Solar utility-scale power plants in Vietnam

Maxeon Solar Technologies’ rapid deployment of utility-scale power plants to meet Vietnam Ministry of Industry deadline

With a rapidly expanding economy—now the fastest growing in southeast Asia—Vietnam has developed a large appetite for energy to fuel their surging growth. As such, the country’s largest generator and distributor of electricity, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), is increasingly turning to solar to leverage its modularity and scalability benefits. Solar not only helps to diversify EVN’s energy mix by offsetting legacy fossil fuel generation, but it also offers the flexibility to deploy and scale generation in close proximity to load centers throughout the country. And with a recent Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) feed-in-tariff (FiT) set to expire, there was added pressure on local solar power plant developers and EPCs to commission assets by the end of 2020—maximising their value before time ran out on the lucrative incentive. This situation required developers and EPCs to nimbly navigate a complex energy landscape, while building partnerships with suppliers that could be counted on to deliver the requisite technology and expertise in a tight operating window. In some instances, once projects were contracted, there was as little as three months to meet the FiT deadline.

Top technology, top results for Solar utility-scale power plants in Vietnam

For a handful of local developers and EPCs seeking to deliver a combined 238 MW of utility-scale solar across five distinct sites, SunPower Performance panels from Maxeon Solar Technologies was the approach of choice. With a 35+ year track record in the solar industry and a reputation for quality and reliability, SunPower technology could be trusted to deliver powerful results.

The high-power density of the shingled-cell SunPower Performance panel maximises the energy generation capacity of each hectare of land—which is extremely beneficial for a space-constrained country such as Vietnam. With higher power panels also comes the added benefit of lowering balance of system and installation costs per watt across each project—saving time and money.

In addition, each Performance panel is engineered with materials innovations that range from advanced encapsulants to electrically conductive adhesives developed for aerospace that protect cells and minimize power loss from exposure to harsh environments such as the high heat and humidity of Vietnam. And with a history of successful installations throughout southeast Asia, there was a wealth of relevant project experience to back up the real-world performance of SunPower technology. Project owners also benefit from the added peace of mind that comes from the 25-year product and power warranty that stands behind each SunPower Performance panel.

But knowing they had a technology they could count on to stand up to the exorbitant heat and humidity in Vietnam over the long run wasn’t enough, the project developers and EPCs still needed a partner they could trust to deliver on schedule and not put their entire investment at risk.

With a history of designing, developing, constructing and operating more than 5 GW of solar power plants across six continents, Maxeon Solar Technologies knows full well the complexity that goes into delivering utility-scale solar power plants. It’s that past that has provided Maxeon with the firsthand knowledge to engineer panels optimally suited for large-scale installations in diverse corners of the world. It’s also what provided the experience to understand the inherent criticality of project timelines—and develop knowledgeable, hands-on regional sales teams that work seamlessly with customers to facilitate the logistical and technical details of each installation.

Maxeon Solar Technologies’ rapid deployment advantage for the solar power-plants

Knowing they could put their trust in Maxeon to meet their stringent stringent deadlines, while delivering technology that would excel in the field, the burgeoning partnership was solidified by Maxeon Solar Technologies’ rapid deployment capability, financial strength and bankability. SunPower panels are recognized by the industry's most renowned advisors such as IHS Markit and Bloomberg New Energy Finance as a Tier 1 Global Solar Panel Manufacturer. In addition, the leading investor behind SunPower panel technology is TotalEnergies S.A., the world's 4th largest public energy company. 

Throughout 2021 and beyond, Vietnam’s economy is expected to continue its rapid growth. Maxeon Solar Technologies possesses a wealth of power plant experience and know-how that continues to see strong relationships develop with not only local EPC and Developer customers in southeast Asia, but with leading EPCs around the globe. Together, we’ll continue to translate our combined understanding and knowledge of the industry into better technology to meet the growing energy demands of economies around the world.


Project Profiles:

Hong Liem 3 System size: 50 MW Location: Hàm Thuận Bắc District, Bình Thuận Province Commission date: December 2020 EPC: Hawee IDC
Gio Thanh 1 System size: 50 MW Location: Gio Linh District, Quảng Trị Province Commission date: December 2020 EPC: Power Engineering Consulting (PECC2)
Infra 1 System size: 40 MW Location: Phuoc Vinh Commune, Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam Commission date: August 2020 EPC: HaDo Group
Phan Lam 2 System size: 50 MW Location: Bac Binh, Binh Thuan Province Commission date: December 2020 EPC Hawee IDC
Hong Phong 5.2 System size: 48 MW Location: Ninh Thuan Province Commission date: December 2020 EPC: Hawee IDC