Vietnam Technology and Energy Forum 2017
"By the end of July 2017, hundreds of solar energy projects had been registered with a total capacity of more than 17,000 MW. These projects are evaluated as highly feasible when solar power technologies are increasingly advanced, capable of converting technical potentials into economic and commercial potentials".
This information was given at the Vietnam Technology and Energy Forum 2017 organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in Hanoi on September 8, 2017.
Many participants indicated that from the actual experiences of many countries having developed solar power so far, if there are no scientific and comprehensive solutions in place from the beginning, solar energy will not be clean, and exposing to danger of environmental pollution which is likely to be more difficult to solve than conventional energy sources.
Although judging that among all the existing energy sources, solar energy is the "cleanest" one, having the greatest possible application and electricity generation efficiency among new and renewable energy sources, Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Long, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Electricity Association, affirmed that any energy sources have their own advantages and shortcomings and these shortcomings should be restrained to the lowest level.
In particular, international energy experts warn that China may face environmental catastrophes, especially when the current huge number of solar panels will expire in the next two decades. This will be a valuable lesson for Vietnam when seeking to develop solar power in an industrial scale, with a capacity of more than 12,000 MW by the year 2030.
According to Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Long, the use of battery storage for household solar panels is also likely to cause pollution, lead poisoning and face dangers due to acid solution, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to study and consider remedial actions thoroughly, scientifically and methodically from the beginning.
"It is possible that after about 15 to 20 years of service, solar panels will be discharged, which, if not treated properly, will result in environmental problems. However during the operation process, these effects are almost negligible", warned Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Long.
Having confidence in solar power technology, Mr. Tran Viet Ngai, Chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association, said that the service time of solar panels is quite long, the technology development in the future will invent effective remedy for or even reuse of expired solar panels. Therefore, in the short time, maintenance of these panels must be taken into account in order to improve the lifespan of existing solar panels.
The lifespan of a solar cell is quite long, but maintenance must be carried out regularly. The world's photovoltaic solar panels have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years, when being replaced, old PV solar panels will be recycled to produce new panels. So today's solar cell technology can be assured. From the perspective of a scientific researcher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Hoang Luong, Vice Rector of Hanoi University of Technology, Vice Chairman of the Program on Research, Application and Development of Energy Technology at State Level 2016 - 2020 (KC-05 Program in short), stated that the choice of technology in general and solar energy technology in particular depends much on the economic and technical efficiency of the chosen technology. The most important concern is to "evaluate the life cycle of technology", thus evaluating all environmental impacts of the technology.
The use of solar energy is very effective compared to other traditional energy sources. Environmental impacts of the production of solar panels must also be assessed, especially the recovery of spent waste. In particular, environmental impacts should be paid much attention to and quantified, thereby appropriate mechanisms, policies and solutions can be developed.
In fact, no CO2 emissions can be seen if just looking at solar panels. But many materials are needed to produce these panels. In the production process, the materials will affect the environment.
Treatment of the spent solar panels being recovered should be studied. Therefore, the Government as well as the Ministries and Departments should pay special attention to learning from experiences and research works in the world on this matter.