Final article: Supporting the scaling up of best practices
In our province, electricity consumption for domestic use accounts for nearly 60%, industry and construction account for over 29%, and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries account for over 2%... This unevenness, coupled with the many shortcomings in energy management and utilization, has made implementing electricity saving measures difficult. Therefore, relevant authorities at all levels have encouraged and supported organizations and individuals to research and propose effective solutions and methods for saving electricity.
The Center for Application of Advanced Science and Technology (under the Department of Science and Technology) is one of the units actively responding to the electricity saving program through the project "Research on solutions and building a model for safe and economical electricity use in rural areas". Mr. Pham Hong Hai, Director of the Center for Application of Advanced Science and Technology, said: "To carry out this project, we conducted investigations, surveys, and assessments of the current electricity usage situation on over 900 subjects, including 20 electricity companies, electricity service cooperatives, and craft villages… Through this, we identified the causes and proposed solutions for safe and economical electricity use, such as technical solutions to save electricity, policy solutions to manage and encourage electricity saving, and solutions for investing in the renovation and development of the rural electricity grid."
In addition, five models belonging to three different groups were selected for implementation, including: Safe and economical electricity use at chicken farms in Nghi An commune, Vinh City; safe and economical electricity use in Quy Hop craft village, and Cua tile-making cooperative in Tan Ky; "Safe and economical electricity use in concentrated residential areas of Vien Thanh commune - Yen Thanh district and Trang Son commune - Do Luong district." To demonstrate the effectiveness of energy saving solutions, in the Quy Hop craft village model, the installation of Powerboss electrical equipment for a 37 kW stone cutting machine motor resulted in savings of 31 million VND/year during production and a payback period of over 1.5 years. Similarly, at the Cua tile cooperative, replacing 1,000 60W incandescent bulbs in the tile production area with 15W compact fluorescent bulbs (with equivalent brightness) resulted in annual savings of 112 million VND… These models are highly effective in rural areas and can be replicated.
Appropriate mechanisms and policies are needed to encourage the development of solar power systems and equipment.
Given the specific nature of the cement industry, Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company consumes over 500,000 kWh per day, making it one of the largest electricity consumers in our province. Therefore, the company is very concerned about energy saving. It is known that in its cement production line, Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company has researched and installed 10 variable frequency drives (valued at nearly 7 billion VND) to replace the energy-intensive control valves. Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoa, Deputy Director of Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company, said: “With this equipment change, the investment in the inverter will be fully depreciated after 3 years of operation. In addition, the company has many other electricity saving solutions, such as turning off unnecessary equipment like raw material grinders and cement grinders at appropriate times, and limiting electricity use during peak hours. Incandescent light bulbs are being replaced with compact fluorescent lamps. With these practical measures to save electricity, Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company saves 3-4 billion VND in electricity costs each year.”
It can be seen that the energy saving program has been positively received by all levels, sectors, and customers. At the Bac Thinh Electricity Service Cooperative (Dien Thinh - Dien Chau), people have gradually switched to using energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps and are preparing to replace more than 500 old electricity meters (manufactured in China) to avoid energy loss. Mr. Cao Duc Ky - Head of the Bac Thinh Electricity Service Cooperative Management Board, said: The people here have a high awareness of saving electricity, so with 1,000 electricity customers, they only pay a total of over 100 million VND per month. A pressing issue currently in Bac Thinh is the high rate of energy loss and the low quality of electricity, so support is urgently needed to upgrade the transformer station and power line system.
Currently, there are proven energy-saving topics, solutions, and practices in practical models, but they have not been widely adopted due to obstacles related to mechanisms, policies, and difficulties in securing funding. Examples include the project "Solutions and Models for Safe and Economical Electricity Use in Rural Areas" implemented by the Center for Application of Advanced Science and Technology; or the project using waste heat from clinker kilns to regenerate electricity for cement production by Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company. The use of solar energy technology also yields high economic efficiency, but it has not yet been widely adopted. Therefore, in the coming period, the province needs specific mechanisms to encourage and support energy saving, and especially needs a rational plan and investment in rural electricity systems.
Besides taking over the existing power system, the electricity sector needs to invest in renovating dilapidated areas and provide technical advice to customers on energy conservation. In the coming years, energy demand will continue to increase, and the province needs strong, specific, and feasible measures to manage and regulate energy demand effectively, in harmony with economic growth, preventing the risk of resource depletion due to increased energy demand and negative impacts on the environment.
Hoang Vinh
