Rooftop solar power: Benefits are only sustainable when safe and transparent

(Chinhphu.vn) - The rooftop solar power boom is opening a new chapter for energy transition, but this model is only sustainable when accompanied by technical safety and data transparency.

Speakers attending the seminar

In recent times, rooftop solar power has exploded thanks to the State's incentive mechanisms. However, the rapid development of solar power also entails risks of technical safety, power quality and grid overload if there is a lack of management. Therefore, in the period of 2024-2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has advised the Government to issue new regulations, in which Decree 58/2025/ND-CP requires self-produced and self-consumed power systems to register/notify with the authorities.

Sharing at the discussion "Why is it mandatory to register for rooftop solar power?", Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung, Head of Business Department, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), in reality, although about 1,300 MWp of rooftop solar power has been installed after 2020, the number of systems reported to EVN by people and businesses is very small. Most of the data EVN has to go through surveys, leading to inaccuracies in load forecasting.

Mr. Dung emphasized that when the amount of self-produced and self-consumed solar power capacity is not clearly understood, the risk of source-load imbalance will increase, especially during times when solar power is not generated (cloudy, at night). This can cause difficulties for the transmission and distribution grid and affect the stability of the power system.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoai, National Electricity System and Market Operation Company (NSMO) said that having full information on self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power is extremely important. This data is the basis for forecasting generation capacity, calculating system balance, adjusting voltage, frequency and inertia, thereby ensuring safe and stable power supply for people.

The most important parameter that needs to be updated is the installation scale. From there, the dispatching unit can accurately forecast the power generation capacity of the systems in each time frame, by day, by cycle or by hour associated with weather developments. Without this basic information, the forecasting model will be distorted, leading to difficulties in scheduling the mobilization and operation of power sources and the potential risk of supply-demand imbalance; which can directly affect the reliability and safety of the national power system.

Mr. Le Viet Cuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) added that in the work of planning the power grid, rooftop solar power is a distributed power source. Without accurate data, the design, investment and operation of the power grid from transmission to distribution will be difficult, even potentially causing local overload or wasted investment.

Mr. Cuong emphasized that in implementing and adjusting policies, correctly assessing the role and proportion of rooftop solar power is a necessary condition to come up with reasonable support, encouragement or regulation mechanisms. Without information, policies may be slow to react or ineffective in practice.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/dien-mat-troi-mai-nha-loi-ich-chi-ben-vung-khi-an-toan-va-minh-bach-102250918134932965.htm