German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have signed a cooperation agreement with public and private partners to implement a new project on combining aquaculture and solar power in the Mekong Delta region.

The project named “Production system of integrating aquaculture and solar power for the efficient use of resources” (SHRIMPS) including solar power modules installed on rooftops of the green houses for rearing shrimps at a pilot factory in Bac Lieu province.

The project expects to be implemented until 2022 with a goal to salvage aquaculture land, reduce fresh water consumption and waste water generation, and reduce CO2 emission while maintaining stable water temperature for shrimps to grow as well as to improve working conditions for employees in the factory.

Mr. Tobias Cossen, the Director of SHRIMPS project affirmed that the project will supply a realistic solution to optimize the land area use simultaneously for food production and power generation in Vietnam, as well as contribute to supporting the local aquaculture areas to better adapt to the impacts of the climate change.

“We will oversee the activities for implementing the pilot factory, then transfer technology to the small and medium sized seafood enterprises in other provinces, and ultimately replicate to other countries in the Southeast Asia” Mr. Tobias emphasized.

This is a project among the framework of a researchingcooperation between Vietnamese and German Governments. Funded by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the Framework Program "Sustainable Development Research" (FONA3) through supporting research and development activities of the partners as Fraunhofer ISE, German Thünen Aquatic Ecologic Institute, SMA Sunbelt Energy GmbH and Suntrace GmbH.

Vietnamese partners are Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, Institute of Energy, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Lieu Province and a large shrimp production company in Vietnam.

With an annual increase in electricity demand of about 10%, it is difficult for Vietnam to achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 8% to 25% before 2030 under the Paris Agreement on climate change (COP 21), otherwise promoting the renewable energy.

At present, the aquaculture in the Mekong Delta increasingly requires a lot of underground water sources for production due to increasing pollution of surface water sources. This situation and using the fresh water for domestic and agricultural purposes have led to serious land subsidence.

Therefore, the use of renewable energy should help aquatic production industry of Vietnam reduce the pressure on land resources, and sustainably develop the economy and protect the environment.

Source: http://nangluongvietnam.vn