• Energy Research

Building is responsible for more than 40 percent of energy consumption and one third of greenhouse gas emissions. Europe has established the pathway towards nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB), soon required in every new construction and large renovation in existing buildings by 2020. Achieving nZEB required the use of photovoltaic modules for generating electricity. The rooftops of residential, commercial and office building are ideal places for the installation of PV systems. Recently, in Vietnam, the nZEB becomes an important part of sustainable development and attracts the attention of scientists on the term of " green building " or " smart building " , while photovoltaic systems are in most cases not used in building today. From this framework, we aim to implement the platform that will be dedicated to prototyping and tools to support research and training in the reference building. The first work presented in this paper aims at parametric analysis of 15 kWp PV system applied to a rooftop of a University building in Cau Giay-Hanoi. The study shows the effect of PV module types, and installation tilt angle on the electrical energy yield. The Photovoltaic simulation tool takes an important role in calculating the energy production from the solar panels. PVSyst software as a simulation tool was used to simulate several operating conditions as well as components. The research investigated a complete on-grid PV system by taking into account orientation of PV array under meteorological condition in Hanoi, solar cell technologies and inverter connections. Meteorological data was accessed by MeteoNorm and PVGIS. According to simulation results, the configurations of PV system for reference office building of the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), was optimized to facilitate the next phase of smart building research in Vietnam.

Building is responsible for more than 40 percent of energy consumption and one third of greenhouse gas emissions. Europe has stablished the path towards nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB), soon required in every new construction and large renovation in existing buildings by 2020. Achieving nZEB required the use of photovoltaic modules for generating electricity. In Vietnam, photovoltaic systems are in most cases not used in building today. This research, we aim to implement the platform that will be dedicated to prototyping and tools to support research training in the reference building. In order to achieve nZEB, a 15 kWp of PV array will be installed in the rooftop of this building to compensate the energy needed. The objectives are to benefit from PV source, to improve energy efficiency and to reduce cost of electrical consumption in different scenarios. The Photovoltaic simulation tool is important in predicting the energy production from the solar panels. The first study investigates the use of a simulation tool PVSYST as a method of informing the design decision of building installed photovoltaic system. Input to the simulation software such as meteorological data has been evaluated.

Due to the problems caused by the gasoline engine on the environment and people, the automotive industry has turned to the electrically powered vehicle. Electric Vehicles (EVs) such as electric two-wheelers and electric cars provide convenient local transportation and are becoming popular means of transport in Vietnam in recent years. Electric bicycles, electric motorbikes and electric cars appeared in Vietnam since the early 2000s and are growing very quickly. As of September 2015, Vietnam's EV market has grown to an estimated 2.5 million e-bike units and over 1000 electric cars. However, electric vehicles, as a competitive solution for green transportation, are yet to be bettered off. Lead poisoning, traffic accidents, lack of charging facilities, lack of policies and regulations to ensure safe and effective usage for a better environment and sustainability, in general are the elements that affect and restrain the further development of the Vietnamese market. In this paper, we present an overview of EV use in Vietnam, as well as the benefits and limitations of EV use, especially the many existing issues, and some recommendations to manage the development of these new modes of transport.