News – Energy Efficiency (EE)

Energising Development (EnDev), a global energy access program operating in 20 countries, supports the provision of clean cooking and renewable energy technologies. The program has been supporting the promotion and dissemination of clean cooking solutions in Bangladesh since 2009. The majority of the people in Bangladesh cook with traditional biomass cookstoves which burn fuel inefficiently and cause indoor air pollution. According to a WHO estimate, over 100,000 people die each year in Bangladesh because of exposure to indoor air pollution. In addition, consumption of excess firewood due to use of inefficient traditional stoves contributes to deforestation and climate change.

EnDev has been supporting the promotion and dissemination of improved cook stoves with chimney known as Bondhu Chula, meaning friendly stove, through its implementing partner, Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation (BBF). So far, more than 3 million Bondhu Chula have been sold. They save not only money and firewood, but also produce significantly less smoke compared to traditional biomass stoves. Bondhu Chula are disseminated throughout the country by more than 6,000 local enterprises, which are partners of BBF.

Energising Development (EnDev) Bangladesh supports these enterprises, offers financial schemes to make the production and sale more attractive, and organizes trainings for maintenance and after sales staff known as the Bondhu Chula Doctors, the majority of whom are women.

Ms. Hasina Khatun is a Bondhu Chula Doctor, who lives with her husband in Satkhira district of southwestern Bangladesh. She is 47 years old. Her husband works as a day laborer.  With their limited income, she and her husband struggled to meet their family needs. She then learned about the new initiative of BBF called Bondhu Chula Doctor program. Bondhu Chula Doctor would be self-employed.

Ms. Hasina received training and started working as a Bondhu Chula doctor. In addition to cleaning Bondhu Chula, she provides maintenance and after-sales service, and installs stoves. With her work, she earns on average 15,000 Taka per month (approximately Euro 150), a sufficient amount for a rural household in Bangladesh. She feels happy that she has already repaid her loan and is very satisfied with her role. She has been working as a Bondhu Chula doctor for 3 years and wants to carry on her work for a long time.

Between 2019 and 2022, over 3,000 Bondhu Chula doctors, such as Ms. Hasina, have been trained and are working in the field all over the country. This program has helped many disadvantaged women in the rural communities to not only become financially independent but achieve social recognition as well.

Contact person

Zunayed Ahmed — Energy Advisor

Energising Development (EnDev)

IKI supports training for Indonesian decision makers from Sept. 12-16, 2022 in Bogor

On a global level, all countries are currently facing multiple crises, and the impact of the Corona pandemic in particular has impacted the Indonesian economy. The country, which consists of more than 17,000 islands, is also particularly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and so Indonesia faces major challenges on the path to achieving its sustainable development goals.

The crises have in common that they trigger cross-sectoral problems that require a systemic and integrated approach to overcome. This requires a transformation that spurs economic growth while enabling long-term prosperity, livelihoods, and an intact environment. To this end, Indonesia has identified the green economy as a transformation priority and has integrated it into key national strategies for structural transformation. For example, in the current national medium-term development plan 2020-2024 (RPJMN 2020-2024). Indonesia aims to thus embark on a low-carbon development path and achieve the Indonesia 2045 vision.

To help Indonesia green its economic recovery after Covid-19, a Green Recovery Roadmap was prepared in 2021 in collaboration with Bappenas. The roadmap highlighted that a Green Economy relies on the long-term decarbonization of the economy and the scaling up of renewable energy.  Indonesia’s energy transition is thus a fundamental building block of the country’s sustainable transformation.

In cooperation with the Berlin-based Renewables Academy RENAC, an interactive five-day training course was developed, which dealt with various aspects of the energy transition as a catalyst for a green economy and low-carbon development. The main objective was to bring together Indonesian decision makers from different ministries and public institutions that work on the topic to share their different perspectives and search for common approaches, while fostering mutual understanding for challenges and opportunities within the sector.

To this end, 12 participants were selected from the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy and the Parliament. Based on a needs assessment, the workshop week focused on the following topics: Sustainable Economic Transformation through Green Economy and Low Carbon Transformation, Global Trends in Energy Transition, Global Trends in Renewable Energy Policy, Energy Efficiency Promotion and Financing, and Communication and Negotiation Skills.

The training was officially opened by the Director of Environmental Affairs at Bappenas Dr. Medrilzam. The more technical topics were interspersed with interactive elements such as creating energy roadmaps in groups, working on case studies, and presenting the Indonesian perspective on aspects of the green economy and energy transition. The training will be flanked by online training and concluded by a study trip to Berlin in February 2023.

Contact person

Carolina Rojas, Thres Sanctyeka — Advisor

Strategic Environmental Dialogues (SUD) and Climate and Biodiversity Hub in Indonesia (ClimB)

Key buzzwords

Energy Transition, Green Economy, Green Recovery, Energy Efficiency, Low Carbon Development, Indonesia

Viet Nam’s Prime Minister announced that the nation will achieve net zero emissions by 2050 at last year’s UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP26. The bioenergy sector, though with a target of 0.45% in 2030 of the country’s power production, considers the goal as a vow to expand the industry.

Therefore, the GIZ Bioenergy Project and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority (EREA) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade jointly organised a virtual workshop on 15 March, to analyse the development of Vietnamese bioenergy and its contribution to the Government’s pledges as well as proposals to promote the sector.

The event was a part of the ‘Climate Protection through Sustainable Bioenergy Markets in Viet Nam’ (BEM) project, which is implemented by EREA and GIZ. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Mr. Nathan Moore – Director of GIZ BEM project – said, ‘This workshop is one step toward addressing challenges in the bioenergy sector, fostering market conditions for both public and private stakeholders and contributing to Viet Nam’s COP26 commitments. It will bring new insights to our collective efforts to recognise bioenergy as a key contributor to Viet Nam’s energy and development goals, as we strive together towards a low-carbon future.’

The workshop consisted of presentations and a panel discussion covering the intersection of COP26 and bioenergy which were delivered by both Vietnamese government ministries, local and international experts.

For more information about the BEM project, please see here.

For further information, please contact Nathan Moore – BEM’s Project Director, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam.

Contact person
Nathan Moore — Project Director, BEM

The meeting was attended by nearly 150 delegates in person and virtually during two days 12 and 13 of May, 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City. The delegation consists of representatives from Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Construction, the European Union, embassies, development partners, corporations, associations, domestic and international enterprises operating in the field of energy efficiency.

The priority topics of the TWG in the new phase have been identified and agreed, including: evaluating the implementation of Energy Efficiency law for recommendations of revision; promote the role of state management at provincial level in the enforcement of the Energy Efficiency law; benchmarking in industrial and manufacturing sectors; promote implementation of energy efficiency in buildings; and promote energy labeling.

The working group also discussed on the establishment of mechanisms and policies to promote energy service company (ESCO) model in Viet Nam, the advantages and barriers while deploying ESCO projects, as well as the experiences to formulate the ESCO policy in developing countries and emerging economies. In the following day, the TWG had a chance to visit a steam factory of the Indochine Import Export Investment Joint Stock Company (DDG) in Ba Ria – Vung Tau. The trip enabled participants to have insight on the energy efficiency technologies applied to manufacturing process as well as the difficulties while operating a typical energy-efficient factory.

Following the meeting of the TWG on Energy Efficiency, the meeting of the TWG on Energy Market is expected to be organized in the last week of May in Binh Thuan.

Contact person
Sven Ernedal — International Coordinator of VEPG’s secretariat 4E

Key buzzwords
VEPG, technical working group, ESCO, energy efficiency, policy, mechanism

As a tropical country, Viet Nam has a great potential for solar energy, especially rooftop solar power, which is often dispersed and mostly consumed at the point of generation. The Government has encouraged the use of rooftop solar because its strategic deployment can contribute to reducing the load on the grid and impact on land-use planning.

By the end of September 2021, more than 100,000 rooftop solar systems were installed and operated with a total capacity of nearly 10 GW which accounts for more than 10% of the total installed capacity of Viet Nam’s power system, according to Vietnam Electricity (EVN) reports. Recently, more investors have focused on the rooftop solar development due to the flexibility in installation timeframes and investment capital options. Solar self-consumption in industry and trade has also become increasingly interesting from a business perspective since power prices in Viet Nam rose by an average of 8% in March 2019.

In this context, the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority (EREA) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade have started to implement a rooftop solar project in the commercial and industrial sectors. The rooftop solar (CIRTS) project will focus on the adaptation of relevant regulatory and technical regulations, the development of key stakeholder capacities and technology cooperation, with an aim to improve conditions for a sustainable development of the market in Viet Nam.

The CIRTS project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Both EREA and GIZ are jointly carrying out the project until February 2025.

At an event on 13 April in Ho Chi Minh City to introduce the project, Nathan Moore – Director of the rooftop solar project – said, ‘Rooftop solar will play a key role for achieving Viet Nam’s COP26 commitments. The rooftop solar project is ready to assist EREA and EVN with technical, commercial, and regulatory issues that naturally arise when rooftop solar is rapidly expanded. By joining hands with other development partners and stakeholders, we continue providing technical assistance to support sustainable development and the energy transition in Viet Nam.’

For more information about the CIRTS project, please see see  here.

For further information, please contact Nathan Moore – CIRTS’ Project Director, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam.

Contact person
Nathan Moore — Project Director, CIRTS

To update the Smart Grid Roadmap and ensure the sustainability of the country’s electricity network, Viet Nam should take measures on eight indexes, namely, green energy, energy market, supply reliability, data analytics, monitoring and control, customer satisfaction, cybersecurity and integration of distributed energy resources.

Those recommendations were presented at the 15 March event, which is the final one among a series on the topic. GIZ and the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Viet Nam (ERAV) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade co-hosted the virtual workshop. The event was part of the the Smart Grids for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SGREEE)project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

At his opening remarks, Markus Bissel– SGREEE’s Project Director – said, ‘What our experts presented today will provide the audience with an in-depth analysis, detailed assessments and concrete proposals to the revision of Viet Nam’s Smart Grid Roadmap. The adjustments will improve the performance of the country’s power sector, reduce the investment need into the networks and encourage a more efficient integration of renewable energy sources.’

With the fast-growing economy, Viet Nam has seen the rapidly increasing electricity demand over the past years. Meanwhile, the share of renewable energy, especially solar energy, has increased significantly in the nation’s power production. The transition of the power sector, however, is challenging the grid management, causing supply-demand risks, despite the government’s constant investment in power generation and grid infrastructure.

The Government of Viet Nam signed a decision on November 8, 2012, approving a strategy on developing Smart Grid in Viet Nam (in short: Smart Grid Roadmap), which sets a general target for Smart Grid to improve system reliability through demand-side management and energy efficiency measures. The plan, however, needs to be updated as Viet Nam has witnessed a significant increase on renewable energy and a number of policy changes.

For more information about the SGREEE project, please see here.

For further information, please contact Markus Bissel – SGREEE’s Project Director, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam.

Contact person
Markus Bissel — Project Director, SGREEE

A lab test assessing a smart inverter controller to monitor and control solar rooftop systems was launched in Hanoi on 24 January 2022. The test was conducted by GIZ’s Smart Grids for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SGREEE) Project in cooperation with the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Viet Nam (ERAV) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), the School of Electrical Engineering – Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the Applied Technical Systems (ATS) Company.

The assignment is within the demonstration initiative, which is expected to contribute to the safe grid operation and dispatch planning, resulting in increasing the capacity of solar rooftop integration in Viet Nam.

Along with the lab test, training courses on usage of ATS’s smart controller devices (SmartDER) and central system (@DERM) were provided to lecturers and students to carry out the operation and maintenance of the systems. They learned about the main functions of the systems, which were successfully tested at the lab, namely, 1) Active power control, 2) Reactive power control, 3) Power factor control, 4) Voltage control, 5) Voltage monitoring, 6) Control of plant output reactive power and 7) Start-up and shutdown of a power plant.

After testing at the lab, the field test will be implemented at power companies in the second phase. Testing at solar rooftop systems and the companies’ control centres will verify the feasibility of the smart inverter controllers under realistic operation and will be used as a reference for future deployment on the power system.

These activities were part of the SGREEE project, which is implemented by the ERAV/MOIT and GIZ. The project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

For more information about the SGREEE project, please see here.

For further information, please contact Markus Bissel – SGREE’s Project Director, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam.

Being hosted by 6 universities specializing in electrical engineering in Viet Nam and supported by GIZ, the Student Forum 2021 on Sustainable Energy attracted nearly 300 students and representatives from universities, governmental authorities, and organizations in the country.

The Student Forum is an academic forum for students in the field of Electrical and Energy Engineering to present, exchange, and discuss their scientific research related to a specific topic of each year. In 2020, the Forum was held for the first time with the theme of “Renewable Energy” by the School of Electrical Engineering (SEE) of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (4E) Project of GIZ Viet Nam. The Student Forum 2020 attracted the attention of more than 150 students, teachers and lecturers from universities across the country.

With the hope of making it an annual event, Student Forum 2021 was recently successfully organized during two consecutive days 8,9 January. This year, 6 universities having specializations in electrical engineering together hosted the event with technical support from 4E Project.

At the Forum, 136 scientific proposals of student were presented with 9 sessions running in parallel. The students were received practical and valuable feedback from lecturers and experts in energy sector for their research. The keynote speakers of the event also shared about significant topics in the sustainable energy sector including the latest theoretical research as well as industrial applications. Thereby, students had the opportunity to access diverse and reliable information for their future research direction.

After the event, the jury will select the 25 best presentations for two award categories (short research paper and long research paper) and announce the final result during the awarding ceremony.

The topic “Sustainable energy” of the Forum 2021 is also the one that is receiving clear direction from the Vietnamese government, with a focus on clean energy – new energy, its stability and impact on the environment and sustainable development. The Forum is expected to be an annual event for students to have academic exchanges and to reach out to fellows in the region, making it an international event in the future.

Contact person: Sven Ernedal – Project Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (4E) Project, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam – sven.ernedal@giz.de

Keywords: student forum, energy research, sustainable energy, scientific, academic

GIZ and the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Viet Nam (ERAV) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) virtually launched the Academy Day 2021 with the theme of ‘Accelerating smart grid research to optimise the power grid’s use of renewable energy’ on 23 December.

The annual event aimed at enhancing research into and the widespread adoption of smart grids for the power network to capture renewable energy and supporting the development of the country’s Smart Grid Road Map. Within the framework of the 2021 workshop, a close cooperation with the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) was established to achieve the greatest possible benefit for Viet Nam.

During the workshop, the speakers presented their research on smart grids, energy efficiency and the integration of variable renewable energy in Viet Nam, Germany and Denmark. The main topics were studies on the operation and control of rooftop solar power systems, voltage regulated distribution transformer, protocol of the shared data centers and Danish experiences with energy communities. Discussions focused on how to create a favorable environment for smart gird research and support the authorities to modernise the power grid when more renewable energy sources will be connected.

The workshop attracted over 70 participants, creating opportunities for local and international university academics, research institutes and private companies to exchange knowledge and experience, matchmake and present their research results.

The event was part of the Smart Grids for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SGREEE) Project, which is implemented by GIZ and the ERAV of the MOIT. The project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

For more information about the SGREEE project, please see here.

For further information, please contact Markus Bissel – SGREEE’s Project Director, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam.

The Viet Nam Energy Efficiency Award 2021 received 148 applications from both enterprises and individuals after 3 months of calling, marking nearly 300 solutions of energy saving and efficient use implemented nationwide.

The Viet Nam National Energy Efficiency Award 2021 organized on 15 December, 2021

Launched on 23 August, the National Energy Efficiency Award 2021 were successfully organized after three months and closed by an awarding ceremony on 15 December 2021. The Award honors the best solutions of energy efficiency (EE) in Industry, Construction and also the Highest EE Products in the market. The Award was chaired by the Steering Board of the Vietnam National Energy Efficiency Programme – Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), in cooperation with the Viet Nam Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Association (VECEA) and GIZ.

The objective of the Award is to promote models and solutions that use energy economically and efficiently in the field of industrial production and in construction works, and at the same time, encourage enterprises to implement advanced technology and management solutions.

Despite being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Awards still attracted the attention and participation of a large number of businesses and individuals throughout the country. Notably, many FDI enterprises have also participated in the Awards this year with impressive energy-saving solutions and products.

Out of nearly 300 energy-saving solutions and 293 high-performance products applied to the Awards, 7 brands were awarded the “Leader” cup with 139 certified products; 17 construction projects and 11 industrial enterprises were awarded for the respective categories. In particular, the Award honored 26 individuals who are male and female energy managers with outstanding achievements at their enterprises.

The Viet Nam National Energy Efficiency Award is expected to facilitate the country’s sustainable socio-economic development, thereby contributing to Vietnam’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment.

Contact person: Markus Bissel – Head of Component Energy Efficiency, 4E Project, Energy Cluster, GIZ Viet Nam – markus.bissel@giz.de

Keywords: energy efficiency, award, industry, construction, high-performance product