An alternative path for the exploitation of RES in Vietnam : DES solar PV systems for the tourism structures

Due to the past and expected economic growth, the SEA countries’ energy sectors are considered among the most dynamic of the world. Vietnam, in particular, in order to sustain its economic growth, plans to expand significantly its power generation capacity. According to the governmental plan, almost all of the new capacity installed will be based on fossil fuel technologies, especially coal and natural gas, while the contribution of RES seems to remain still negligible. The main reason is related to the low competitiveness of RES technologies for the utility-scale power generation system due to the low prices of coal and natural gas in the SEA region. This work analyses the renewable potential of Vietnam and identifies an alternative opportunity for the RES development in the country: the installation of solar photovoltaic DES system in the Central region of the country. After a careful analysis of the area, made in order to select the most attractive segments for these applications, it is proposed an innovative model for the exploitation of the Renewable potential of the country through the installation of these systems in the tourism structures. In order to assess the economic viability of these project, it was performed an economic assessment of the investment through a scenario analysis, which analyses the electricity price’s trends in the country, the opportunity to integrate a storage system, three possible financing models and three different sizes of application. Finally, some potential barriers to the proposed applications are identified.