New Vietnam-Denmark cooperation for green growth

14/03/2013

A first Active House in Vietnam is scheduled for construction in the middle of this year, with it expected to enter operation at the end of next year, following a new green growth cooperation project between Denmark and Vietnam.

At a workshop entitled, "Building a Danish-technology Active House in Vietnam", which was held at the end of 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City under the association between the Danish Economic and Commercial Office in Ho Chi Minh City (DECO) and the Ho Chi Minh City Energy Conservation Center.

Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Deputy Director Le Manh Ha said that as a major economic center Ho Chi Minh City had a high demand for energy and was increasingly adopting green energy. For this reason, it needs cooperation and support from green-energy countries. Denmark's aid to Vietnam in constructing an Active House marks major progress in energy efficiency.

The Active House in Vietnam will be the fruit of cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh City Energy Conservation Center (ECC-HCMC), Kaersgaard Andersen Company (KAAI) and University College of Northern Denmark (UCN). The Active House is heat-resistant, energy-efficient, naturally-lit building that embraces smart technology. The house itself will generate more energy than it needs and will create a sustainable link with its surroundings. The house will showcase Danish energy-efficiency technologies and work as a training center of the Denmark-Vietnam Green Technology Center established by ECC-HCMC, KAAI and UCN. The Active House is the first cooperative project of its kind in Vietnam.

Danish Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen said that the Active House project intended to improve people's understanding of solutions to optimize energy use in buildings and the demand for technology and skills, which are Denmark's strengths. The cooperation between ECC-HCMC, KAAI and UCN is in response to Denmark's climate change initiative to foster energy efficiency at medium and small enterprises and to drive towards a low-carbon society. By making the most of natural light and wind and environmentally-friendly materials, Denmark wants to prove that buildings, which contribute 15-20 percent of the nation's demand for energy, can save a large amount of energy.

Danish Minister of Construction, Energy and Climate Martin Lidergaard said that both countries saw great potential for energy efficiency, particularly in the construction sector. Moreover, Denmark has applied the world's highest energy efficiency standards. Building an Active House in Vietnam in the near future will offer opportunities for Vietnamese-Danish cooperation in construction and energy efficiency.

The Active House project is partially funded by the DANIDA Business Partnership Program. To mark40 years of Vietnamese-Danish relations UCN visited Vietnam in November 2011 to provide several short-term courses on energy optimization including designing and building Active Houses following advanced 3D applications. UCN and ECC-HCMC representatives met during UCN's second visit to Vietnam in June 2012 and came to an agreement on construction of an Active House for displaying Danish energy efficiency technology. The two partners met each other again in Denmark in October 2012 to work with KAAI on a plan for an energy optimization project design and construction center.

The Active House project is scheduled to start construction in June 2013 and open in December 2014.

By Le My

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National Energy Efficiency Programme - Ministry of Industry and Trade