About 30-50% of the total garment-textile firms have installed their own rooftop solar power systems. (Photo: VNA)

Aware of the demand for green energy, industrial parks have retrofitted rooftop solar power systems to increase competitiveness and attract investors.

Importing countries require higher standards in green production to reduce impact on the environment and society. The trend of achieving ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) standards and using green energy is rising among the industrial parks, which are the site of heavy production and energy use.

On November 30, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) approved the power supply and power system operation plan for 2024, which determines that the total produced and imported electricity nationwide in 2024 should be 306.26 billion kWh.

Meanwhile, the power sector is facing a variety of challenges, including those within the implementation of transmission projects and power plants.

Experts believe with the rapid growth rate in production and business activities, the supply of electricity to businesses will remain challenging if Vietnam does not take advantage of renewable energy. In particular, using green energy from rooftop solar power systems is an indispensable choice for businesses.

At a forum on solar power for rooftops in industrial parks, a representative from Deep C Industrial Park said that both Decision No. 13/2020/QD-TTg and Circular No. 18/2020/TT-BCT allow rooftop solar power systems to be installed at construction sites, and the purchase price and power purchase contract can be negotiated by the buyer and seller.

However, the scale of rooftop solar power is limited to 1 MW or 1.25 MWp, so the full potential of the system cannot be exploited, otherwise the investment scale must be separated, leading to more complicated administrative procedures and higher investment costs, the representative said.

In the garment and textile industry, there are more than 1,200 businesses located in industrial parks. Currently, about 30-50% of the total firms have installed their own rooftop solar power systems.

However, they are facing a number of difficulties from weather conditions, and unclear mechanisms for rooftop solar power installation for businesses and industrial parks.

Experts hold that authorised agencies should issue policies to clearly explain regulations in developing rooftop solar power, clarifying implementation for businesses.