The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Dragon Capital Group and the HCMC Energy Conservation Centre on July 1 announced their support for an initiative to develop rooftop solar systems in Vietnam.

The programme is designed to produce clean and reliable energy to be used at sites in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai provinces.

The first phase of the initiative, known as ‘Supporting Southern Vietnam Solar Photovoltaic Development (Solar Hub)’, is funded by the UK government’s Prosperity Fund and will last until March next year.

Under the project, technical support will be offered to selected rooftop solar power systems to conduct pre-feasibility studies, solar radiance resource measurement, and financial viability evaluations.

Andrew Holt, Head of Prosperity at the British Embassy in Vietnam said the Solar Hub project would demonstrate real impacts on the uptake of solar power in Vietnam and help make the case for investment in renewable energy sources.

Director of Dragon Capital Clean Development Gavin Smith said the project would make a positive contribution to encouraging private sector investment in solar energy.

He noted the group was pleased to support this project and to assist in making HCMC the solar capital of Vietnam.

Director of Energy Conservation Centre Huynh Kim Tuoc said he believed that this FCO-funded project would be implemented effectively in southern Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.

According to Tuoc, after the successful implementation of the Pilot Programme for Supporting Mechanisms of Solar Photovoltaic Investment in 2015, HCMC now has more than 1MWp of installed solar power.

In 2016, the market continues its impressive growth with more than 2.5MWp of installed capacity from corporate investments.

The UK government has allocated around GBP1.1 million in the 2016-17 financial year to fund projects that aim to promote energy security and lower carbon energy, and foster an open and transparent business environment.

Source: Nhan dan