Da Nang has announced its first solar power project, funded with $415,000 from the European Commission (EC) and $75,000 from the city’s counter fund.

The city’s secretariat said the project, which will be built from 2017-20, would support the installation of solar equipment at health centres and schools, and it would fund research on solar technology capacity and management.

As scheduled, the central city’s energy conservation and consultancy centre will implement the project in co-operation with European partners.

In 2013, the city’s Science and Technology Department launched a pilot project to install solar power systems and Light-emitting Diodes (LED) in deep-sea fishing vessels.

Da Nang his considered the first Vietnamese city to invest significantly in energy conservation and green tech.

In 2011-15, the city cut 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and saved $433,000 by using nano-lighting technology and other solutions in its public lighting system project.

Da Nang has great renewable energy potential, with a 90km coastline, 2,000 hours of sunlight per year and an average wind speed of 3m per second.

The city plans to develop projects to use energy from ocean waves and tides and biogas from rural areas.

The German ASEAN Power Company plans to build a 40 megawatt (MW) solar power plant in the central city with an investment of $400 million.

According to a report from the city’s Industry and Trade Department, around 30 per cent of the city’s population uses solar power for heaters, while five-star hotels and resorts have been using the solar power heater system to save funds and help the environment.

In 2014, Da Nang’s FPT Complex project became the first in the city to use 12kWh solar power and a solar-power heater system. — VNS