The FIT-supported electricity tariff, which expires on December 31, 2021, is causing a slowdown in the total installed capacity of rooftop solar power in industrial parks across the country. However, ministries, branches and many experts still encourage businesses to implement the above model for long-term benefits in production and business.
Attractive benefits
According to EVN's report, in the period of 2019-2021, there have been more than 100,000 projects installing rooftop solar power, including many factories, enterprises and industrial parks. The total capacity from this source is about 9,731 MWp, generating nearly 1,187 million kWh of electricity to the grid. The rapid growth is explained by the purchase price of rooftop solar power according to the FIT tariff up to 8.38 cents/kWh, the highest among solar power models.
Since December 31, 2021, the most recent FIT tariff has expired, the profit from selling electricity to EVN no longer makes the attraction of rooftop solar power seem less attractive to businesses. However, many experts still support this model to develop for many long-term benefits.
In the period of 2019-2020, rooftop solar power of factories and export processing zones has the strongest growth in the south due to the dense concentration of industrial zones and longer periods of strong sunshine.
Owning an independent power source on the roof operating in a self-sufficient model will help businesses save significantly on electricity costs. Currently, the electricity price that EVN sells to factories and factories at peak hours is nearly 4,300 VND/kWh for business households, and nearly 3,000 VND/kWh for production households.
For businesses, this is an appropriate precaution when there is a shortage of electricity or high electricity prices, helping to ensure business efficiency. On the other hand, the fact that industrial parks are self-sufficient in power supply also helps reduce pressure on the transmission system, ensuring energy security in urban areas during peak times.
With the operating principle of absorbing heat to generate electricity, solar panels can help reduce the temperature of production facilities by up to 5 degrees Celsius. In this way, the cooling system is greatly reduced, especially on hot days; The equipment and machinery of the factory are extended their durability, and depreciation in production is reduced. In addition, the battery system also acts as a protective layer for the roofs of factories from seepage, rust due to rain or cracking due to expansion due to sunlight.
Rooftop solar power project in An Phuoc Industrial Park, Dong Nai (photo source: Investment newspaper)
Another important benefit of rooftop solar installations in industrial zones is the neutralization of carbon emissions in production. According to data published by the Management Board of Industrial Parks - Export Processing Zones of Ho Chi Minh City. In Ho Chi Minh City, if more than 1,000 businesses in the area achieve a total installed capacity of 1,000 MW of rooftop solar power, electricity consumption will be reduced by 10-15%, and 23 million tons of CO2 will be removed.
With an economy playing an increasingly important role in the global supply chain, this becomes even more important as many of the world's major economic groups are looking for investment locations that are able to supply resources. clean electricity to reduce taxes. In Europe, for example, the EU will impose an emission tax on imported goods produced from coal-fired power from 2023.
The transition to electricity from renewable energy sources, including rooftop solar power, not only helps keep FDI inflows in Vietnam, but businesses also benefit when exporting goods. enter difficult markets such as the United States and Europe because of its green certification in production.
ESCO Solutions
The reality of implementing a number of projects shows that many businesses, when they want to invest in rooftop solar power systems, have difficulty accessing funding sources, lack of deep understanding of electricity industry techniques, so they are at risk. in investment is not small.
To solve the above reasons, the business model ESCO (short for Energy Service Company) is the solution that is being interested. The essence of this model is the cooperation between 3 parties, which are roof rental businesses; energy companies act as project investors; and financial institutions.
With this solution, businesses will lease the roof of idle factories to install solar battery systems. The project investor and financial institutions will mobilize all or part of the project capital and provide an investment package. This includes the following stages: survey; design consultancy; prepare equipment; install energy batteries; project operation; equipment maintenance;...
ESCO model implementation process
ESCO business is carried out in many different forms, depending on the requirements and conditions of the project. In Vietnam today, the two most suitable and popular forms of contract are commitment of savings and sharing of savings.
With the form of commitment to saving energy, energy companies will survey, measure, calculate and make a commitment to ensure that energy can be saved for businesses, businesses contribute a part of the investment capital. investment for the project. If it is as committed, the enterprise will pay consulting and investment costs to investors and financial institutions. During the negotiation process, the amount generated from energy savings is guaranteed to be enough to cover the above costs. If not, the investor will compensate businesses for that deficit.
The common point of these two forms of investment is that businesses enjoy a much cheaper electricity price than buying from the national grid. When the ESCO cooperation expires, the costs generated from energy saving will be fully owned by the enterprise. At that time, the entire battery system will also be delivered at a symbolic price. This helps many factories and workshops reduce their dependence on EVN, thereby calculating the financial efficiency of energy use in advance.
Graph simulating energy savings when participating in ESCO
bàn giao: hand over
mức tiết kiệm: savings rate
giá điện năng lượng mặt trời áp dụng:applied solar electricity price
On the other hand, because the investor is named by energy companies, the enterprise will not have to bear any risks when participating in the project, all installed equipment and project contractors will be assigned by the project team. Expert selection and warranty commitment.
The important thing that businesses need to pay attention to when participating in ESCO is to find reputable energy companies with extensive experience in project implementation and financial institutions with strong potential. On the market today, RT Energy is one of the names with proven capabilities.
Currently, RT Energy owns the 50MW Adani Phuoc Minh solar power project in Ninh Thuan province. This is the product of the successful cooperation of RT Energy with many of the world's leading partners in the field of solar power such as JA Solar (China), PECC1 (Vietnam), Rina (Italy);... One of the company's three long-term development strategies is a green industrial park, using all renewable energy. In the near future, RT Energy will deploy a 23MW rooftop solar power project cluster in Binh Phuoc province with a total investment of 360 billion VND.
Evidently, ESCO has provided businesses with a sustainable and safe solution to pursue energy saving goals. From the above benefits, it can be affirmed that the rooftop solar power model should continue to be encouraged to develop based on the electricity demand of businesses and production costs to create long-term benefits. for the parties.
