Cement industry is one of the industries that have been making a significant contribution to economic growth in Vietnam. However, in face of the soaring prices of fuels such as gasoline, oil and electricity, it is meeting with a lot of difficulties. Technological innovation, costs reduction, quality improvement and energy efficiency are what the Viet Nam Cement Corporation is endeavoring for.

Sa Giang Import Export JSC (Sa Dec Industrial Zone, Dong Thap) is specialized in producing shrimp chips which have been very familiar to domestic consumers. Since late 2010, as part of the project "Promoting energy conservation in small and medium enterprises", the company has implemented energy audit for the purpose of raising the efficiency of energy use.

France's consumption rose by 7% – and in Europe only Denmark and Ireland used less energy per unit of GDP than UK.The EU energy commissioner, Günther Oettinger, is expected to recommend member states are set individual targets on efficiency improvements.The UK is one of the top performers in Europe on energy efficiency, according to a European commission report.

The global market for LED light fixtures, which already stood at $3.8bn in 2010, is expected to grow to $8.3bn within the next three years, according to new research. The heightened awareness of energy efficiency together and global fiscal stimulus has created suitable conditions for the adoption of white light application of LED technology, which would otherwise have faced high costs.

The European Summit dedicated to energy and innovation has emphasised the importance of energy savings for the climate, as well as for competitiveness, jobs and energy security. The cross-sectoral Coalition for Energy Savings welcomes European leaders’ focus on energy efficiency, but warns that there is not enough being done to get us on track to meet the 20% energy efficiency target by 2020.

On December 15th, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) held a ceremony reviewing the energy efficiency program in the 2006-2010 period and the implementation of Directive No. 19/2005/CT-TTg on energy conservation in production and consumption . After 5 years of nationwide deployment, with the coordination between the MOIT and the People's Committees of provinces and cities under the Central Government, the program has obtained encouraging achievements.

This will be enabled by an agreement, which was signed Monday in Skopje by the governments of Macedonia and Germany, envisaging financial assistance for the second stage of the energy efficiency program and a loan contract signed by the Macedonian government, ELEM company and KfW bank for realisation of the project rehabilitating six hydro power plants.

The UK Government today publishes its Energy Bill, which lays out the details of how the proposed Green Deal will work to make energy efficiency available to all. The bill confirms that businesses as well as homes will be able to participate in the Green Deal, when it starts in 2012.

Reducing energy consumption through more efficient buildings, power plants and vehicles is still the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but projects are often hampered by unclear policies from governments, said speakers at a business forum on the sidelines of the U.N. climate conference.

The reason for this situation is that investors do not pay attention to energy conservation methods and their advantages to the socio-economic development. According to the architect Nguyen Tan Van, the chairman of the Vietnam Architect Association, we are not clearly aware of “green architecture” benefits. Therefore, when building, investors do not take advantages of natural conditions and the ancestors’ experiences in the field of construction in tropical region. We need to create a friendlier architecture.

On the morning of November 25th, as part of the 2nd Exhibition of Energy efficiency product of and renewable energy in Ho Chi Minh city, Ho Chi Minh City Energy Efficiency Center, in collaboration with the project Promoting energy conservation in small and medium enterprises (PECSME), held the Conference reviewing the execution of the project Promoting energy conservationin small and medium enterprises in the 2006-2010 period, in Southern region.

The World Bank's lending for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects increased by 300 percent between fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2010, to a record $3.4 billion. But over that same period, lending to fossil fuel projects also jumped 430 percent.

While some members of Congress seem to think that spending federal dollars on local projects is a bad thing, hundreds of farmers and rural business owners are eagerly taking the opportunity to improve their operations through federal clean energy loans and grants totalling more than $30 million. The funds, administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will pay for 516 projects that install renewable energy equipment and improve energy efficiency at agricultural operations.

The Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Company (DOVECO) in Tam Diep Town, Ninh Binh Province was established in 1955 and operates under the Vietnam National Vegetable, Fruit and Agricultural Product Corporation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. With four modern production lines, the company is capable to make 25,000 tonnes of products each year. DOVECO is a leading provider of processed agricultural products in Vietnam. It is also the first company to bring Vietnamese fruit and vegetables to the world market.

The vast majority of the European Parliament has voted in favour of plans to release €146m of unused European Union (EU) funds to finance energy saving, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Today’s vote swing has given the go-ahead to amend legislation on the European Energy Recovery Plan (EERP) to channel unspent capital into a new fund.

In June 2009, funded by the National program on energy efficiency and conservation, the Department of Industry and Trade of Lam Dong selected Da Lat Garment Joint Stock Company as one of the two enterprises to implement energy audit. Through surveys and measurement, the advisory group has identified some opportunities to save energy and made some suggestions to help this business implement each step in the process of reducing energy cost.

According to the project of “Promoting Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium Enterprises” implemented by the Ministry of Science and Technology under supervision of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and assistance of the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the Dong Thap Province Center for Industry Promotion and Development Consultancy has carried out an energy audit program at the Ba Tang Ice Company (in Long Thanh Hamlet, Phu Thanh A Commune, Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province).

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the contests have attracted more than 100 buildings, 77 among which meet demands of organization board. Thirty three buildings of those have given domestic prizes and five won the prizes at ASEAN level. In the past, most of buildings were in the south. This year, many of buildings including schools and hospitals are located in the north.

VietnamPlus and Siemens signed a partnership agreement in Hanoi on Oct. 21 whereby VietnamPlus will be the media sponsor for Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2010. This award is created for the first time in ASEAN in order to acknowledge and reward journalists for excellent reporting on energy efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability issues. It is open to print and online media from Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam.

Arizona is one of the four most improved states in terms of energy efficiency, according to a study released today by the American Council for an Energy – Efficient Economy. The state ranked 18th, up 11 spots from 2009, tying Utah for the most movement. Close behind were New Mexico and Alaska, which both leaped eight spots.