On the afternoon of April 11, Business Forum Magazine in collaboration with VEPR organized the Forum "Rooftop solar power in industrial parks: Needs and solutions for businesses".
Speaking at the opening of the Forum, Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, Vice President of the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said that on May 15, 2023, the Prime Minister signed and promulgated the National Energy Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050 (Power Plan VIII). In Power Plan VIII, the Government encourages the strong development of renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil energy sources. Regarding rooftop solar power, Power Plan VIII also sets a target of striving for 50% of office buildings and 50% of houses to use self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power by 2030.
According to the representative of VCCI, Vietnam has participated in 19 bilateral and multilateral FTAs with most economies in the world, which is also the basis for Vietnam to connect and participate more deeply in the global value and supply chain. In the EU and some other countries, products and goods imported into these markets must have green certificates if they want to enjoy preferential mechanisms.
Vietnamese enterprises want to participate in the global playground to enjoy incentives, in addition to basic conditions such as rules of origin, quality standards, greening standards also require enterprises to meet. According to Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, although renewable energy, green energy or specifically rooftop solar power are so important and necessary, for many years, the implementation of rooftop solar power systems for enterprises has not been implemented or promoted due to the lack of specific regulations and criteria. Procedures and guidance documents from ministries and branches are not clear and consistent.
From the business perspective, Ms. Nguyen Nhu Thanh Thu - Head of Renewable Energy Department of Deep C Industrial Park also informed that Decision 13/2020/QD-TTg and Circular 18/2020/TT-BCT both allow rooftop solar power (RTSP) investors to invest in installation on the roofs of construction works and the purchase price as well as the electricity purchase contract are allowed to be negotiated by the buyer and seller. However, the scale of RTSP is limited to 1MW or 1.25 MWp, so the roof potential cannot be fully exploited, or the investment scale must be separated, leading to administrative procedures and investment costs.
In particular, according to Article 5 of the Draft Decree on Development of Rooftop Solar Power, it states: “1. Rooftop solar power is connected to the national grid for self-use, not selling electricity to other organizations or individuals and not selling electricity to the national grid: Organizations and individuals when developing rooftop solar power are only allowed to use it on-site, not selling electricity to other organizations or individuals, including not selling electricity to Vietnam Electricity Group (meaning no investment in electricity business, no electricity trading activities are allowed); Rooftop solar power within the Industrial Park (IP), connected to the medium-voltage distribution grid invested and operated by the IP itself, and ensuring no excess electricity is generated to the national grid (Rooftop solar power is invested in the post-meter model within the IP)”.
If the above regulations are applied to the renewable energy model in industrial parks, it will directly affect the development of renewable energy at DEEP C.
“The rooftop solar power model invested and installed by DEEP C with the advantage of balancing the load between customers cannot be applied. Furthermore, not all businesses have enough financial resources and professional experience to invest in rooftop solar power installation themselves. Therefore, we propose that the Draft Decree should clarify the subjects of application of this regulation,” said Ms. Nguyen Nhu Thanh Thu.
Mr. Truong Van Cam, Vice President of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), added that the textile and garment industry has many enterprises located in industrial parks (IPs), about 1,200 enterprises with 610,000 employees located in IPs. Currently, about 30 - 50% of enterprises, depending on the region, have installed rooftop solar power. However, there are still some difficulties such as weather conditions, unclear mechanisms on rooftop solar power for enterprises, IPs, enterprises are confused because they have not been included in the subject and scope of regulation...
At the same time, Mr. Cam emphasized that there is currently no legal framework for the development and regulation of rooftop solar power. Decision 262/QD-TTg approving the Plan for implementing the new Power Plan VIII only focuses on developing wind power and new energy sources. Rooftop solar power until 2030 will only be self-produced and self-consumed. Therefore, it is necessary for agencies to issue regulations under the Law to explain clearly so that businesses can implement it.
In addition, there is the issue of solar panel treatment, which is also a problem of waste treatment, how to recycle it so as not to be a burden on the environment. The Vice President of VITAS recommends that the State soon issue a comprehensive policy and specific instructions on investment procedures, installation, electrical safety, fire prevention and fighting for enterprises and industrial parks nationwide. At the same time, there should be specific regulations on the mechanism for regulating, buying and selling, and using rooftop electricity in industrial parks and economic zones.
Regarding the capital support mechanism, Mr. Truong Van Cam said that enterprises in the textile industry are mainly small and medium enterprises - the ones that need capital support for rooftop solar power, green transformation, digital transformation, and circular business. Textile enterprises also need support in training human resources, vocational skills training for operational personnel, and cooperation, creating conditions for cooperation between 3-party partners including enterprises, brands, international organizations, etc.
In addition, at the Forum, many businesses also expressed their desire that the authorities, especially the Ministry of Industry and Trade, have more specific instructions on standards and methods for implementing the construction and installation of rooftop solar power systems.
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