 Luong Thanh Nghi, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry. (Photo: Huy Son) |
Global environmental threats, environmental pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions are forcing humans to pay more attention to the development of renewable energies.
Doctor Tran Van Binh, a Vietnamese living in Germany, has studied clean energy for more than 30 years. He says that HCMC, with about 2,000 hours of sun a year, has favorable natural conditions for developing solar power. He says the Vietnamese government should encourage people to collect solar energy on their rooftops or in their fields.
He said: “HCMC should make use of the rooftops of office buildings and schools, suitable places to install solar panels which absorb solar radiation and turn it into electricity. The municipal administration should take the lead in this endeavor.”
Promoting the use of LED and other smart lighting systems in homes, offices, and public places would save energy and reduce environmental pollution.
Professor Dang Luong Mo takes Japanese lighting models as an example: “We need to reduce energy consumption as much as possible. LED lighting is being widely used around the world.”
 Participants at the conference. (Photo: Huy Son) |
David Ngo, a Vietnamese living in the US and an expert in science and technology, says as fossil fuels like coal and oil become depleted, solar and wind energy must replace them.
Ngo suggests Vietnam make the most of its intellectuals and domestic technology to produce made-in-Vietnam renewable energy equipment. According to Mr. Ngo, Vietnam should make people more aware of the importance of renewable energies.
“Vietnamese people can master advanced technologies. What we need is state policies such as appropriate electricity tariffs. To encourage people to use clean energy like solar and wind energy, we should set prices that are attractive to investors,” Ngo said.
Clean energy use is becoming very important, even urgent, for HCM city, an economic hub with more than 10 million people.