According to experts at the seminar on Smart Energy in the process of urbanization and urban development within the framework of the ASEAN Smart Cities 2020 Summit held on October 22, 2020 in Hanoi. Vietnam plans to develop smarter, cleaner, greener and more sustainable energy sources for its cities because in the context of rapid global urbanization and digital transformation, Smart city development is the right direction for cities. In the main pillars of smart city development, smart energy development plays a very important role.

Smart energy development is the core of smart urban development

 "Smart city development is the right direction and self-contained smart energy development plays a very important role in the development".This is the comment of Mr. Nguyen Cao Luc, Vice Chairman of the Government Office in his speech at the seminar on Smart Energy in the process of urbanization and urban development.

“We all know, cities consume 70% of global energy and are also responsible for 70% of polluting emissions in cities. Therefore, moving towards a smarter, cleaner, greener, more sustainable city depends a lot on how we use energy in cities ”- Mr. Luc emphasized.

In Vietnam, towards the national energy development in the period of 2030-2045, the Politburo has issued Resolution 55-NQ / TW on Vietnam's national energy development strategic orientation to 2030. look to 2045. According to Resolution 55-NQ / TW on national energy development to 2045, Deputy Chairman Nguyen Cao Luc also affirmed that the use of energy economically, efficiently and protect the environment must be considered an important national policy and the responsibility of the whole society.

Mr. Dang Hoang An - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade shared at the conference that: Economical use of energy and smart urban development play an important role in the development of our country as well as ASEAN countries. According to the urban development strategy of Vietnam to 2030, about 50% of the population of Vietnam will live in urban areas. The huge problem poses, urbanization is an important process for development and in most countries and economies, and when it becomes an inevitable process, it comes with complete change. economic structure, change of lifestyle, living standards of the people of the countries. In addition, the urbanization process also faces many risks, consequences such as too high population density, traffic congestion, air pollution, social infrastructure ...

Deputy Minister Dang Hoang An also raised the issue of the need for economical and efficient use of energy in Vietnam as well as ASEAN as a top priority issue. Therefore, we need to find solutions to solve the above problems, so that developing countries like Vietnam can successfully urbanize, towards a higher standard of living for the people. do not encounter major consequences in the future

"To have enough energy for cities, Vietnam needs smart energy because it can be more economical and better control energy supply and demand." Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade emphasized

Smart energy is the best solution in the long race

At the conference, Deputy Director of Department of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mr. Do Duc Quan stated that, at present, renewable energy, mainly wind energy, solar energy is strongly developing on all over the world. Vietnam is also in this trend and in recent years, the renewable energy sector in Vietnam has developed very strongly.

Mr. Do Duc Quan emphasized that Resolution 55 is the driving force and a strong direction for the development of the energy sector, especially the renewable energy of Vietnam. Besides, the process of urbanization and industrialization of Vietnam is happening very quickly. Partly because the population density in urban areas and industrial zones in Vietnam is very large. These are also areas with a lot of socio-economic activities, so the demand for energy is also very high.

"In order to reduce costs, to develop industry and other economic sectors, it is necessary to use efficient and reasonable energy sources, especially renewable energy. Currently, distributed power sources such as solar power. Rooftop is one of the very important solutions. In addition to being a clean energy source, rooftop solar power also has advantages such as: dispersion, small scale, on-site consumption, reduction of losses in transmission and distribution ", Deputy Department Director of Electricity and Renewable Energy Department Do Duc Quan confirmed.

Questions about smart energy solutions on the development path of Vietnam and ASEAN

Besides, at the seminar, experts also raised concerns about how to solve the problem of energy in cities on the development path of Vietnam and other countries in the ASEAN region. Energy World, ASEAN countries currently export some types of primary energy, but may become energy importers in the very short time due to the growing population. At the same time, there are also questions like how can we actually use smart energy to reduce the energy intensity of the economy?

In addition, assessing the impact of green energy efficiency in urban areas and economic zones Mr. John Rockhold, Head of Power and Energy Working Group, Vietnam Business Forum Many industrial parks and urban areas in Vietnam have aimed to use clean and green energy with modern and modern technologies. Investing in smart energy development will be expensive initially, but will bring benefits in the long run. Specifically, industrial zones with a smart energy environment will help increase competition and attract more investment. At the same time, it will help businesses save costs through renewable energy, help raise GDP, improve business environment, and meet the higher needs of the middle classes.

Also at the session, Mr. Do Nguyen Hung, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam - Cambodia - Myanmar Ministry of Energy from Schneider, suggested that the smart grid through digital transformation, comes with smart devices. will be a trend in Vietnam with increasingly advanced technology.

Mr. Hung said energy management software based on cloud computing can help manage and save electricity better in Vietnam.

According to the 2021-2030 projected energy plan proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade last month, Vietnam will need $ 133.3 billion over the next decade to build new power plants and expand the grid.

The plan also states that demand for electricity will remain high, with an annual growth rate of 8.6% in the period 2021-2025 and 7.2% in 2026-30.