The stations will collect high-quality data on solar radiation and improve the accuracy of estimates with regards to solar resources. To be published and made freely available online, the data is expected to encourage and assist developers that are interested in building solar power plants.
The solar measurement campaign follows the recent publication by the WB of updated solar maps for Vietnam, which show the average solar resource potential at a 1km resolution. The data and maps can be accessed via the Global Solar Atlas. After two years of the measurement campaign Vietnam’s solar maps will be fully validated and quality assured, ready for planning and prospecting purposes.
The costs of solar power generation are falling around the world and Vietnam is now taking an important step in fostering a facilitative environment for clean power generation that is quick to build, said Ousmane Dione, Country Director for the WB in Vietnam.
According to Ousmane Dione, the WB will continue to support the country in meeting its growing demand for electricity with sustainable renewable options, such as hydropower development, in addition to improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector and ensuring greater efficiency in the transmission and distribution grids.
The World Banks support for solar measurements and mapping is part of a project – supported by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) – that is also assessing and mapping the potential of biomass, small hydropower, and wind energy.
The five measurement stations, with the first one located in Song Binh commune, Bac Binh district, in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan, is part of the WB’s comprehensive support package for renewable energy that also includes advisory assistance provided to large solar power projects seeking to obtain commercial financing.
