Vietnamese PV projects to assess potential of battery storage in preventing curtailment

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Solar projects like this one in Vietnam are suffering from curtailment issues largely due to network congestion. Image: Sunseap

Solar PV power generation in Vietnam could about to be maximised through the integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS), with consultancy AqualisBraemar LOC Group (ABL Group) hired to conduct feasibility studies across multiple PV plants following curtailment issues in the country.

After the Asian country experienced rapid growth in installed solar PV capacity, power generation from the renewable source is being curtailed, largely due to network congestion. A feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme had been wildly successful in incentivising new solar PV, especially on commercial rooftops, during 2020. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Norway-headquartered ABL Group has been hired by Dragon Capital’s subsidiary, VN Green Holding, to look at the feasibility of installing behind-the-meter BESS technology at up to three of VN Green’s solar projects to mitigate the impact of curtailment.

The consultancy will make a detailed analysis of the PV plants to see how much curtailment has taken place and is expected in future and will then model and optimise a variety of possible BESS solutions. 

The study will seek to implement the lowest cost of storage on a levelised basis to assess the commercial feasibility of this colocation of generation with batteries. 

PV Tech’s sister publication Energy-Storage.news asked ABL Group for the approximate or expected output and capacity of the BESS solutions, as well as their colocated solar PV plants, but had not yet received a reply at the time of publication. 

“We are pleased to support Dragon Capital in the development and optimisation of BESS for its PV projects in Vietnam,” ABL Group’s onshore renewables unit director Richard Abrams said.

“We believe this model will be transferrable to similar projects moving forward, helping owners and operators get the most out of their renewables assets.”

Energy storage expected to ease integration of Vietnam’s solar boom

Vietnam installed more than 9GW of solar during 2020, including 7GW of rooftop PV installations in just one month (December 2020).

Those capacity figures kept rising and concerns were also raised about stability of the grid being affected by the influx of variable renewable power installations, while major cuts to tariffs were also proposed.   

Batteries could perform ramp rate control to integrate variable renewable generation onto the grid, or time-shift energy from daytimes when production is abundant, to evening peak times, when it is not. They could also provide grid stabilising services like frequency and voltage control, help transmission and distribution (T&D) network organisations to save costs on expensive upgrades, and more. 

At the Solar and Storage Finance Asia online event hosted last July by our publisher Solar Media, Vietnam was described as a “wonderful example” of a country in the continent where energy storage could make a massive positive impact on the transition to low carbon energy. 

Alexander Lenz, APAC regional CEO for investment management company Aquila Capital, noted that the FiT was originally expected to result in about 850MW of installations, but instead sired more than 10 times that amount. In total, there are about 16GW of solar plants in the country in total, including 5GW of systems installed before 2019.

There is however no policy or regulatory mechanism in place to support the deployment of storage, Lenz said, suggesting that it is up to the clean energy industry active in Vietnam and the wider Southeast Asia region to be proactive in proposing solutions and business models to regulators, policymakers, utilities and other stakeholders.   

Batteries could perform ramp rate control to integrate variable renewable generation onto the grid, or time-shift energy from daytimes when production is abundant, to evening peak times, when it is not. They could also provide grid stabilising services like frequency and voltage control, help transmission and distribution (T&D) network organisations to save costs on expensive upgrades, and more. 

“With such a rapid growth trajectory [for solar in Vietnam], BESS will be a critical technology to recover lost generation, whilst maximising the efficiency of these critical infrastructure projects. This will also potentially provide more sophisticated services to the local grid,” ABL Group’s Richard Abrams said. 

In October last year, a grant for just under US$3 million was awarded by the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to support a pilot project where BESS equipment will be retrofitted to an existing utility-scale solar PV plant. 

In that project, a 15MW / 7.5MWh BESS will be integrated at a 50MWp solar farm, aiming to demonstrate the commercial viability of batteries to help increase the use of renewable energy on the grid, including through reduced curtailment. It followed the 2018 award of a US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant to conduct a feasibility study into the deployment of advanced energy storage tech to state-owned power company Vietnam Electricity. 

This article was originally published on PV Tech’s sister site Energy-Storage.news on 10 January.

Read Next

October 2, 2025
The Indian Department of Commerce has launched an antidumping investigation on solar encapsulants originating or exported from South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
September 25, 2025
Developer ACE Power and Osaka Gas Energy Australia have submitted plans for a 100MW solar-plus-storage project to Australia’s EPBC Act.
September 24, 2025
The development of India’s power transmission network is lagging behind the country’s rapid growth in renewable energy, leading to project delays and cost increases
September 23, 2025
Australia’s NEM set a new instantaneous renewables share record of 78.6% on 22 September, surpassing the previous day's record of 77.9%.
September 21, 2025
Lightsource bp has commenced work on a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS) at a 585MWdc solar PV plant in Australia.
September 17, 2025
For the third year in a row, self-consumption installs have fallen in Spain, with 611MW of new additions in the first half of 2025, according to a report from trade body APPA Renovables.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK