With 88 solar and wind power plants going to join the national grid by June, Vietnam’s renewable energy industry is taking shape.

Vietnam has set a target of raising renewable energy production from 58 billion kWh in 2015 to 101 billion kWh in 2020, 186 billion kWh in 2030, and 452 billion kWh in 2050.

Korean investors are keen to invest in renewable energy due to its potential and the incentives that Vietnam has offered to foreign investors, an HSBC official has said.

The central province of Ninh Thuan aims to become the renewable-energy centre of the country, with assistance from the central government's preferential policies.

At noon, when the temperature reaches 37oC, the solar panels on the roof of Hoang Long’s house in Nha Be district, HCMC run at full capacity.

Eunyoung Jung, CEO of HSBC South Korea, speaks to Việt Nam News reporter Bo Xuan Hiep about the favourable investment climate in Vietnam and South Korea’s plan to pour more money into the country.

Rising concerns about the environment and livelihoods are setting barriers to developing solar energy in Vietnam, experts stressed yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Renewable energy usage is becoming more common among households in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau.

Le Van Luc, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Electricity and Renewable Energy in Vietnam tells Hải Quan (Customs) newspaper that it will take at least a decade for the nation to achieve full energy security.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have been advised to seek funds from the private sector to invest in energy-saving lighting and ensure sustainable lighting for its cities and provinces. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam must work closer together to make the shift to using more renewable energy.

Biogas is a vast energy source, worth VND30 trillion a year, but it is being wasted in Vietnam, Bui Xuan An from the Vietnam Biogas Association (VBA), said. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam needs an enormous amount of energy to feed its development, but relying on coal and hydropower is not the answer, and with new measures still at an early stage, 

VietNamNet Bridge - Ninh Thuan provincial authorities have decided to cancel nuclear power development and reserve land for renewable energy projects such as solar power. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Coal-fired power causes pollution, but hydropower potential and wind power have not been fully exploited in Vietnam. 

VietNamNet Bridge - With total capacity of 197 MW, the Vietnamese wind power market is still in an early stage of development.

Considered a country with great potential for solar and wind power, Vietnam continues to be one of the 12 ‘hotspots’ in the globe for coal-fired power development.

Vietnam has seen a boom in renewable energy projects, in a bid to meet the nation’s future demands for power, after the Government scrapped plans to build a nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan Province.

GreenID has  pointed out risks that Vietnam will face if it continues developing coal-fired power projects.

VietNamNet Bridge - Geothermal energy can be economically efficient and environmentally friendly, scientists say.