“One of the solutions to help businesses save energy, produce clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to apply the Organic Rankine Cycle. This cycle will make use of the gas emissions of cement, steel and chemical plants to generate electricity, reduce environmental pollution and proactively provide power supply for the production of factories.”

The information was a part of the opening speech by Ms. Le Thi Thoa – Technical Team Leader of the “Climate Protection through Sustainable Bioenergy Markets in Viet Nam” (BEM) project at the webinar “Organic Rankine Cycle application and potential south- south cooperation in bioenergy development for Viet Nam”, which took place on 14 December 2022.

The event is within the framework of the BEM project, which is implemented by GIZ and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority. BEM is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action through the International Climate Initiative.

In the first session of the webinar, Mr. Christoph Kwintkiewicz, an international expert, presented Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology and application in the world. With advantages such as high turbine efficiency (~85%), small or no corrosion in heat exchangers and piping, simple start-stop procedures and automatic, unattended operation, he said that ORC can be applied in power generation, combined heat & power and tri-generation.

Mr. Kok Chee Aun, Exergy’s representative, also shared more about the application of ORC, the heat recovery model at PTT-LNG Company in Rayong of Thailand and a case study on biomass ORC in Japan. Finally, Mr. Ma Khai Hien, lead of national experts, pointed out the potential of ORC application in Viet Nam for power generation through waste heat recovery in the industrial sectors, such as cement.

The second session focused on reviewing lessons learnt about the potential South-South Cooperation (SSC) in bioenergy development in Vietnam. Mrs. Nguyen Huong Thuy Phan, Head of Research Department, Asian Institute of Technology Center in Vietnam (AIT-VN) presented research results and strategies to promote South-South cooperation and led a Q&A session with the participants.

During the Q&A, the speakers provided more information to questions about investment costs, possibility for ORC applications, their scales and the ability for technology transformation based on the existing infrastructure, procedure for application of investment registration and regulations on grid connection and electricity selling to EVN when a business uses ORC technology.

This webinar is a pilot activity in the BEM project’s strategy to promote the South-South cooperation in bioenergy. Its objectives were to share the results of research reports and build up cooperation among businesses and researchers between Vietnam and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere on the possibility of applying bioenergy technology for local and eco- friendly energy production, contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.