Double benefit
Mr. Nguyen Ha in Nghi Loc commune (Nghe An) excitedly boasted that the electricity bill his family had to pay last month was only... 42,000 VND.
My family used to use not much electricity, but before, we also had to pay from 300,000 - 500,000 VND per month for electricity, sometimes higher in the hot season. But since I invested in a rooftop solar power system, just a 12-volt system, the electricity bill is only 35 to more than 40,000 VND/month, very economical and effective.
On a larger scale, Mr. Tran Duc Tuan in Quang Tri spent nearly 30 billion VND from 2020 to install a rooftop solar power system to supply electricity to his chicken farm. With 15 rows of chicken coop houses, before installing the system, he spent up to 60 million VND per month on electricity.
Since having solar power, I only have to pay about 30 million VND/month - Mr. Tuan said - not to mention, the total installed capacity of the system reaches 2.4 MW, while during the day the farm only uses about 5 - 10% of the capacity. The remaining electricity is contracted to be sold to the power grid, bringing in revenue of about 600 million VND per month. So in just a few years I will recoup the capital". The above examples show that people are increasingly prioritizing rooftop solar power to reduce electricity costs. This system helps to produce and use electricity on the spot, reducing dependence on the national grid, especially when electricity prices tend to increase.
In addition, if the surplus electricity selling mechanism is completed, people can increase their income. According to experts, the capital recovery time is now only a few years thanks to reduced costs and improved technology.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the whole city has about 1,797 self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power systems with a total installed capacity of about 400 MW. Among them, there are more than 1,200 cases implemented in the form of simple notification, mainly households.
In March 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee sent a document to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the National Electricity System and Market Operation Company (NSMO) proposing to prioritize power supply during the peak dry season from April to June this year. With the goal of economic growth of 10% or more, Ho Chi Minh City said that electricity demand will increase sharply.
Data from Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) shows that the maximum capacity this year is forecast to be 9,556 MW and may reach 10,059 MW. In this scenario, the city may be short of about 354 MW during the evening peak hours (from 5 pm to 8 pm), even the shortage may reach 723 - 1,226 MW.
Not only in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the extreme operating scenario forecast this year, the load capacity of Southern Power Corporation (EVNSPC) will exceed the available threshold allocated by NSMO in May, June, July and November. In the North, in 3 months, the maximum load capacity of the entire Northern Power Corporation (EVNNPC) reached about 17,789 MW, an increase of 9.8% compared to the same period last year. It is forecast that for the whole year, the load in the North will continue to increase, possibly reaching 20,746 - 21,397 MW, corresponding to an increase of 9.3 - 12.8% compared to 2025.
Untie the knot
On a national scale, the Ministry of Industry and Trade sets a target that by 2030 there will be about 14 million households installing rooftop solar power, equivalent to about 50% of households. This is a very ambitious number but completely feasible if there is an appropriate mechanism.
According to reports, compared to the actual potential, the current level of exploitation is still modest. Partly due to policies not being truly synchronized, and partly due to people's psychology of being afraid of procedures and initial investment costs.
The Prime Minister's directive on strengthening the implementation of electricity saving and MN solar development clearly states that these solutions must be implemented drastically from 2026, associated with the specific responsibilities of each ministry, sector, locality, and enterprise.
The Directive sets a target to strive to save at least 3.0% of total electricity consumption nationwide in 2026; in peak hot months (April, May, June, July), to save at least 10% of electricity consumption.
At the same time, promote the development of self-produced and self-consumed UMBR, prioritizing installation in public offices, production, business, service and household facilities; encourage the combination of energy storage systems (BESS) to reduce peak hour load and increase local power source autonomy; strive for about 10% of public offices and 10% of households nationwide to install and use UMBR annually.
The Prime Minister also requested to urgently develop and promulgate an action plan for 2026 on economical and efficient use of electricity, management of electricity demand and development of UMBR; clearly define electricity saving goals and targets, implementation roadmap and responsibilities of each agency and unit; link implementation results with the assessment of the level of task completion of the head.
Developing rooftop solar power is no longer an option, but an urgent requirement.
