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20.5 MW Floating Solar Capacity Online In Vietnam

A 47.5 MW floating solar power plant is planned for the reservoir of 175 MW Da Mi Hydropower plant in Vietnam. Of this, 20.5 MW has come online (in the picture) on a 50-hectare area with 143,940 solar panels. (Photo Credit: EVN)

Anu Bhambhani
  • EVN of Vietnam says 20.5 MW floating solar power capacity out of planned 47.5 MW plant has come online under Phase I
  • It is coming up on 175 MW Da Mi Hydropower Plant on 50-hectare surface area
  • According to the utility during the first 4 months of 2019, 18 solar power plants with 850 MW total capacity were operational, and by June 30, 2019, it sees 75 solar power plants in operation representing about 4 GW of grid connected solar power
  • High concentration of solar power generation capacity in certain provinces of the country could pose major grid issues in the near future, according to the EVN

Vietnamese electricity utility Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has announced grid connection for the Da Mi Floating Solar Power Plant in La Ngau commune in Tanh Linh district, and Da Mi and La Da communes in Ham Thuan Bac districts in the province of Binh Thuan. In the first phase, 20.5 MW of the plant capacity has become operational out of envisaged 47.5 MW.

EVN subsidiary Da Nhim Hydropower Joint Stock Company Ham Thuan Da Mi (DHD) has worked on the project. Asian Development Bank (ADB) was approached to finance the project in 2018.

Floating solar power panels have been installed on the man-made reservoir of the 175 MW Da Mi Hydropower plant. It entailed deploying 143,940 solar panels on a 50-hectare surface area of the reservoir. Having been grid connected on May 13, 2019, EVN said it has been energized 48 days before the expected solar FIT finish line on June 30, 2019, and will supply clean power to Binh Thuan and other Southern provinces.

DHD expects to invest close to VND 1,500 billion on the 47.5 MW floating solar project that's likely to generate about 70 million kWh of solar power annually.

4 GW To Come Online By June 30, 2019

In a separate statement, EVN said investors of solar power plants are speeding up their project completion and grid connection to avail FIT rates valid for projects completed by June 30, 2019. It is expected to be extended according to industry experts, but the government hasn't made a formal announcement as yet (see Vietnam FIT May Get Extension).

Government officials say in the first 4 months of 2019, 18 solar power plants with 850 MW total capacity were operational. By June 30, 2019, they see 75 solar power plants in operation representing about 4 GW of grid connected solar power.

One problem EVN is facing relates to expected overloading of grids in Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Dak Lak provinces where most new solar power facilities are coming up (see Vietnam Large Scale PV Pipeline Reaches 20 GW). The country's National Power Moderation Center (A0) is developing a monitoring system for operation of renewable energy plants that will be energized in June 2019 under which it will 'actively research, propose solutions and principles to adjust power source, coordinate to stop / reduce traditional power capacity and renewable energy source when full load and overloading phenomena occur on the grid'.