To facilitate the development of rooftop solar power in accordance with the Politburo's Resolution No. 55-NQ/TW dated February 11, 2020, Decision No. 13/2020/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on incentives for promotion of solar power development in Vietnam (Decision 13), Circular No. 18/2020/BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the development of and standard power purchase agreement applicable to solar power projects (Circular 18), the Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued guidelines for some specific cases as follows:
Rooftop solar PV system is a solar power system with photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of a construction work, with a capacity of not more than 01 MW, directly or indirectly connected to a power grid with a voltage of 35 kV or lower of the power purchaser. Rooftop solar PV systems must be installed on roofs of construction works with independent functions.
Regarding rooftop solar PV installations on construction works for purposes of animal husbandry, farming, forestry, salt production, aquaculture, agricultural and rural development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade obviously states that: On the basis of Circular No. 02/2020/BNNPTNT dated February 28, 2020 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Circular No. 02), owners of livestock farms, plant farms, etc., are responsible for organizing their production and business activities in accordance with the master plans and plans of land use in their local areas. In order to comply with Decision 13, farm construction works must have roofs. The roof of livestock farm or plant farm, etc. should be consistent with the function and type of the farm.
In case many rooftop solar PV systems with a total capacity of more than 01 MW (each system having capacity of no more than 01 MW) being installed at 01 location (on the same plot of land or the same roof of an industrial park), directly or indirectly connected to the grid, owned by one or many investors; in case an investor acquiring many solar PV systems located adjacently with a total capacity of more than 01 MW: Each rooftop solar PV system can sign an individual power purchase agreement and is exempt from electricity operation license. The organization or individual acquiring these systems is entitled to inherit all the related rights and obligations stipulated in the power purchase agreement previously signed by the former investor, however he/she has to proceed with the transfer of contracting party and is not allowed to combine different power purchase agreements into one.
In case the investor makes use of roofs of office building, operation house, kitchen, guest house, employees' garage, workshop, warehouse in the premises of a solar power project, a hydropower plant, a thermal power plant, to invest and develop a rooftop solar power system and proposes installing separate meters and signing a power purchase agreement for the solar PV system, EVN is entitled to sign PPA if it is in accordance with the regulations on rooftop solar PV systems at Decision 13 and Circular 18.
In case the solar power system of not exceeding 01 MW and not being installed on roofs of construction works with independent functions; in case the solar power system of a livestock farm or plant farm, etc. with a capacity of over 01 MW or over 1.25 MWp; in case the solar power system being connected to the voltage level of above 35V: The feed-in tariff applicable to rooftop solar PV system as regulated at Decision 13 is not valid.
In addition, as for recommendations for incentives in case of installing rooftop solar PV systems with capacity of more than 01 MW; or as for aquaculture farms, plant farms, livestock farms, etc. demanding to install photovoltaic panels as roofs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will study, propose and report to the Prime Minister for consideration and issuance of policies suitable with the practical situation, applied after 2020.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade requests that EVN, based on the current legal regulations and the abovementioned guidelines, shall give instructions to their member organizations to do connection and signing power purchase agreements for rooftop solar PV systems in compliance with Decision 13 and Circular 18. At the same time, EVN shall undertake and secure that the rooftop solar PV systems are connected to the power grid in accordance with legal regulations, not causing overload of the existing low, medium and high voltage grid systems, especially 110 kV grid systems.
The Ministry delegates EVN to ask the owner of the rooftop solar PV system to have a written commitment to take responsibility for the suitability of construction works with applicable codes and standards, provisions of laws, the roof of the construction work should be suitable for the function and use purpose of the construction work. As for the rooftop solar PV system of a farm, the investor is requested to supplement an endorsement by the People's Committee at commune or district level on the farm construction declaration in the registration application for grid connection or power purchase agreement, etc.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade requires EVN to put forward recommendations in writing form to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance with regards to problems related to business conditions, tax administration, invoice administration of rooftop solar PV system owners.
See text here for details