Utilizing rooftops for green energy generation and cost savings

Efficiency of rooftop solar investment

As a major industrial, seaport, and logistics hub in northern Vietnam, Hai Phong has a huge demand for electricity, especially among manufacturing enterprises, cold storage facilities, export-processing businesses, and factories operating continuously. These groups are well-positioned to develop rooftop solar systems to reduce operational cost pressures.

One notable example is Hai Phong Seafood Import-Export Business Joint Stock Company. The enterprise currently operates a cold storage system with a capacity of around 6,000 tons of goods, maintaining deep-freeze temperatures of minus 25 to 30 degrees Celsius to preserve frozen food products. Due to its continuous operation, the company’s electricity consumption is extremely high.

To optimize costs, the company invested in a rooftop solar power system with a capacity of about 200kW. According to Mr. Le Duy Thanh, a representative of the company, the use of solar energy has significantly reduced monthly electricity expenses. Excess electricity that is not used can be sold back to the power sector, helping the business save approximately VND 200–250 million each year.

Not only businesses, but many households in Hai Phong have also become increasingly interested in rooftop solar power, especially as northern Vietnam experiences prolonged heatwaves during the summer.

The family of Mr. Hoang Manh Hung in Hai An Ward is among the households that installed a rooftop solar system for daily use. According to Mr. Hung, despite previously applying various electricity-saving measures, the family’s monthly electricity bill still exceeded VND 2 million. After switching to rooftop solar power, the electricity bill dropped by about two-thirds.

According to the local power company, in addition to economic benefits, rooftop solar systems help households and businesses become more proactive in securing electricity during peak hours, reduce pressure on the national power grid, and contribute to promoting the use of green and environmentally friendly energy.

In reality, demand for rooftop solar investment across the city has been steadily increasing. According to Hai Phong Power Company, the utility is currently purchasing electricity from 887 rooftop solar projects with a total installed capacity of 26.54 MWp. In 2025 alone, the total electricity output purchased from rooftop solar projects reached more than 16.38 million kWh, equivalent to around VND 32.77 billion. In just the first three months of 2026, purchased output exceeded 2.86 million kWh, worth approximately VND 6.03 billion.

Promoting on-site power generation

Alongside expanding renewable energy sources, Hai Phong Power Company has also intensified communication campaigns encouraging agencies, businesses, and residents to use electricity efficiently and economically, especially during the summer and upcoming peak heatwave periods.

According to Hai Phong Power Company, developing rooftop solar power under the self-production and self-consumption model is one of the key solutions to ease pressure on the national power system during peak hours, while also improving the ability of businesses and households to proactively secure on-site electricity supply.

Many enterprises across the city have proactively invested in rooftop solar systems to optimize production costs. In Phu Thai Commune, the FIBC Factory under Trung Kien Joint Stock Company is currently operating a solar power system with a capacity of 3.2 MWp to support its manufacturing activities.

Mr. Do Xuan Tra, Director of the FIBC Factory, said the system has been in operation since September 2025 and at certain times can meet around 50% of the factory’s electricity demand. According to Mr. Tra, investing in solar energy not only helps the company save costs and optimize energy use, but also reduces operational cost pressures amid rising production expenses. In the coming period, the enterprise plans to install an additional rooftop solar system with a capacity of about 4 MWp for another factory.

Recently, Hai Phong Power Company has strengthened guidance and support for organizations and individuals in completing procedures related to the development of self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power systems. At the same time, the company has proposed that the city create favorable conditions for expanding installations at industrial parks, administrative agencies, schools, hospitals, and public facilities.

Notably, in March 2026, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 10 on strengthening electricity-saving measures and promoting rooftop solar power development. The directive sets targets of saving at least 3% of total annual electricity consumption and over 10% during peak hot-season months, while also orienting the development of on-site electricity generation under the self-production and self-consumption model.

According to the power sector, as electricity demand continues to rise sharply, especially during summer, rooftop solar development not only helps reduce costs but also contributes to easing pressure on the national power grid and limiting the risk of localized overloads in areas with high electricity demand.

For Hai Phong, where industrial and urban development continues to accelerate, demand for electricity serving production and daily life is forecast to increase significantly in the coming years. Therefore, alongside efficient electricity use, rooftop solar power is considered an appropriate solution to diversify energy supply sources, enhance local energy self-sufficiency, and promote green transformation in production activities.

The growing number of businesses and households proactively investing in rooftop solar systems also reflects a gradual shift in energy consumption models — from complete dependence on centralized power sources to the proactive production and use of electricity on-site. This is considered one of the fundamental solutions enabling Hai Phong to both meet electricity demand for economic growth and gradually realize its goals of green and sustainable development in the coming period.

Le Hiep

Le Hiep