The growth of solar power generation in Vietnam has come alongside increasing concern over the disposal of end-of-life solar panels in the coming decades. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -The growth of solar power generation in Vietnam has come alongsideincreasing concern over the disposal of end-of-life solar panels in thecoming decades.
According to VietnamElectricity (EVN), in the first eight months of this year, the country’ssolar power generation hit 6.39 billion kWh, accounting for nearly 4 percent oftotal power generated and imported to the country but the figure wasnearly three times higher than solar power generation in the same period lastyear.
Also in the first eight monthsof this year, 25,706 rooftop solar power projects were carried out with a totalcapacity of 758.2 MWp, bringing the total number of rooftop solar powerprojects in operation to 50,000 with a total capacity of nearly 12,000 MWp.
According to Trung Nam Group,its solar power project in Tra Vinh will install more than 444,000 solar panelsto generate 140 MWp while another project in Ninh Thuan province will use700,000 solar panels to generate 204 MWp.
The two projects are among manyto be built in the near future thanks to increased incentives the Governmenthas offered to promote the development of renewable energy.
In Vietnam’s renewable energystrategy, the country expects solar power to generate about 29,000 MWp by 2030and 170,000 MWp by 2050.
Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Sy Hoangfrom Hanoi University of Sciences and Technology said that the productionof solar panels impacted the environment.
Another environmental issue washow to deal with the end-of-life solar panels, Hoang said, adding that it wastime for Government and agencies to consider solutions for the issue.
Dr Nguyen Van Khai, formerdirector of Green ID Centre, said Vietnam had the ability to recycle suchend-of-life solar panels if it studied the issue.
Tran Viet Ngai, President ofthe Vietnam Energy Association, said solar panels could be used for 20-25 yearsand in the near future, it was necessary to consider maintaining and increasingthe longevity of the panels.
It was necessary to developtechnology to effectively deal with end-of-life solar panels and evenrecycle them, Ngai said.
Currently, solar panels aremanufactured from crystalline silicon with about 70 percent from glass, 15 percentaluminium for frames, 10 percent plastic and only 3-5 percent silicon.
With current technology,recycling efficiency can exceed 90 percent.
A representative from solarpanel producing company - Mat Troi Do (Red Sun) said almost all parts of solar panelscould be recycled. Key to proper recycling is law-binding obligations andfunding so that end-of-life solar panels are recycled in a timely hasion.
The EU has pioneered solarphotovoltaic (PV ) electronic waste regulations including PV-specific collection,recovery and recycling targets. The EU Waste of Electrical and ElectronicEquipment (WEEE) Directive entails all producers supplying PV panels to the EUmarket to finance the costs of collecting and recycling end-of-life solarpanels.
This means solar panelproducers must collect, transport and treat the end-of-life panels theyinstalled at households.
The regulation aims to increaseproducers’ responsibility for environmental protection as well as theirpresence in the whole life cycle of their products. For households whoinstalled solar panels, they don’t have to pay for treatmentfor end-of-life solar panels.
Head of Renewable Energy andElectricity Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Hoang Tien Dungsaid that the Government body would strictly oversee solar power waste andensure that waste treatment was in tandem with environmental regulations.
The ministry has issued acircular regulating solar power project development and power purchasecontracts in which, project investors are responsible for the collection andtreatment of end-of-life solar panels as well as other waste produced duringuse./.
VNA
