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Vietnam slow to develop green energy sources; experts
Vietnam’s development of environmentally friendly alternative energy sources is still slow due to the lack of effective policies and support from the government, said a top scientist recently.
With a water shortage and rapid exhaustion of coal reserves for hydroelectricity and thermoelectricity, Vietnam is in need of alternative green energy sources.
But, the country has “no clear, comprehensive policy” for alternative energy, said Dang Dinh Thong, director of the Center for Renewable Energy Research at Hanoi’s Technology University.
Meanwhile, its neighboring countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, have all advocated the issue five to seven years ago, he added
Lack of proper care
Although local scientists have done research projects on the development of permanent energies in Vietnam, these projects are still faced with indifference from authorities.
“When establishing policies, concerned authorities usually ask for scientists’ reference material, but then the information is usually not taken into account,” said Mr. Thong.
Besides, renewable sources of energy require the government’s financial support to reduce the costs of implementation, he stressed.
Solar hope
Right now, clean and limitless solar electricity, of which Vietnam has only a total capacity of 1.2 Megawatts so far, is the most suitable to use, Mr. Thong said.
To date, many rural and mountainous areas of Vietnam benefit from the installation of solar panels and cells, he added.
But, Vietnam’s big cities like capital Hanoi should also utilize solar power for their public lighting system, Mr. Thong suggested.
However, the costs for solar power are still high, he said, quoting the price of 8,000 USD for a 1kW generator.
Thus, government support is vital for the effective development of solar electricity in Vietnam, he concluded.
Reported by Xuan Toan – Translated by Trong Khuong.
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