Đào Ngọc Hùng, chairman of the People’s Committee of Mù Cang Chải District (left) and Minowa Yuya, CEO of Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd. at the handover ceremony for the project’s equipment on Monday morning in Hà Nội.—VNS Photo Nguyễn Hằng

HÀ NỘI — Lờ Thị Sáng, a middle-aged woman from Dào Cu Nha Village, Lao Chải Commune, Mù Cang Chải District, in the mountainous northern province of Yên Bái, is delighted now that her family can enjoy electricity.

“At my age, it’s only now that my home has electricity. Before, everything had to be done in the dark,” she said.

“I am so happy now. During the day, I can go to the fields, and in the evening, I can sew and weave cloth,” she added.

Lờ A Sáu, from the same village, echoed her sentiments, expressing how pleased he was that his family now had electricity for their daily activities.

The village, located nearly 10 kilometres from the centre of the commune, is home to 160 households. The area’s unpaved roads and lack of electricity have made socio-economic development particularly challenging.

Sáng and Sáu are among 300 households in the district that have benefitted from a project for the promotion, demonstration and commercialisation of solar power generation and storage systems, with Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring via cloud computing technology.

Thanks to this project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd., local residents have access to electricity for daily use.

The project's total funding exceeds approximately VNĐ17.7 billion (US$690,000).

One of the initiatives under JICA’s Support Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the project aims to help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address socio-economic challenges in developing countries.

The proposal was submitted by Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd. and was selected by JICA in 2020.

Niinuma Corporation, based in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, established a subsidiary in Việt Nam in 2019 and is expanding into the fields of LED lighting and solar power production.

As part of the project, solar power generation and storage systems have been installed in 300 households across the district, providing electricity for lighting, small fans and mobile phone charging. Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd. also handles the operation and evaluation of the systems.

A handover ceremony for the project’s equipment took place at the JICA Việt Nam Office on Monday morning in Hà Nội.

A valuable project

Đào Ngọc Hùng, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mù Cang Chải District, said the project began in May 2023 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Japan.

After the installation of solar power systems in 300 households in the four villages of Háng Á, Dào Cu Nha, Trống Khua and Nả Háng, the project has provided much-needed light for evening activities and small appliances, enabling students to study at night.

The lights also allow people to watch television, women to sew and weave and men to craft household items, he said.

Villagers can now also host evening events for festivals and family celebrations, Hùng said.

He stated: "We see this as a valuable and effective project, helping to improve local people’s lives and alleviate poverty in the region."

“Through a survey of local households, over 90 per cent of families reported satisfaction with the solar power systems installed under the project,” Hùng added.

However, some households expressed concerns, noting that the 500-watt capacity of the solar systems for each household might be too small for their needs.

In the future, the district's residents hope JICA will continue to support them by providing additional equipment for households not yet connected to the national grid and consider increasing the capacity of the solar power systems to over 800 watts.

At the handover ceremony, Nakata Shota, a representative from JICA and the project’s advisor, said that in Việt Nam, bringing electricity to mountainous regions remains a significant challenge due to the high costs and time needed in building transmission lines.

“Today, JICA and Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd. are handing over 300 solar power generation and storage units, along with IoT monitoring systems using cloud computing technology. We hope this equipment will help address some of the issues.”

However, Shota said, many people in remote areas still lack access to electricity, so it is crucial to continue working towards providing power to even more communities.

Minowa Yuya, CEO of Niinuma Vietnam Co., Ltd., said the project helps to improve the living environment by reducing indoor air pollution, as villagers previously had to burn firewood for light.

Although the current electricity supply may not meet all demands, Minowa expressed hope that, based on the trial results and data collected, the company could offer further optimisations in the future.— VNS