Elva Wang, head of South East Asia, Trina Solar Asia Pacific talks about the company's plans in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Trina Solar
Solar energy is the right choice for Việt Nam because it is proven technology that can be quickly and readily deployed, even in challenging sites, affirmed Trina Solar, a global leader in smart photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage solutions.
At a briefing in HCM City on Wednesday, the company said that Việt Nam’s transition to renewable energy comes as the country’s electricity needs to continue to increase due to strong economic growth projected at 5-7 per cent per annum over the coming years.
Under Việt Nam’s National Power Development Plan VIII (PDP 8), the country is looking to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2050 and increase solar power installed capacity to account for 34 per cent, up from 23 per cent in 2022. The PDP 8 also forecasts that energy storage will increase to 300 MWh by 2030 and 26 GWh by 2050.
At the event, Elva Wang, head of South East Asia, Trina Solar Asia Pacific, shared that her company has been steadily ramping up production at its manufacturing facility in northern Việt Nam, demonstrating its commitment to the local market.
The company’s US$203 million factory in the northern city of Thái Nguyên, which started production last August, had 700 workers and was producing its industry-leading 210mm monocrystalline silicon wafers.
The factory now employs 1,500 workers, and creates thousands more jobs indirectly, both upstream - through use of local suppliers - and downstream as products are marketed, distributed and installed throughout the country.
The factory is now producing solar cells and modules; representing more advanced stages of value-added manufacturing. The facility is now steadily ramping up to its maximum annual production capacity of 6.5GW of wafers, 4GW solar cells and 5GW modules, the company informed.
“Trina Solar is unique in this market because we not only sell solar products in Việt Nam, we manufacture here as well,” said Wang.
“Our Việt Nam factory is our largest outside China and is doing high value, advanced manufacturing such as turning wafers into solar cells as well as module assembling,” she confirmed, informing that her company’s Vertex modules manufactured in Việt Nam are sold locally and throughout Asia and the world.
Exports account for 60-70 per cent, she said.
Some of Việt Nam’s largest utility-scale as well as commercial and industrial solar projects are powered by Trina Solar modules at the 51MW Đầm Trà Ổ floating solar farm, in the central coastal province of Bình Định, and the 49MW Vĩnh Long ground-mounted solar farm near the southern tip of Việt Nam.
Founded in 1997, Trina Solar Company, Ltd is mainly engaged in PV products, PV systems and smart energy. — VNS