The event took place in the context of the European Union Climate Diplomacy Week 2019, which aimed to raise public awareness on the urgent needs addressing climate change.
The solar PV system in Vo Thi Sau Primary School is funded by the European Union (EU) within the framework of the DSED project and implemented by Danang Energy Conservation and Technology Consultant Centre.
The DSED project had selected four public facilities including Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Oncology Hospital, Vo Thi Sau Primary School and Hoang Dieu Secondary School, to install pilot solar systems with a total installed capacity of 8.25kWp/system. Six households were also selected with a total installed capacity of 2.75 kWp/system.
All ten systems have been up and running since June 2019 and connected to the grid, providing a part of electricity consumption of those selected public facilities and households.
Addressing the ceremony, Head of Cooperation Section of EU Delegation to Vietnam, Koen Duchateau, stressed that, in the future, energy is expected to become the main source of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in Vietnam, projections showing that by 2030, Vietnam’s green house gas emissions could triple.
The EU is strongly committed to and supports sustainable energy development in Vietnam, by actions that will enhance energy efficiency, increase the share of renewable energies and ensure access for all to energy at affordable prices, especially for the most disadvantaged groups, he added.
The pilot installation of ten rooftop solar PV systems resulted in GHG emission reduction of 34.96 tons CO2/year with total installed capacity of 49.5 kWP. The total generation output is 72,270 kWh/year, in which total VND26 million is saved every year for each system (8.25 kWp) in public facilities, and VND8.6 million for each system (2.75 kWp) in households.
Speaking at the event, rector of Vo Thi Sau Primary School, Nguyen Thai Phong revealed that, “After three months of the pilot operation, the rooftop solar PV system has produced 3,561 kWh, which saved around 25 to 30% of the total power demand of our school. The system not only helps protecting the environment, but in the meantime saves cost of an average VND 2.2 million per month.”
As the overall demand for electricity is increasing, promoting rooftop solar PV systems is considered as one of the solutions to ensure electricity cost saving through self-supply, reducing the pressure on the national power grid and environment protection.
