Vietnam has abundant natural resources, but a high vulnerability to climate change. The Vietnamese government, therefore, has avddeclared its intention to encourage clean energy development. To achieve this, the cost of renewables needs to be competitive with fossil fuels. The purpose of this paper is to review past studies of the levelised international costs for various renewable energy resources and compare them to the costs of renewables in Vietnam. In Vietnam, there is evidence that the cost of non-hydro renewables has fallen in recent years, as they have internationally, making them more viable. In the Vietnamese case, however, the potential for growth in the use of non-hydro renewables is impeded by the low cost of hydropower, which constitutes a significant barrier to the introduction of non-hyPhuong Anh Nguyen, Malcolm Abbott, Thanh Loan T. Nguyendro renewables in the short to medium terms.

Cite:

Phuong Anh Nguyen, Malcolm Abbott, Thanh Loan T. Nguyen, The development and cost of renewable energy resources in Vietnam, Utilities Policy, Volume 57, 2019, Pages 59-66, ISSN 0957-1787, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2019.01.009.