The energy conservation exposition 2010 (ENCON EXPO 2010) featuring energy-efficient products and renewable energy will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from November 25-28.

Next week, Kim Dinh Green Energy JSC (Ho chi Minh City) will start installing 50 solar energy lamp posts on the road from Dinh Bo Linh – Thai Sanh Hanh T-junction to Dinh Bo Linh – Highway 50 junction, which has an approximate length of 1 km. Kim Dinh Corporation partially sponsor the installation cost.

The Tien Dat Mui Ne Resort in Binh Thuan Province, 200km north of Ho Chi Minh City, is a wonderful place with the blue sea, white sand dunes and green coconuts. The resort recently received a second prize for being a tropical building from the contest “2010 Energy Efficient Building”, an event held annually by the ASEAN Center of Energy (ACE).

Electricity consumption was reduced by 7 to 10% compared to 2008; in the first 3 months of 2010, 5% of electricity consumption was cut down, compared with the same period in 2009. Those are the first benefits that energy efficiency methods have brought to the Landmark building in Ho Chi Minh City.

Using clean energy is a weapon in the fight against climate change. Ho Chi Minh City is considered to have a rich solar resource which has not yet been exploited and used wisely. Recently, although Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Area and 23-9 Park has installed 32 lamp posts using solar power, it is still too small in comparison with actual demand. Is it due to the lack of funding or a hesitation to invest?

Some young fellows stare at a big TV screen and shout noisily as they are watching a World Cup 2010 football match. Some electric fans run at their maximal speed to soothe the ongoing summer heat. The pigsty system behind the house of Tran Van Tam in Phu Trung hamlet, An Phu commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City also gets cooled with home-made ventilation panels. It is unlikely that the area does not benefit from the national power grid and often incurs power outages.

First Solar has contacted Ho Chi Minh City Hi-tech Park, Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park and Phong Phu Industrial Zone to build a factory on an area of 72 hectares. First Solar’s products include the first photovoltaic thin panel battery. However, due to requirement of large area, the High-tech Park will no longer be suitable, therefore, First Solar must find venue in two other locations.

SaigonBus Co., Ltd will import 21 buses which run on CNG to replace a few buses on route 1 from Ben Thanh market to Binh Tay market. After being imported, these buses will be tested in 6 months before the People’s Committee makes the decision on the subsidized rate for vehicles using clean fuel.

Huynh Kim Tuoc, the director of the Ho Chi Minh City Energy Conservation Center, said, "Industries in Vietnam still consume exorbitant amounts of energy due to inefficiency." Statistics show that the energy efficiency at thermoelectric plants in Vietnam is about 28-32 percent while in developed countries this number is about 40 percent.

Through energy audit and the application of some solutions and models of the project “Investigate, assess, propose solutions and develop energy-saving models for a number of schools, hospitals, factories and flower farms of Lam Dong” implemented by Energy Conservation Center of Ho Chi Minh city, more than VND500 million has been saved and a large amount of CO2 emission which causes greenhouse effect has been reduced.

The heat of more than 38oC results in a sudden rise in electricity demand, and overloaded system. HCMC Power Company has been forced to implement an emergency power saving plan, part of which is to offer VND200,000 as reward for any households saving electricity by 6% in May and June.

Another popular and effective method to save energy in Ho Chi Minh City is using solar energy instead of electricity. Ho Chi Minh City authorities are providing every household with VND1 million to adopt solar energy.

The Hi-tech Park in District 9, Ho Chi Minh city has examined, accepted and put into use 28 wind-and-solar lamp posts installed by Kim Dinh JSC International Group and The Public Lighting Company of Ho Chi Minh city.