Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has stated that the Vietnamese government always encourages the development and effective use of renewable energies, towards sustainable socio-economic development.
During a reception in Hanoi on August 15 for General Director of Norway’s Scatec Solar company Raymond Carlsen, Deputy PM Dung said with an annual economic growth of nearly 7 percent and a population of more than 90 million, Vietnam sees growing demand for electricity.
The country needs an estimated 90,000 MW of electricity by 2025 and around 130,000 MW by 2030, he said, adding that the current main sources of power for Vietnam are still thermal and hydropower, accounting for 40 percent of total output. However, the potential of those sources has dropped, hence the Government’s policy to encourage renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Expressing support for Scatec Solar’s solar power project, the Deputy PM wished that the company would promote partnership with Vietnamese counterparts and invest in technological products for the renewable energy industry.
The Deputy PM asked the company to hold working sessions with Vietnamese ministries and agencies on issues regarding project approval.
Carlsen, for his part, said Scatec Solar has experience in helping developing countries implement renewable energy projects, which is an advantage. He added that the company plans to invest in the Tri An floating solar power plant in the southern province of Dong Nai with a total capacity of 1,000 MW, as well as develop a system to produce solar panels for export.
It is also connecting with Vietnamese universities to make it easier for students to get internship in the company’s factories.
DEPsys, the Swiss smart grid technology expert, has opened its second subsidiary, DEPsys Pte Ltd in Singapore. At the helm of expansion, Jianjiang PU, an experienced sales leader in the energy sector.
In under six months, DEPsys, a Swiss company specialised in the digitalisation of electrical networks, has opened two subsidiaries. After DEPsys GmbH, founded in February 2019 in Essen (Germany), comes DEPsys Pte Ltd, which is based in Singapore to meet the needs of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in the Asia-Pacific region. Heading up the new structure is Jianjiang PU, a sales manager with strong technical and business experience in the energy sector gained at major corporations such as Alstom and GE. With this strategic step, DEPsys gives to the region greater opportunities to learn more about GridEye certified technology, a comprehensive solution plug-and-play, cost-effective, and scalable.
DEPsys CEO Michael De Vivo intends to meet the needs of Asia-Pacific DSOs in ideally managing their energy transition risks.
The fabulous story of DEPsys in brief
Founded in 2012, and since then, an annual growth rate of more than 100%.
2019
Number of employees tripled, reaching more than 30 people of 13 different nationalities
30 customers in 10 countries and on 2 continents
A Series B financing agreement signed with BNP Paribas and SET Ventures for an €11 million investment
Two subsidiaries opened: DEPsys GmbH [German] in Germany (Essen) and DEPsys Pte Ltd in Asia (Singapore)
Next steps
Asia: strong expansion from Singapore hub with a presence in key regional countries
Europe: the leading market presence heavily reinforced by key innovative projects serving as digitalization references.
The backstory of DEPsys
The story of DEPsys started in 2017 with the Free Electrons, a global energy start-up accelerator programme that connects the world’s most promising start-ups with leading utility companies to co-create the future of energy.
Within the framework of this program, DEPsys got in touch with Singapore Power, which later became their first client in the APAC region.
“This first success led us to organize an Asian tour the following year to meet DSOs in different countries like Japan and China,” says Michael De Vivo. “These various exchanges have led to ongoing engagements with other key market players such as CLP Power Hong Kong.”
Today, GridEye is being adopted by four DSOs in the region. Others are showing great interest in this complete solution, which allows the design, operation, monitoring, analysis, and automation of any power distribution grid regardless of topology.
“Given this interest and after our last round of financing, the creation of DEPsys Pte Ltd became obvious,” adds Michael.
GridEye, the end-to-end grid optimizer inspired by DSOs
GridEye technology, which is certified IEC 61000-4-30:2015 Class A, has been entirely developed by the founders. Under the protection of two international patents, GridEye has been tested and industrialised with DEPsys clients, first in Switzerland, and now abroad.
DEPsys engineers are now able to adjust the GridEye solution to any local needs.
The purpose of GridEye is to offer DSO decision-makers the best digital toolbox to define and implement the most appropriate plan for an energy transition. There is no reason to delay the digital journey to meet the challenging targets of the 2050 strategy. DSOs benefit from securing their investments and opening up opportunities for the creation of new
business models in producing and exchanging power.
GridEye is composed of three elements: hardware, a fully secured IoT platform and applications.
With GridEye, one day is enough to bring intelligence to an electrical grid. In a month, a DSO can safely make the right decisions to optimize their operations, plan upgrades and renewals for the grid, and integrate the necessary volume of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs).
Meet the SPOC for APAC contacts
The SPOC – single point of contact – is Jianjiang PU’s role. His mission is to increase DEPsys’s presence and GridEye’s adoption in the APAC territory.
His experience and vision will convince regional DSOs that digitalization of a grid is not as complicated as they imagine.
It is an exciting challenge for this highly skilled sales manager. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Chongqing University and an MBA from Singapore Management University, Jianjiang has ten years’ solid
experience in the energy sector with two renowned companies, Alstom and GE.
“Smart Grid technology, together with renewables and energy storage solutions, will have a significant impact on the energy landscape and are changing the role DSOs play in the grid network. For DSOs in Asia-Pacific who are keen to leapfrog to the digitalisation of grids, DEPsys is here to enable their vision.”
HONG KONG, Aug 29, 2019 – (ACN Newswire) – BGMC International Limited (“BGMC” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, “BGMC Group” or the “Group”) (HKEX: 1693), a Malaysia-based company with subsidiaries that are mainly engaged in providing construction services and in the concession and maintenance business, has announced today that its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, BGMC Energy Sdn. Bhd., has entered into a shareholders’ agreement with other parties in connection with the joint venture arrangement for purpose of regulating their rights and obligations in a joint venture company, Sparks Energy International Limited (the “JV Company”).
The JV Company, via its subsidiaries, were to conduct the business of providing comprehensive management services in relation to development, financing, construction, operating and maintenance of renewable energy power plants, including two power plants in its pipeline with a maximum export capacity of 30 megawatt alternating current (MWa.c.) each, which are currently under development in Malaysia. The JV Company also intends to capture future potential opportunities for developing and operating other solar concession projects in Malaysia and in the ASEAN region.
The first power plant is located at Kuala Muda, in the state of Kedah, and is owned by the Company’s indirect non-wholly owned subsidiary, BGMC BRAS Power Sdn. Bhd., where the peak installed capacity of the photovoltaic (“PV”) modules shall be not less than 45.00 megawatt peak (“MWp”) and the maximum annual allowable quantity (“MAAQ”) shall be capped at 68,605.32 megawatt hour (“MWh”). The second power plant is located at Machang, in the state of Kelantan, where the peak installed capacity of the PV modules shall be not less than 45.00 MWp and the MAAQ shall be capped at 82,929.10 MWh.
The JV Company’s shareholders have made a nominal initial capital contribution of HK$10 to the JV Company and under the shareholders’ agreement, a further investment of approximately RM177.0 million (equivalent to approximately HK$331.1 million) is to be injected by all JV shareholders through the subscription of the JV Company’s shares and other agreed forms of equity financing, according to the respective equity proportion in the JV Company. BGMC is to hold 45.1% stake in the JV Company.
Tan Sri Barry Goh, Chairman and Executive Director of BGMC, said, “We have considered the potential for development of the solar industry in Malaysia where the government intends to replace existing national power plants with those using renewable energy, notably solar power plants. The government aims to increase the contribution of solar power to 20% of the total power generated in the nation by 2030. These factors, along with rising concern over the sustainable renewable energy and a stabilized tariff, and the prospects offered to management services companies in relevant industries, lead us to view the JV Company as a valuable investment opportunity and an organic platform for our existing business, specifically, for our Concession and Maintenance sector, which will see a new source of recurring income regularly flowing into the Group for the next 21 years. The JV Company also enables us to participate in the development and operation of other solar concession projects in Malaysia and the ASEAN region in the long run. By engaging in the renewable energy business, BGMC is advancing in a strategic direction aligned with the government’s policy and global trends.
I am also delighted to collaborate with other shareholders of the JV Company, namely DPI Solar 1 Pte. Ltd., AD Solar Pte. Ltd., Hasilwan Solar Sdn. Bhd., BV Energy Sdn. Bhd., and IDIQA Energy Sdn. Bhd. All of our partners are leaders in their respective solar and/or power transmission industries in Malaysia, Japan and Singapore. The JV Company will enable us to combine our technical expertise, skills and experience to generate synergies and achieve economies of scale, while providing a comprehensive range of management services and support services in connection with the construction, management, operation and maintenance of solar power plant projects. BGMC will continue to identify projects with promising potential, so as to enhance its profit position and investment portfolio, and, ultimately, raise long-term value for shareholders.”
About BGMC International Limited and the Group
Founded in 1996, BGMC Group is based in Malaysia with its subsidiaries mainly involved in providing construction services and engaged in the concession and maintenance business. With an operating history of over 20 years, it provides a wide range of construction services to customers. Armed with experience and expertise in construction services, the Group is capable of undertaking public private partnership (PPP) projects based on the Build, Lease, Maintain and Transfer (BLMT) and Build, Own and Operate (BOO) models that can generate long-term recurring cash flow.
Information about the Other JV Shareholders
DPI Solar 1 Pte. Ltd., incorporated in Singapore and through its associates in Japan, possesses extensive experiences as a project developer of large-scale solar power plant projects, with professional knowledge and technical expertise including origination, design, commercial and financial planning, developing and operating of such projects.
AD Solar Pte. Ltd., incorporated in Singapore, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asahi Dengyo E. C. Co. Ltd. (“AD”). AD, incorporated in Japan, is principally engaged in the business of solar project development, investment, construction and installation works, commissioning, and operation and maintenance. AD had been involved in large-scale solar power plant projects as a construction contractor as well as a maintenance contractor.
Hasilwan Solar Sdn. Bhd., incorporated in Malaysia, is a subsidiary of Hasilwan (M) Sdn. Bhd., which is principally engaged in the business of supply and installation of a variety of power electrical equipment and a provider of power engineering solutions.
BV Energy Sdn. Bhd., incorporated in Malaysia, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BRAS Ventures Bhd., which is principally engaged in the business of civil and building construction, mechanical and electrical services, and power transmission and distribution.
IDIQA Energy Sdn. Bhd., incorporated in Malaysia, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDIQA Holding Sdn. Bhd., which is principally engaged in the business of civil and building construction, mechanical and electrical services, and power transmission and distribution in both the private and governmental sectors.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Ministry of Industry announced that it is eyeing on the electric vehicle (EV) battery industry which is foreseen to constantly grow in the domestic market. This coincides with Presidential Decree No.55/2019 on the accelerated program of electric vehicle battery and transportation.
“The regulation urges for the optimization of local contents which will later improve our industry’s competitiveness,” said Minister Airlangga Hartarto in a press release on Thursday, August 29.
Airlangga argues that preparing the supporting industries will accelerate the EV industry, and in the same time act as an element of added-value for the Indonesian industry. Peripheral industries refer to those producing power control units, electric motors, and batteries.
He maintains that Indonesia only needs to invest in the battery cell industry to complete the elements that will later support the production of EVs as mine concentrate refinery, electrochemical production has been invested at the Morowali Industrial Complex (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi.
“There is an electric vehicle automaker that showed commitment to do the battery pack assembly if battery cells are invested in,” said Airlangga.
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand: Suthin Noramas cannot stop his tears as he surveys the parched land around him.
His plot is about 2.25 hectares in size and has been carefully cultivated for some crops he thought would prove to be valuable to sell, such as durians, pepper and lemongrass.
All of them are dying or dead.
The ochre ground is cracked from dryness. Even the sections that look green and thriving belie the lack of rain that has hit hard over the past few months. “I have been doing agriculture my whole life,” the 43-year-old said, eyes wet with despondency. “This drought is the worst.
“You can clearly see that they’ve died. I have lost all courage to work. It’s all gone. Dry.”
Ask any local in this part of Thailand and their answer will be similar: This drought is as bad as they can remember.
Rice paddies normally green at this time of year are dry and barren. (Photo: Jack Board)
So far this year, the entire country has endured the least rainfall in the past decade and a significant 25 per cent less than in the same time in 2018, according to Thailand’s Department of Water Resources. In Issan, which covers 20 provinces across a large swathe of the northeast of Thailand, the drop has been more dramatic – down 30 per cent on 2018 figures, where rainfall was close to normal.
The state of the Mekong River this wet season – where it fell to its lowest water level in 100 years – has been symbolic of the bigger problems facing the region.
The lack of rain has left a visible mark on the land and raised uncertainty among people.
Suthin works his land with his elderly father. Their only source of water for their agriculture project is a nearby reservoir. Recently, the duo purchased an electric pump to help them extract the precious resource. On this day, and in recent memory, there is nothing but a dirty trickle.
“I don’t know why it is like this. I don’t know why the gods, sky and soil are punishing me like this. What is going on this year and why is there no rain?”
Suthin Noramas has watched his farm crops grow dry and die due to a lack of recent rain. (Photo: Jack Board)
Just a few kilometres away in Khonburi, other locals ponder that same question on the edge of another dried up reservoir. Its capacity is about 12,000 cubic metres, or about six Olympic-sized swimming pools. But it is empty now.
Local flower grower Karawake Korbsungnern says he has lost 50 per cent of this year’s harvest, costing him about US$6,500. He thinks he is lucky to have managed to salvage anything at all in the absence of rain.
“There are so many dark clouds coming this way but the rain doesn’t come. It rains somewhere else. It’s so windy here, too, but no rain. I have been watching weather forecasts and they always say there will be rain. I have yet to see any,” he said.
“If rain and water don’t come by October. I don’t know what will we do next year.“
Water has become rare and precious across Issan in northeast Thailand. (Photo: Jack Board)
CLIMATE CHANGE AND MISMANAGEMENT
In July, Thailand’s meteorological department issued a warning about the severity of the drought. Around the same time, the government told farmers to hold off planting rice. It came months too late for many producers, who typically plant their main crop in May.
Unlike in previous bad drought years – 2015 being a recent example – it meant farmers had fully committed to their fields, leaving them horribly exposed when the monsoon failed to form as usually expected in May and June.
Prapas Khunsarong, a rice grower in Non Thai district has watched his fields fail after investing huge sums of money. He is mostly a subsistence farmer, growing rice for his own family’s needs.
Around Baan Wang village, the sight of dry paddies and scorched earth are the evidence of the struggle of Prapas and many like him. They say there has not been any significant rainfall in months.
The heavily cracked surface of a dried reservoir in Nakhon Ratchasima province. (Photo: Jack Board)
“At the beginning of this year there was some rain and the rice was sprouting. After that for about three months, there’s been no rain. They are all dead,” he said.
“Next year, we are facing the problem of no rice to eat and no grains to grow. These are the problems. We do lose hope. The whole sub-district feel the same way.”
Rice production in Thailand is a critically important industry, which accounts for about a quarter of the world’s global trade of the crop. Yet, the country has food security issues due to climate change vulnerability, according to Dr Seree Supratid, director of the Climate Change and Disaster Center at Rangsit University.
This year’s drought is being blamed on a low pressure trough, bringing monsoonal rain shifting to the north, inundating parts of India and southern China instead of Thailand. But on top of climate conditions, Dr Seree, the former governor of the country’s Provincial Waterworks Authority and author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says water mismanagement can further explain the damaging impact.
Prapas Khunsarong has lost thousands of baht and has been unable to harvest his rice. (Photo: Jack Board)
“At the beginning of this year we had quite a lot of water for the farmers. We released so much water. Why release so much? Because we didn’t tell the farmers and all the stakeholders before the beginning of the year that we will face some period of prolonged drought,” he said, referring to stored water that can be freely accessed by farmers during the normal dry months.
“We have to improve. We have to change our way of management.”
Already this year, a study by the Department of Agricultural Extension estimated that 1,331 square kilometres of land has been damaged by the drought at a cost of US$320 million. The numbers are expected to dramatically increase as the drought continues.
Dr Seree blames a lack of proper forecasting, information spreading and risk mitigation for Thailand’s lack of climate resilience. A lack of investment in agricultural technology or the encouragement of adoption of high-value crops that use less water has further contributed, he says.
These are challenges that are only going to become more pressing in the years to come. Dr Seree says a hot and dry climate is a new reality for Thailand and severe droughts are now being forecast every two to three years, instead of every 10 to 15 years in the past. Likewise, the magnitude and regularity of damaging floods is also increasing.
“We see that in the long term, Thailand will be a very vulnerable country,” he said.
Meanwhile, the government is taking action to deal with the current situation.
The cabinet on Tuesday (Aug 28) approved an additional drought relief package worth US$515 million to reach 76 hard-hit provinces. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also proposed waiving water bills for the public in central Surin during a visit this month.
“People are beset by grievances. They turn on their tap only to have air come out of the pipe. Why should they be paying for water that isn’t there?” he said, as reported by local media.
A small camp fire built by locals in the dried out reservoir that normally provides agricultural water. (Photo: Jack Board)
‘WE HAVE TO FIGHT’
As the Lam Chae Dam has slowly receded, it has left boats lying on cracked mud and waterside restaurants high up and away from their intended idyllic locations. The water level has dropped so much, motorcycles can traverse a path right across the large reservoir.
The dam is a critical piece of water infrastructure serving Nakhon Ratchasima province with a capacity of 275 million cubic metres. Currently, it is only 17 per cent full. Its operators have closed access to water collection for agricultural purposes, allowing people only to take enough need for personal needs.
“We want to reserve some water for next year’s dry season and we will keep water from rainfall. We closely monitor the situation,” said Somsak Thaploka, the director of Lam Chae Water Transmission and Maintenance Project.
A makeshift road has been made possible through the Lam Chae Dam. (Photo: Jack Board)
Just nearby, the concerns for villagers in Kok Kra Chai relate to drinking water. Their small reservoir will run dry within two weeks if there is no rain. Many locals typically use ceramic water pots to collect rainwater to drink and wash with – those are also sitting empty.
“The water is at its lowest we have seen. If there’s no water then villagers have to buy water,” said village head, Prajuab Thokratoke.
The Thai government will provide some compensation for affected farmers during this drought period but it is likely to not even come close to covering their costs. For provinces declared disaster relief zones, rice farmers could receive a maximum of US$36 per rai of land (0.16 hectares). Farmers say the cost of planting one rai is about triple that sum.
“They will give compensation but it won’t be enough. It will only be enough to prolong us for a while, to buy food because we don’t grow rice here so we have to buy rice. I have to help myself first,” said fruit farmer Suthin.
A boat left sitting in dry grass, far away from the shore of Lam Chae Dam. (Photo: Jack Board)
He is torn between holding out, absorbing his losses and the grief it brings or packing his bags for Bangkok and finding a construction job with a regular pay packet.
“If I really cannot cope with this, I have to find a job in town. As for the crops, I will leave them here for my father to look after on his own. But he’s old,” he said, before seeming to change his mind, drawing on the grit farmers often do to survive tough times like these.
“We have to fight. It’s true. We have to fight. We just have to wait for rain.”
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-drought-monsoon-rains-agriculture-11848900
The government plans to launch additional measures for motorists to buy electric vehicles (EVs) and motorcycles this year to pump up demand for low-emission vehicles on local roads, says Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong.
In addition, support policies for production and the supply chain of EVs will be disclosed soon to help determine new output of lithium-ion energy storage and vital parts of EVs.
Mr Sontirat said the government will offer tax waivers, discounts and partial subsidies as measures for car buyers.
“Many relevant state agencies have to further discuss the EV incentives, with meetings planned between representatives from the Finance, Industry and Energy ministries, as well as the Board of Investment [BoI],” he said.
The plan to launch additional EV measures came after the Energy Ministry met with the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) last Thursday.
The EVAT called for the government to take more serious action in developing an EV roadmap to create a local market that can keep up with rapid improvements in EVs globally.
The government has promoted the EV industry since March 2017, launching investment privileges for companies and listing EVs as an S-curve industry with a goal to have 1.2 million EVs on roads and 690 charging stations by 2036.
Investment privileges from the BoI expired in 2018, attracting roughly 20-30 applications from many companies including carmakers, components manufacturers and newcomers in the EV industry.
EVAT said the current scheme has lured mostly manufacturers, but there are less incentives for the demand side and potential buyers.
Mr Sontirat said the government would revise the EV projection of 1.2 million cars to be more practical, with the goal determined after talks with other ministries and state agencies.
In addition, the country’s power supply has a surplus capacity of 30%, expected to reach 40% in the next couple of years, meaning some of it can be absorbed by new demand for EVs, he said.
The government plans to set up an electricity rate to support the development of EV charging stations.
“Some regulations and conditions are barriers to implementing the EV scheme, so they have to be revised as well,” said Mr Sontirat.
Separately, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has teamed up with 12 assemblers of electric motorcycles to launch the No.5 e-bike label in order to upgrade their quality in the Thai market.
Each motorcycle will be labelled with the No.5 sticker by Egat, expecting to certify 21,000 electric motorcycles and save 183 million baht annually in fuel expenses.
He said the ministry assigned Egat to adjust its business direction to cope with the coming disruptive technology in the power sector.
The global power industry is moving towards peer-to-peer power trading and focusing more on development of renewable power, allowing households can generate electricity by themselves.
The independent power supply has a capacity of 8,200 megawatts, up from 2,200MW a couple of years ago.
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy, spoke with Vietnam Economic News’ Nguyen Dao.
Rpts: How do you assess Vietnam’s renewable energy development? Can Vietnam catch up with other Southeast Asian countries in terms of renewable energy?
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy: Two years ago, there was a very strong development in Thailand which has now slowed down by a combination of less financing being available and unfavorable regulatory regime. So, I think when I compare it to two years ago, Vietnam is getting much more momentum for solar and wind energy.
With over four GW, Vietnam has installed more solar capacity than most countries in Southeast Asia, and Vietnam has more potential for wind power, including onshore, nearshore and, in the long term, offshore wind, given the coast and the quality of the wind. I would say Vietnam has done more solar energy than any other country I can think about in the region, and Vietnam probably has the largest potential of wind in the region, due to the quality of human resources, the availability of local financing, and the interest of financing from outside Vietnam.
So now, so far, I would say, during the last year for wind we have seen the pace of active installation, moving in a way which is consistent with the potential. I think if we want to move to bigger activities, it has to happen in the next two years because the feed-in tariff window is expiring until the end of 2021, so it has to happen in the two years that we have ahead of us. We will see some concerns related to the planning process which could hinder us a little bit, but if the project starts in the next six months then Vietnam will be the largest market for wind in the region.
The uncertainty is still related to the planning process and the speed of it – the master plan process and the speed of the approvals of the project. I think Vietnam has done more solar energy than any country in the region and can do more wind than any country in the region.
Rpts: Vietnam is having 66 wind farms registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and 231 solar farms of which 90 percent go into operation. Among these projects, how many turbines are provided by GE?
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy: We are not so active in solar energy in Vietnam; we have done two projects of 50 MW each, which is a small part of the market. In wind, today we have 30 percent of the market share locally in Vietnam. Out of the pipeline you mentioned, the vast majority of these pipeline projects have not yet selected their turbine suppliers.
So, we are working with many of them. We have been selected already for a few projects with our new Cypress turbines but for the majority of the 66 projects, the customer is still in the process of selecting the turbine. I think naturally in Vietnam, like in many countries of the world, GE should have market share between 25-30 percent, so that’s our target.
Rpts: Is the 30-percent figure you mentioned about projects in operation?
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy: They are projects both in operation and under construction.
It seems that GE gives priority to wind rather than solar energy in Vietnam. Why don’t you focus on solar power which is also hugely potential here?
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy: First, historically in renewable energy in Vietnam there is a very strong activity in the hydro business. We have been the supplier for hydro projects like Son La, Lai Chau in the past 10 years.
Second, today GE globally, has much bigger activities in wind than in solar. We are in the top three producers of wind turbine in the world, and we want to be in the top three in Vietnam and hopefully the leader in the market. Solar for GE is a smaller activity because we don’t produce solar panels and we don’t intend to. So, we focus on the part of the scope of solar project, which is the electrical components, which has everything to do with conductors, transformers and the electrical part for the solar project. We don’t do the panels because there is not much value for a company like GE to be active in that segment.
So, again, in Vietnam, it is no different in what we do compare to what we do in the world. Very traditional activity, the hydro. Very big in wind which is a priority. Small activity is solar because we operate where we think we can give value to our customers and that is much more the case with wind than solar. Wind is more technical, and we can leverage better.
Rpts: What is your evaluation on this price (lower, high or need to be change)?
Mr. Jerome Pecresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy: Countries manage to increase substantially the part of delivery to the grid without significant impact on the cost of electricity because today renewable cost is competitive with fossil fuels in many countries, if not most countries in the world. Scale has been created, and technology has improved. Renewable is cheaper than most fossil fuels in most areas of the world. There might be, in Vietnam, that adjustment cost in the beginning but in the long run there is no reason why renewable energy would result in higher costs of electricity.
Jakarta. The Industry Ministry is partnering up with ride-hailing companies Gojek Indonesia and Grab Indonesia on a project testing electric motorbikes.
The test aims to find out the level of energy efficiency that can be achieved using electric vehicles and mobile battery-sharing.
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan’s largest public management organization, is also involved in the project.
“This electrified vehicle test is intended not only to introduce electric vehicles to the local market but also to bolster that market’s growth as a base for developing the local electric vehicle industry,” Harjanto, the director general of metal, machine, transportation and electronics industry at the ministry said on Wednesday.
Harjanto said they chose Gojek and Grab because both companies have millions of active users and thousands of drivers.
Ryan Eka Permana, Gojek’s head of public policy research and advocacy, said the first phase of the test began in July in Jakarta and will finish by the end of August.
“We fully support the government’s effort to accelerate the use of electric vehicles in Indonesia,” Ryan said.
As many as 300 electric bikes were used in the test, along with 1,000 battery units, forty battery exchange stations and four micro electric cars.
The project also looks into how battery sharing works in business-to-consumer and business-to-business settings.
Indonesia is making a concerted push for electric vehicles to realize its Industry 4.0 roadmap target of becoming a production base for internal combustion engine vehicles and electrified vehicles for domestic and international markets by 2030.
A separate study on electrified vehicles had already looked into technical performance, customer acceptance and their industrial and social impact. The results will be submitted as national policy recommendations.
That study was a collaboration between the Indonesia Motorbike Industry Association, Bandung Institute of Technology, Udayana University, University of Indonesia, and the Industry Ministry’s Grand Assembly of Technical Supplies and Goods division.
