Life in An Binh Island, also known as Be Island, in Ly Son island district, the central province of Quang Ngai has changed since solar power was introduced.

The solar power panel system in An Binh island. (Photo: VNA)

Together with a system of diesel power generators, the An Binh Power Plant has put into use a solar power facility, comprising 300 IREX solar panels with total capacity of 96kW, 100kW grid-connected inverters and 72kW battery inverters.

Thanks to the combined system of diesel and solar power generators which produce about 700 kWh daily, more than 100 local families have stable and constant access to power. Previously, the island only had electricity for some of the day.

Now, their quality of life has improved as many families have more electrical appliances in their homes, particularly televisions.

Owners of restaurants on the island are among the happiest. They used to not dare to buy refrigerators to store food due to electricity shortages, but now many have purchased large-capacity fridges to provide better services to tourists.

The system has also helped cut electricity costs. According to Nguyen Van Hong from An Binh seawater desalination plant, it used to cost the plant about VND 2.1 million (USD 92.4) per day using diesel power but with the new system, the cost was cut by more than two-thirds to only VND 600,000 (USD 26.4) per day.

The solar system also allowed the plant to operate for longer hours to ensure water supply for the locals, he added.

Be Island has had a facelift, especially in tourism, thanks to solar power, said Huynh Luy, Secretary of the Party Committee of An Binh Commune. Before, tourists normally only visited the island for a day; now they can stay for several days as homestay services and other facilities have developed. The local average income has been raised to more than VND 21 million (USD 924) per person per year./.

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