Theevent was jointly organised by the Trade Office under the US Consulate Ho ChiMinh City and the Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP).
Chiefof the Office of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan said the city isseeking to reduce environmental impacts from abusing traditional energysources.
Italso aims to apply advanced technology in building a smart city, developingeconomics while raising the living quality of local residents, Hoan said,adding that the experience and technology of the US enterprises are crucial tothe process.
Accordingto a representative from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Vietnamhas huge potential for developing clean and renewable energy. The demand forenergy is expected to triple by 2030, therefore developing clean energy,particularly solar power, is necessary.
Sharingthe view, Bryan Spear from the US Trilliant Inc underlined the need forexploring alternative energy sources, saying that Vietnam should also have aplan for effective energy use, particularly applying smart measuring technologyto better manage electricity consumption.
HoChi Minh City has recorded an annual increase of 50 percent in solar power capacity,from 200kWp in 2013 to 1.5 MWp in 2016.
Accordingto SHTP Head Le Hoai Quoc, the growth showed remarkable development of renewableenergy in the city.
SHTPis home to two solar power projects, namely Intel Factory and the SHTP OfficeBuilding, producing 220kWp and 45kWp, respectively. Samsung group proposed tobuild a grid-connected solar power plant with a capacity of 20 MWp in the park.
Duringthe event, a representative from the Trilliant Inc. shared with participants informationon the pilot project to develop a smart electricity network in cooperation withthe Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation in SHTP. The network, completed in March,uses the internet of things (IoT)-based connection system.
Expertsalso shared experience in implementing the programme on low emission energy inVietnam, direct electricity deal, developing small-scale solar power system,among others.-VNA