Many farmers want to invest in solar power
This is the opinion of Ms. Ta Thi Thuan, Vice President of the Farmers' Association of Gia Lam commune at the 10th National Farmers' Forum in 2025. According to Ms. Ta Thi Thuan, Resolution 70 of the Politburo emphasized green and sustainable development and strongly encouraged the use of renewable and circular energy.
Meanwhile, Gia Lam is a commune with a rapid urbanization rate, the agricultural area in the area has 100% of the area converted from rice cultivation to high-value trees towards large-area farm production.
"In fact, many farmers are very interested and want to invest in rooftop power supply to generate electricity, both saving costs and protecting the environment. However, the initial investment cost is high, the energy source is unstable, and farmers' knowledge in this field is still limited" - Ms. Ta Thi Thuan said.
Ms. Ta Thi Thuan asked Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien: "What specific mechanisms and policies does the State have to support and encourage farmers, cooperatives, and agricultural enterprises to participate in investing and developing renewable energy according to the orientation of Resolution 70? ".
Allowing the sale of surplus electricity back to the grid
Responding to Ms. Ta Thi Thuan's question, representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade - Mr. Pham Nguyen Hung - Director of the Electricity Department emphasized the policy of the Party and State in encouraging the development of renewable energy, specifically rooftop solar power. This is not only a policy but also a part of operating an effective circular economy.
According to Mr. Pham Nguyen Hung, the current policy is to allow the sale of surplus electricity back to the grid. For households with large roofs, the electricity output can be more than the demand.
"We hope that farmer delegates will be smart consumers, applying science and technology, especially solar power, because it brings clear savings benefits. People should consider installing more storage batteries, because solar power cannot be produced in the evening - the peak time of electricity consumption (usually from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) - Mr. Hung recommended.
The Director of the Electricity Department informed that in November, the Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to issue a decision to provide economic and technical support for rooftop solar power. Farms that combine livestock farming, food production with rooftop power installation will enjoy these support policies.
"Regarding the question of why rooftop solar power needs to be notified/registered (unlike other household appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators), the answer is: rooftop solar power is produced to generate electricity and connect directly to the national grid system. If there is no connection, the electricity quality cannot be assessed.
When connecting, to ensure the quality of electricity and the stability of the common power grid - which is a large system covering the whole country - controlling and managing the output and quality of electricity from distributed sources is extremely necessary" - Mr. Hung analyzed.
According to Mr. Pham Nguyen Hung, because of the rapid development, the Government needs to have a management mechanism to ensure the safety of the system. Therefore, for large projects that must register, small projects must notify the electricity industry to manage the needs and strengths of the system. The government currently has many support mechanisms, including large projects (such as wind power) and small models (rooftop solar power), to promote the economy.
