As Vietnam experiences rapid industrialization and urbanization, the demand on the country’s power resources is driving a marked shift to renewable energy sources. With the country’s power demand growth forecasted at 10 percent annually, Vietnam has taken bold steps to accelerate development of renewable energy and started to embrace the benefits of solar power.
The country’s solar power operational capacity surged quickly and reached approximately 19.4 GWp by the end of 2020, far exceeding the 5-year goal (2020 – 2025) set for solar power generation in the revised national plan for power development Master Power Plan VII. With that, Vietnam has overtaken Thailand as the largest solar market in Southeast Asia.
Since priority continues to be given to further developing solar power sources to 12,000 MW by 2030 (3.3 percent of the country’s total energy mix), floating solar power will become an important source of power in the coming years.
Located in Quang Thanh commune, Chau Duc district, Ba Ria Vung Tau province, the Gia Hoet 1 and Tam Bo solar power complex projects includes two solar power plants. The Gia Hoet 1 and Tam Bo has an area of 40 and 41 hectares of water surface respectively. Invested and conducted by Toji Group JSC with a total capacity of 70 MWp, this is the largest floating solar power complex in South East Asia.
The order of 10 ABB Secondary Skid Units (SSU) was placed to support the start of commercial operation in December 2020, ensuring the project met the deadline of Vietnam’s 2020 solar Feed In Tariff scheme.
ABB’s SSU is a complete plug-and-play solution designed to meet the demanding requirements of a solar plant connecting many 800V string inverters with a single transformer of 6.3 MVA in order to reduce the numbers of transformers as well as installation works. All equipment is tested in order to match the high load required during operation of the solar plant.
All are pre-engineered, configured and tested at ABB’s facility in Vietnam before being shipped to customers for fast installation and commissioning to match the project’s tight time schedule.
ABB Secondary Skid Units on Gia Hoet Tam Bo 
Tam Bo solar plant 
Gia Hoet Solar Plant
For both the Gia Hoet 1 and Tam Bo solar power complex, each customized solution includes 22kV switchgear SafePlus with Relion® 605 series protection relays, 6300KVA distribution power transformers, and 800V LVS low-voltage switchgear equipped with Emax 2 air circuit breakers and Tmax T molded case circuit breakers, as well as SCADA system connection.
The SSU has a wide capacity range from 1000KVA to 6800KVA to suit project requirements, while its voltage range is suitable for all existing inverters on the market. With all equipment manufactured and typed tested in compliance with international IEC standards and some in particular meeting local technical requirements set by the Vietnam Electricity Corporation such as the MV switchgear SafePlus, ABB SSU ensures safety for the operator and public. Its robust design makes it easy for transportation and help optimizes cooling from the open air and therefore reduces energy consumption. In addition, the customized design for LV switchboards also offers direct connection comprising 44 inputs enable optimal installation of combiner boxes and save time and cost.
Mr. Ho Minh Tien, CEO of TOJI Group shared: "The project had a very tight schedule, therefore, delivery time was very critical. ABB’s local manufacturing facility shortened the lead time and allowed us to have equipment at site within the expected timeline. In addition, with all equipment in sets, we were able to minimize installation time, minimize risks on site and reduce costs, while ensuring international standards in quality and safety."
The ABB team also supported to speed up production and helped TOJI to receive equipment handover at site one week earlier than the initial commitment. "The ABB team’s support significantly shortened the time to put the project into operation and helped us generate income earlier than the schedule", Mr. Tien added.
"ABB and TOJI has solid track record in our cooperation in solar power in Vietnam. We are proud to be a partner of TOJI in this project and help our customer accomplish the project faster and in an efficient way. We look forward to expanding collaboration with TOJI in their other future projects as well as to help developers leap project execution progress and drive the green growth path of Vietnam." Said Hien DoanVan, Sales Director of Electrification, ABB Vietnam.
Located in BacNinh Province, ABB’s factory manufactures primary switchgear, compact stations and customized, including digital solutions for special applications and meets the most demanding industrial and international standards. Supported by a strong local engineering team, the factory serves customers from Asia and Pacific countries with the benefits of a complete manufacturing facility: design, engineering, project management, manufacturing and service support.
