite receiver
|
50
|
500 - 4,000
|
100,000
|
2000-2003
|
Solar boat
|
2
|
250 - 640
|
0.890
|
2002-2006
|
Solar power plant
|
2
|
100 - 154
|
254,000
|
2005-2008
|
Solar villa/housr roof
|
7
|
1,000 - 4,000
|
11,200
|
1999-2008
|
Solar school
|
23
|
200 - 1,000
|
12,250
|
1989-2008
|
Street lamps
|
200
|
50 - 160
|
50,000
|
2001
|
Solar ambulance
|
1
|
500
|
0.500
|
1990-2008
|
Water pumping
|
3
|
100 - 500
|
1,900
|
1989-2008
|
National park
|
12
|
200 - 1,000
|
5,000
|
1989-2008
|
Solar lantern
|
42
|
10 - 200
|
3,356
|
2004-2008
|
Public lighting
|
100
|
50 - 200
|
8,000
|
Total
|
2,407,175
|
|||
Source: Trinh, 2009
|
||||
In relation to solar
implementation, the cooperative work between the New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organisation of Japan and the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Environment of Vietnam, worked to develop the first solar power
plant in 1999 and supported the installation of renewable energy sources at the
Muang Giang district of Gialai province, Vietnam (Trinh, 2009). This
represented a hybrid renewable energy model, 100 kWp of solar power and 25 kW
of micro hydropower. According to Dang (2012), the biggest solar installation
was the National Conference Hall, with 154 kWp of solar power using
grid-connected technology (financed by Germany’s official development
assistance). The other demonstration system for grid-connected PV is installed
on the building of the MoIT (12 kWp) (Dang, 2012).
At present, the most
common application is the stand-alone solar PV system, for rural consumption
and for public facilities e.g. schools, clinics etc (Dung, 2009) (Table 3).
Optimistically,
PV-generators can be combined with other energy generators (wind-turbines,
hydro turbines etc.) to form stand-alone hybrid systems (Dung, 2009). This is
often a useful approach when there is a higher demand to satisfy, ensuring
continuous electric loads (Trinh, 2009). Common applications include telecom
stations and rural village power plants (Dang, 2012).
In terms of
manufacturing, Red Sun (Mat Troi Do) was the first factory to manufacture PV
modules in Vietnam, opened in March 2009 at Long An province (annual capacity
~3-5 MWp) (Trinh, 2009). Other active manufacturers are SolarBK, IREX, Systech
etc.
Table
3 - Applications of stand-alone PV systems in Vietnam (source: Dang,
2012)
Application
|
Technical details
|
Loads
|
Market share
|
Solar home system – Rural
|
PV
module: 50-70 Wp
Battery:
12V – (50-70) Ah, lead acid
|
Energy
saving lights 12 VDC – 12 W Rural – TV, radio etc.
|
~10-15%
|
Solar PV for rural community
facilities
|
PV
module: 400-5,000 Wp
Battery:
(12, 24, 48) V – (200-2,000) Ah, lead acid
|
Lighting
lamps, TV, radio, amplifier, other equipment
|
~15-20%
|
Lighting
|
-
|
LED
lighting; lighting signal lamps in the sea; street communication lighting
signals…
|
~30%
|
Final Remarks:
The solar energy
potential in Vietnam is very high. Recently, there have been discussions to
align Vietnam on a sustainable development trajectory (Pham and Tran, 2013).
With the recent Green Technology and Sustainable Development Conference held in
Ho Chi Minh City in 2014, finding alternatives to fossil fuels is a key concern
for Vietnam, since the country will be one of the most vulnerable in the world
to climate change. Nguyen et al (2014) was one of the first to provide an
analysis of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuel technology and its opportunities and
challenges for Vietnam. Vietnam's energy future is a dynamic one and I look forward
to seeing how the country transforms its energy sector in the future.
References:
-
This blog post was adapted from an on-going, unpublished literature review by
Nguyen and Diep (unpublished).
- Dang (2012) Solar PV
Technology in Vietnam: Application Status and Problems and Future
http://media.nmm.de/56/5e-dangdinhthong-solarenergyinvn-enerexpo2012s_26188956.pdf
- Dung, T.Q. (2009). The
2nd Greater Mekong Sub-region Conference, 8-9 September 2009, Thailand.
- Nguyen, L. D. L., Diep, L. T. K., Ennis, C.,
(2014). Converting Co2 Back To Hydrocarbon Fuels: Opportunities And
Challenges For Vietnam. Published in the proceedings for the International
Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development, held in Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam in October 2014.
- Nguyen, T. V., Lee, H. C., Akhtar, S.,
Kim, K. J., & Yang, O. (2013, June). Hochiminh City University of
Technology, Hochiminh City, Vietnam. InPhotovoltaic Specialists Conference
(PVSC), 2013 IEEE 39th (pp. 2738-2741). IEEE.
- Nguyen, Q. K. (2005). Long term
optimization of energy supply and demand in Vietnam with special reference to
the potential of renewable energy (Doctoral dissertation, Universität
Oldenburg).
- Pham and Tran (2013) 3rd International
Workshop: Integrated Foresight for Sustainable Economic Development and
Eco-Resilience in ASEAN countries, Hanoi, 4-5 April 2013
- Polo, J., Gastón, M.,
Vindel, J. M., & Pagola, I. (2015). Spatial variability and clustering of
global solar irradiation in Vietnam from sunshine duration measurements. Renewable
and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 1326-1334.
- Trinh (2009) Photovoltaic technology
and solar energy development in Viet Nam http://www.techmonitor.net/tm/images/6/63/09nov_dec_sf3.pdf
Excellent and helpful post… I am so glad to left comment on this.
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