On Tuesday, September 9, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) of Vietnam, in partnership with the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ), officially launched its initiative known as the Agri-PV project. It is the first project in the agricultural sector that focuses specifically on solar energy for rural households. Moreover, it is the first dedicated research solar project on combining solar power with agriculture that intends to increase farmers’ incomes and accelerate the country’s energy transition. The Project was funded and supported by GIZ. The Agri-PV initiative addresses both policy gaps and technical barriers.
The Agri-PV project or the first agriculture solar project, holds an objective of deploying around 10 pilot models for agricultural solar plants during its three-year implementation from 2025 to 2027. These pilots will provide awareness of how farmers can benefit from integrating crop production with solar energy generation. In addition, the project intends to boost knowledge among policymakers and stakeholders. By its conclusion, 65 per cent of 20 key policy and sector representatives are expected to have improved their understanding of the current state and future potential of agri-solar development in Vietnam.
Nguyễn Thế Hinh, deputy head of the Agriculture Projects Management Board and director of Agri-PV, stated that Vietnam’s solar sector has witnessed exponential growth. Installed capacity increased from just 272MW in 2019 to more than 16GW by the end of 2024. According to Predictions, solar capacity will reach 22GW by 2030 and 168GW by 2050.
Furthermore, Hinh stated that this solar project will evaluate Vietnam’s agricultural solar potential, design suitable development strategies and deliver advisory services to stakeholders. Not only this, but it will also help mobilise resources for scaling up the model nationwide, endorsing the country’s commitments to a just energy transition,net zero emissions by 2050 and NDC 3.0 climate target.