On The Establishment of the National Renewable Energy Center in Vietnam: a Technological and Economic Study of the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources

Abstract

Currently, the structure of Vietnam‘s energy sources is changing, with renewable energy sources starting to play an increasing role in meeting the electricity demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil energy sources. Vietnam's energy development strategy suggests building some renewable energy centers, of which Ninh Thuan is the first province to become the national renewable energy center. This is because of Ninh Thuan’s endowment as a province having the highest renewable energy potential in Vietnam. The development of a large renewable energy center allows power system planners to overcome the mismatch in timescales associated with expanding transmission power grid and renewable energy generation. Besides, the renewable energy center can facilitate large-scale renewable energy and storage projects. The province of Ninh Thuan, however, is located far from the main load centers of Vietnam, which is why the economic indicators need to be calculated and analyzed. This paper presents the results of an analysis of economic indicators of major renewable electricity sources in Ninh Thuan (onshore wind power, offshore wind power, and solar power) to provide scientific arguments for developing a renewable energy center in Vietnam.