QUẢNG NAM — The central district of Núi Thành in Quảng Nam Province, in co-operation with SolarBK Holdings, has commenced a pilot project to develop a solar power system for its off-shore fishing fleet to supply ‘green’ energy for use during long trips.

The district said the project aims to equip fishing vessels with renewable energy generators to save fuel and supply ‘clean’ energy.

It said solar panels and batteries had been installed on several fishing boats from the district’s fishing fleet, and are working well during off-shore fishing trips.

The district said each boat will use four made-in-Việt Nam solar panels and four batteries to supply a 24-hour power source for lighting, navigation and communication systems on board.

All fishing ships have to operate diesel generators to supply power overnight, as well as for navigation and radio devices. These are necessary in the event the ship breaks down.

The district will develop the solar power system for a fleet of 1,000 fishing vessels, saving 42 million litres of diesel and cutting 136,000 tonnes of carbon emissions discharged each year.

Núi Thành District has 1,600 fishing boats, 48 per cent of the Quảng Nam Province’s fishing vessel fleet, catching 45,000 tonnes of seafood each year.

In 2012, Đà Nẵng was the first locality in Việt Nam to begin a one-year pilot project installing solar panels and LED lighting for deep-sea fishing vessels.

Different solar power projects have been developed in central Việt Nam to supply power for sugarcane and log farms in remote areas – where the national power grid connection is limited – and lighting systems at public parks as well as solar farms. — VNS