Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has veryfavourable conditions to develop solar energy across the country, but it needsan economical, technically feasible net-metering scheme to promote solar PVrooftops in the country, experts said.

Net-metering is a system in which solar panelsor other renewable energy generators are connected to a public-utility powergrid and surplus power is transferred onto the grid, allowing customers tooffset the cost of power drawn from the utility.

It also allows consumers who generate some orall of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of whenit is generated.

Foreign and Vietnamese experts met on June 16 ata workshop held in Hanoi to discuss the development of a net-metering policyfor solar energy in Vietnam.

Experts on policy-making, regulations, businessand international development, including those from the European EnergyInitiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF), the Electricity RegulatoryAuthority (ERAV) and the Electricity of Vietnam attended the workshop.

The first stakeholder workshop was held by theEUEI PDF in collaboration with the ERAV.

The EUEI PDF is providing technical assistanceto the ERAV to boost the promotion of solar PV rooftops, or a photovoltaicsystem that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftopof a residential or commercial building or structure.

As part of the Government’s strategy to boostthe development of renewable energy in Vietnam, which was approved in 2015 bythe then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and following the introduction of anelectricity tariff for the solar energy in April this year, the ERAV under theauthorisation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade was completing theregulatory framework necessary for the country to fully deploy its solar powerpotential, including a net-metering policy, said Dr Dinh The Phuc, ERAV Deputy Director-General.

He said that with support from the EUEI PDF, andexperts sharing their experiences, the EARV would achieve the target of settingup a feasible net-metering scheme that is economical and technically sound.

Head of Cooperation and Development of the EUDelegation, Alejandro Montalban, said Vietnam had an ambitious target tocapitalise on its solar potential and had shown the political will to achieveit.

“With the support and international insightsprovided by the EUEI PDF, we will soon contribute to this process,” he said.

Montalban said the workshop was the first stepin setting up a participatory process involving all stakeholders in the newinitiative.

As part of a week of in-depth consultations, aninternational team of consultants will pay field visits and meet with keystakeholders, including utility and power companies, developers and investors,and international donors.

The consultations will aim to ensure that thenet-metering policy meets the needs of the national energy sector from aregulatory and technical point of view.

The policy will help ensure that Vietnam meetsits goal to generate 12 GW of solar by 2030, according to a EUEI PDF report.

The EUEI PDF will work to help the EARV developin detail the net-metering scheme, drafting the decision and identifyingexisting legislation and policies that need to be brought in line, the reportsays.

"A thorough validation of the technicalcapacities and the potential impacts of solar energy on the Vietnamese electricitygrid will also be conducted to ensure its stability and the technicalfeasibility of an uptake of the solar,” said a EUEI PDF representative.

Finally, he said, the EUEI PDF would alsoprovide training in the new net-metering scheme to policy makers, developersand other key actors to help ensure the successful rollout of the scheme.-VNA