Da Nang has announced its 1^st solar power project, funded with 415,000 USD from the European Commission (EC) and 75,000 USD from the city’s budget.

Illustrative image (Source: Xinhua/VNA)

The city’s authorities said the project, which will be built from 2017-2020, would support the installation of solar equipment at health centres and schools, and it would fund research on solar technology capacity and management.

As scheduled, the city’s energy conservation and consultancy centre will implement the project in co-operation with its European partners.

In 2013, the municipal Science and Technology Department launched a pilot project to install solar power systems and Light-emitting Diodes (LED) in deep-sea fishing vessels.

Da Nang is considered the first Vietnamese locality to invest significantly in energy conservation and green tech.

Between 2011-2015, the city cut 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and saved 433,000 USD by using nano-lighting technology and other solutions in its public lighting system project.

Da Nang has great renewable energy potential, with a 90km coastline, 2,000 hours of sunlight per year and an average wind speed of 3m per second.

The city plans to develop projects to use energy from sea waves, and tides and biogas from rural areas.

The German ASEAN Power Company plans to build a 40 megawatt (MW) solar power plant in the city with an investment of 400 million USD.

According to a report from the municipal Industry and Trade Department, around 30% of the city’s population uses solar power for heaters, while 5-star hotels and resorts have been using the solar power heater system to save funds and help the environment.

In 2014, Da Nang’s FPT Complex became the 1^st project in the city to use 12kWh solar power and a solar-power heater system.

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)