Vietnam holds substantial potential in offshore wind and solar power,with huge opportunities for the integration of different energy technologiesand the combination of renewable energies and agriculture to createco-benefits, experts said at the event.
Still, there are many things left for the country to do in terms of sustainableenergy transition, said Nguy Thi Khanh, Executive Director of Green Innovationand Development (GreenID), citing the national grid failing to keep up with thegrowth of renewable energy generation, a lack of a storage system for renewableenergy on a large scale, and difficulties in accessing affordable and long-termfunding as examples.
To accelerate sustainable energy transition, she suggested theGovernment continue to consistently develop and enforce policies promoting the efficientuse of energy and the development of renewable energies while restrictinginvestment in fossil fuel power projects.
Renewable energy development policies must also protect livelihoods andfoster new partnership opportunities with people and communities affected by energytransition, and facilitate foreign capital flows into the sector.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, renewable energy andnatural gas are viewed as the main pillars of Vietnam’s energy transition,helping the country reduce emissions and enhance energy security in the longterm through decreasing the share of power imports and diversifying energysupply.
Nguyen Ngoc Hung from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Institute ofEnergy stressed the need to closely supervise energy production facilities emittingpollutants and to get tougher on those violating regulations on emission standards.
Financial tools such as taxes and fees should be applied to changeenergy production and consumption patterns and raise funds for clean energysolutions, Hung added./.