The contract with NLDC – a subsidiary of state-owned utility Electricity Vietnam – will see Solargis weather data used to evaluate and forecast production over 140 solar power plants and 40 wind plants in Vietnam, with a combined generation capacity of around 7.3 GW.
As Vietnam brings new renewables capacity online to meet ambitious growth targets, accurate production forecasting plays a critical role in smooth grid integration. In particular, managing challenges relating to intermittency of supply, such as power congestion, grid overload and frequency oscillation will be essential for accommodating new solar and wind projects and realising the full potential of Vietnam’s renewable energy investment.
In order to meet this need, NLDC, which is responsible for performing load dispatching, power market trading and other vital electricity activities throughout Vietnam, has chosen to integrate Solargis data into its systems. Solargis’ forecasting services will help NLDC to accurately predict the power output of installed wind and solar plants, based on high-resolution meteorological and solar radiation data.
This will increase NLDC’s responsiveness to resource fluctuations and improve the overall reliability of the transmission system. In turn, the contract will enable NLDC to set a new benchmark for effective grid operation in Vietnam and throughout South East Asia.
By leveraging aggregated historical data from across the whole country, the agreement represents a wider shift towards improved forecasting accuracy in Vietnam. It will also lead to power estimations that are accurate for neighbouring countries with similar climate and physical conditions, bringing with it a step-change for the wider region.
“By using high-resolution historical data for new power plants, we can support effective grid integration and maintain the momentum currently building for renewables in Vietnam” said Marcel Suri, Managing Director, Solargis. “Working with NLDC to deliver greater insight into resource risk and renewables production in Vietnam will in turn bring lessons learnt and benefits that are felt more widely in South East Asia.”
Mr Nguyen Quoc Trung, Deputy Director, NLDC, added that accurate forecasting is a critical requirement in a modern power grid that plays a key role in planning day-to-day dispatch activities.
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