Broom, Douglas. World Economic Forum. (2021, February 8). Viet Nam has installed 6 coal plants’ worth of solar in a year. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/02/viet-nam-solar-power-surge/
In the past year, Vietnam has increased its solar energy by 25 times. The country provided large incentives to encourage citizens to buy into solar technology, increasing solar energy production by 9.3 gigawatts. The main incentive idea is comparable to that of many other countries- allowing citizens to sell excess solar back to the electricity grid. The main drivers towards renewable energy in the country are emerging competition in the energy market and a shift away from coal power investments. The country as a whole is the second-largest electricity consumer in Southeast Asia and has a steady increase in demand of 6% per year.
The feat that Vietnam has done is incredible in such a short amount of time. The pandemic may have been occurring during this year but the expansion of renewable energy has certainly not. While the article did not make it clear how many gigawatts of power Vietnam uses, the idea that solar technology was able to expand so readily is impressive. This example proves that the movement towards renewable energy is universal. Even in a country with a different economic and political system as our own, the government is seeing the need to pursue renewability and modify the power grid. This article makes me hopeful about the ability of countries and regions to modify their power grid. If the right actions are taken and enforced, the obtaining of net-zero carbon in only a few decades still seems achievable even in some of the poorest countries. In Vietnam’s case, a strong policy was needed to kickstart this movement.
I’m really excited to hear about this news, I think it is a great step for the solar technology. However, I am a little bit thinking that they should improve their plastic pollution to the marine environment first, because it is being said that the most of the micro plastics that are polluting the ocean is coming from the southeast Asia and from south America. It is great to hear that more countries are trying to shift towards renewables, but I think there will be more improvements in environment if they made the plastic decomposition better.
I think this shows a huge step in the right direction. Vietnam is a much smaller country than the US, yet they are taking larger strides when it comes to renewable energy and decreasing their fossil fuel use. We should all take Vietnam as an example to show us how we should be transitioning into renewable energy. Even though every country is very different, there are certain elements we can take from how the Vietnamese started their transition over to solar power. Do you believe that other countries will follow suit?
This article makes me hopeful because of the citizens being able to sell excess energy. I think this could be a really good way to get people to buy into solar energy. Switching to solar energy usually saves money in the long run, but having to switch over is usually a deterrent for people, so being able to make money back seems intriguing. Do you think that the US could see a similar switch to renewable energy like Vietnam saw?
I am really excited to hear about this great feat, but the difference in the population between Vietnam and the US is vast. How would you do this in America, and would it be worth billions of dollars?