An Bình Islanders get solar power

September 01, 2017 - 09:00

Thanks to a new solar power system, residents of a small island community will have clean energy on-demand—a stark change from the prior status quo of accessing power just six hours a day.

A solar power system starts generating power for islanders living in An Bình Islet in the central Quảng Ngãi Province. The system will supply power for local residents 24 hours a day. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Ngân
Viet Nam News

QUẢNG NGÃI  — Thanks to a new solar power system, residents of a small island community will have clean energy on-demand—a stark change from the prior status quo of accessing power just six hours a day.

The central province officially inaugurated on Thursday a solar power system that will provide 24-hour power for islanders on An Bình Islet of Lý Sơn Island off the coast of the province after 70 days of construction.

The introduction of the ‘clean and green’ power also marked the National Day celebration, which falls on Saturday.

The solar system project, which was developed by the HCM City-based SolarBK company with a capacity of the 96 kWp (kilowatt peak for a solar module), will generate 146,000Kwh per year to supply full power 24 hours a day for 400 islanders living in An Bình Islet.

For years, residents had only used power six hours a day from two diesel-driven generators.

The solar power system, which was built with an investment of VNĐ10 billion (US$442,000), will help the islet reduce 93 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

According to SolarBK, the company plans to build up a solar power system for operation of the 2012-built seawater desalination station in the islet.

The company is also constructing a monitoring system, SSOC (Solar System Operation Centre), that aims to monitor a combined solar power and diesel power network for use on the An Bình Islet.

SolarBK has built a lighting project for Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands and seawater desalination stations in Song Tử Island, island communes of Sơn Chà in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Mê Island  in Thanh Hóa Province and Trần Island of Quảng Ninh Province, and two solar farms in Đà Nẵng city.

An Bình Islet, which used fresh water from a 2012-built desalination station with funding from the South Korean heavy industry group Doosan Vina, has limited development due to a longstanding lack of power. — VNS

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