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Logistic services including in-land transportation and storage warehouses have been on high demand and achieved very steady and strong growth in Vietnam in the last decade, thanks to the fast-paced economic development and industrialization. Storage warehouses, especially cold storage, are a crucial service for many industrial sectors, e.g. food processing, agriculture and aquaculture products.

Cold storage warehouses in Vietnam operate 24/7 with very high electricity demand and they also have to pay the highest price for electricity among different off-taker classifications. Therefore, rooftop solar photovoltaic offers a cost-effective solution for cold storage companies to save energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint.

A 4.84 MWp rooftop solar power system has been installed at the Mekong Logistics Hau Giang facility, one of the leading logistics companies in Vietnam, using SMA solar inverters from Germany. The solar system replaces a portion of the factory’s electricity demand with cleaner energy, contributes to reducing electricity bills and the sustainable development strategy of Mekong Logistics.
The estimated annual energy yield from this system is 7,000 MWh, equivalent to a reduction of 6,390 tons of CO2 per year.

Two business models were applied in this project, while half of the system (2.42 MWp) is operating under a PPA model, the second half (2.42 MWp) is under a roof rental model, selling 100% solar energy to the grid, which generates additional revenue for the company.
Mekong Logistics is currently considering adding a battery solution to the solar system to increase the self-consumption portion when the cost of batteries becomes more affordable.

German Contribution

The German inverter company SMA was selected to be the inverter supplier of this project to ensure a high performance and reliable operation of the solar system.

Support by the German Energy Solutions Initiative

The Project Development Programme (PDP) of the German Energy Solutions Initiative supported Mekong Logistics in getting in touch with German energy companies and advised Mekong Logistics on important technical aspects of contract negotiation. Mekong Logistics subsequently was convinced to use German equipment thanks to proven quality in the global market.

System Data

Installed capacity:	4.84 MWp
Type:	Rooftop solar PV, on-grid
Yield:	Up to 7,000 MWh per year
Saved CO2 emissions:	up to 6,390 tons/year
Location:	Hau Giang province, Vietnam
Client:	Mekong Logistics Hau Giang
In operation since:	December 2020
German business partner:	SMA
Number of solar panels:	11.000 (Jinko 440 Wp solar panel)
Number of inverters:	38 (SMA Tripower Core 2 - 110kW)