Support for model replication

The use of solar power is being encouraged, contributing to creating more clean energy sources, towards the goal of green and sustainable electricity development. Immediately after the Politburo issued Resolution 55-NQ/TW on February 11, 2020 on the strategic orientation for national energy development, the provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Industry and Trade to coordinate with related agencies and units to study and propose rooftop power development.

A household in Luc Ngan district installs the rooftop solar power system.

The department proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade supplement to the planning two solar power plants in Viet Yen and Yen The districts as well as solar power projects in industrial zones and clusters with a total capacity of 2,320 MVA.

Nguyen Duc Hoan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said that the state has mechanisms to develop solar power with many attractive policies such as buying solar power at high prices with purchasing time of up to 20 years, and commercial banks offering loans up to 70-80 percent of the value of solar power projects in a period of 5-8 years.

The above incentives have encouraged many individuals, businesses and units to take advantage of this energy source. By the end of December 31, 2020, the whole province had 607 customers installing rooftop solar power systems with a total capacity of over 15,936 kWp. They included 10 enterprise customers with an installed capacity of more than 100 kWp or more, while the rest were households and non-business units.

Since 2017, the province has implemented rooftop solar power development programmes in different forms, mainly supporting the installation of pilot models for the purpose of evaluation and replication of power saving activities. It will support 10 State agencies in using solar power in the near future.

The department has assigned the Center for Industrial and Trade Promotion to assist the People's Committee of Luc Ngan district in installing solar powered bulbs in the district People's Committee square.

Dealing with expired solar panels

The electricity obtained from the sun is clean energy, but when the solar panels expire, they become a very dangerous waste. According to specialized agencies, the average lifetime of solar panels ranges from 10 to 20 years, depending on the location and the environment where they are installed. However, there are no specific solutions to the handling of expired panels. 

A representative of the Department of Industry and Trade said that in a written document sent to the provincial People's Committee on the development of rooftop power projects, the unit has not yet proposed specific measures to deal with expired solar panels.

According to Nguyen Ba Trinh, an expert from the Sub-department of Environmental Protection under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, solar panels, when they expire, will become a hazardous waste. The disposal of this waste is very difficult, if it is not handled properly or buried in a wrong way, it will pollute the soil and water environments as it generates heavy metals or toxic emissions.

In the province, there is only one unit, Hoa Binh Industrial Waste Recycling and Treatment Joint Stock Company (Yen Dung district), that is eligible to handle this type of waste, but its treatment scale is small.

Thus, solar power development associated with environmental sustainability has not yet been paid attention. Authorities have just focused on planning and encouraging the expansion of the model to reduce pressure on the national grid without giving specific solutions to handle solar panels when they expire.

Some people said that the competent agencies, especially the Department of Industry and Trade - the unit in charge of giving advice on this content, should soon offer solutions to deal with expired solar panels.

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