New energy technologies: Driving green transition

Faced with rapidly increasing electricity demand and pressure to reduce emissions, Vietnam is facing the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy associated with modern technology. Perfecting policies, upgrading infrastructure and increasing research and development capacity will determine the speed of green transition in the coming time.

Promote renewable energy

The pressure of electricity demand and climate change is making energy transition an urgent task. Forecasts of electricity demand increasing by 8-10% per year show that Vietnam will need a huge power supply in the next decade. Meanwhile, traditional energy sources such as coal, oil and gas and hydropower have almost fully exploited their potential, leading to the risk of greater dependence on fuel imports.

Along with growth pressure, Vietnam is one of the countries heavily affected by climate change. The estimated economic loss of about 3% of GDP each year clearly reflects the problem of balancing development and adaptation. Therefore, developing renewable energy is not only to meet electricity demand, but also a strategic choice to ensure long-term energy security.

In recent years, the power system has recorded positive changes thanks to the strong development of solar and wind power. However, the rapid growth of these sources has also put pressure on the transmission system, causing capacity cuts in many areas. In addition, the policy for renewable energy development is unstable, there is no long-term mechanism on electricity prices, bidding and planning, leading to difficulties for investors and management agencies.

Many provinces have potential to develop renewable energy.

International assessments of energy transition readiness show that Vietnam has many strengths, but still faces significant gaps in technology and infrastructure. Many renewable energy projects have been operating effectively, but the lack of grid synchronization, low storage capacity and limited renewable energy forecasting have led to low overall system efficiency.

One of the biggest challenges is the huge investment capital for green transition. Developing the transmission grid, storage systems, handling fluctuations in solar and wind power, investing in green hydrogen technology or smart grid models all require long-term financial resources. Without stable policies and clear incentive mechanisms, attracting private investment will be difficult.

Along with that, human resources capacity is also a problem that slows down the transition speed. The team of engineers and experts in the field of new energy is still thin, especially in technology groups with high requirements such as smart grid control, battery materials, storage systems and fuel cells. This affects the ability to operate, maintain and optimize the system, while increasing dependence on foreign experts.

In the context of global competition to attract investment, the lack of synchronous policies for emerging technologies such as energy storage, green hydrogen, supercapacitors or low-carbon technology is also a limitation that needs to be overcome soon. These are all technologies that countries are strongly promoting in their long-term energy development strategies.

Wind power has become one of the important energy sources in the global energy structure.

Increase R&D investment, expand supply chains and promote domestic cooperation

To improve technological capacity, experts emphasize the need to increase investment in domestic research and development. Proactive R&D not only helps Vietnam better access new technologies, but also contributes to building a domestic supply chain, reducing dependence on imported equipment, improving self-sufficiency and reducing production costs.

Cooperation between research institutes, universities and enterprises is considered a key factor to improve endogenous capacity. When enterprises directly participate in the research process, technology is applied faster and more practically. In return, institutes and universities have the opportunity to approach real problems, thereby improving the quality of training and research.

Regarding human resources, experts believe that it is necessary to promote training in the direction of expanding scale and improving quality, especially in areas such as grid automation, material technology, energy storage and modern power system operation. Retraining and skill upgrading programs also need to be implemented to meet new technology requirements.

In international cooperation, many opinions propose to increase the role of the State in technology pilot programs, especially through the "first buyer" mechanism, to reduce market risks for new technologies. This mechanism can create an important push to help new technologies overcome the initial risk stage, while helping domestic enterprises to invest more boldly. In addition, encouraging foreign enterprises to participate in domestic supply chains will support technology transfer and the formation of R&D clusters in Vietnam.

Finally, improving financial mechanisms, increasing international capital mobilization, and expanding public-private partnership models are considered important factors for Vietnam to accelerate the green transition process. When policy, financial, technological and human resource foundations are strengthened, Vietnam will have better conditions to participate more deeply in global value chains in the new energy sector.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/cong-nghe-nang-luong-moi-dong-luc-cho-chuyen-dich-xanh-197251115192047034.htm