Costs and Benefits of a Greener Alternative for the Development of Vietnam's power sector

International audienceIn this study, BAU (a scenario based on current trends) and ALT (a greener alternative with more renewables, higher energy efficiency) are developed. The external costs of CO 2 , NOx, SO 2 and PM 10 in the Vietnamese power sector are estimated at 20, 1328, 2047 and 1460 US$/ton, respectively. The authors find that the electricity price and the domestic trade balance in ALT are less sensitive to fluctuations in the international price of coal than in BAU. The total costs accumulated between period 2010-2040 would be lower in ALT: 632 billion US$ compared with 974 billion US$. This difference arises from several factors: lower investment in new capacity (226 vs 306 billion US$); lower local pollution costs (73 vs 137 billion US$); and lower expenditures on imported fuels (57 vs 115 billion US$). The outcomes of ALT are in accord with the targets in the most recent Green Growth Strategy of Vietnam

Perspective of CO2 capture & storage (CCS) development in Vietnam: Results from expert interviews

International audienceThis paper summarizes expert opinions regarding crucial factors that mayinfluence Vietnam’s future use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) based onface-to-face interviews in December 2013 with 16 CCS-related experts fromthe Vietnamese government, research institutes, universities and the energyindustrial sector. This study finds that financial incentives and climate policyare the most important factors for the development of CCS technologies inVietnam in the next two decades. Financial incentives involve direct subsidiesfrom the government, such as tax exemptions for land use and the importationof CCS-related equipment. In addition, all the experts agree that internationalfinancial support is important to initiate a large deployment of CCStechnologies in Vietnam by implementing demonstrative/pilot projects to proveCCS’s working efficiency

Low Carbon Scenario for the Power Sector of Vietnam: Externality and Comparison Approach

International audienceIn this paper, BAU (a scenario based on current trends) and ALT (a greener alternative with more renewables, higher energy efficiency) are developed. The external costs of CO2, NOx, SO2 and PM10 in the Vietnamese power sector are estimated at 20, 1328, 2047 and 1460 US$/ton, respectively. The authors find the electricity price and the domestic trade balance in ALT less sensitive to fluctuations in the international price of coal than in BAU. The total costs accumulated between the period of 2010-2040 would be lower in ALT: 632 billion US$ compared with 974 billion US$. This difference arises from several factors: lower investment in new capacity (226 vs 306 billion US$); lower local pollution costs (73 vs 137 billion US$); and lower expenditures on imported fuels (57 vs 115 billion US$). The outcomes of ALT are in accord with the targets in the most recent Green Growth Strategy of Vietnam and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of the country to UNFCCC and COP21

Does hotter temperature increase poverty and inequality? Global evidence from subnational data analysis

Despite a vast literature documenting the harmful effects of climate change on various socioeconomic outcomes, little evidence exists on the global impacts of hotter temperature on poverty and inequality. Analysis of a new global panel dataset of subnational poverty in 134 countries finds that a one-degree Celsius increase in temperature leads to a 9.1 percent increase in poverty, using the US$1.90 daily poverty threshold. A similar increase in temperature causes a 1.4 percent increase in the Gini inequality index. The paper also finds negative effects of colder temperature on poverty and inequality. Yet, while poorer countries—particularly those in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa—are more affected by climate change, household adaptation could have mitigated some adverse effects in the long run. The findings provide relevant and timely inputs for the global fight against climate change as well as the current policy debate on the responsibilities of richer countries versus poorer countries

VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF CROSS-PLY LAMINATED COMPOSITE DOUBLY CURVED SHALLOW SHELL PANELS WITH STIFFENERS

In this paper, the analytical solution for the cross-ply laminated composite double curved shell panels with stiffeners is presented. Based on the smeared stiffeners technique and the first shear deformation theory (FSDT), the motion equations are derived by applying the Hamilton’s principle. The Navier’s solution for the simply supported boundary condition for all edges is presented. The numerical results are verified with the known results in the literature. The effects of the number of stiffeners, dimensions of stiffeners, and lamination scheme of cross-ply laminated composite doubly curved shell panels on the natural fundamental frequencies are investigated

Negotiating the State-making in Vietnam borderland – Case study of an ethnic minority group in Central Vietnam

The human geography of Vietnam’s upland area has been transformed significantly during the last 40 years due to the increasing control from the central government. We argue that State territorialisation, understood as a strategy of State-making and assertion of the State’s authority, has the tendency to marginalise, socially and politically, local ethnic minority peoples by excluding them from indigenous social and economic geography and the use of natural resources. At the receiving end of these official policies, the local ethnic minority people do not passively accept their marginalisation but are able to initiate the use of traditional cross-border cultural resources to improve their condition. By analysing the tolerance from local official towards illicit cross-border activities daily carried out by local people, the case study provides some insights on the dynamics of power struggle between the State and local people. We concluded that local ethnic minority peoples actively re-negotiate with more powerful State and economic actors and re-shape local border politics while the State is not always uncompromising and monolithic as it is usually portrayed.La géographie humaine de la zone montagneuse du Vietnam s'est considérablement modifiée au cours des 40 dernières années en raison du renforcement du contrôle exercé par le pouvoir central. Nous argumentons que la territorialisation en tant que stratégie de formation et d'affirmation de l'autorité de l'État tend à marginaliser les minorités ethniques locales en les excluant de la géographie socio-politique indigène et de l'utilisation des ressources naturelles. Ces minorités n'acceptent pas passivement cette marginalisation et ont recours à l'utilisation des ressources culturelles traditionnelles transfrontalières pour améliorer leur condition. Analysant la tolérance des autorités locales envers les activités transfrontalières illicites menées quotidiennement par les populations locales, notre étude de cas apporte quelques éclairages sur les dynamiques de la lutte de pouvoir qui les oppose à l'État. Nous en concluons que ces minorités ethniques renégocient activement avec des acteurs étatiques et économiques plus puissants et recomposent les politiques frontalières locales tandis que l'État ne se montre pas toujours aussi intransigeant et monolithique qu'on le dépeint généralement

Feasibility and sustainability of co-firing biomass in coal power plants in Vietnam

International audienceThe technology of co-firing biomass with coal is well-matured as demonstrated in many power plants in Europe and the US. It is considered as a relatively low-cost technology to utilize biomass in power generation as well as to reduce the greenhouse gases emissions and coal consumption in coal power plants. However, biomass co-firing is still a new concept in the context of Vietnam energy sector. By 2030, the capacity of coal power plants in Vietnam will be expanded to 75 GW, which accounts for 57% of total power generation. This will increase the greenhouse gases emissions and pose a great challenge on coal supply for Vietnam. This research aims to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of co-firing biomass in coal power plants in Vietnam. The assessment is conducted using a set of indicators, which is divided into four categories: technical, economical, environmental and social aspects. The feasibility and sustainability assessment is then applied to a case study, a newly constructed 1000 MW fluidized bed coal power plant in Quang Ninh Province. In the case study, direct co-firing technology with 5% of biomass co-fired percentage is selected for the evaluation of the indicators

AGING OF WATERBORNE PAINT BASED ON THE ACRYLIC RESIN EMULSION AND ORGANIC PIGMENT

Aging of waterborne paint on the base of acrylic resin emulsion with and without green Luconyl have been investigated by general appearance assessment, adhesion change, FT-IR and discoloration. The obtained results showed that the both of paint-formulas coatings had no cracks, blisters, flacks and there was no change of adhesion during the aging process. However, IR analysis indicated that there were some changes in chemical structures of coating with and without Green Luconyl during aging process. To specify, IR spectrums of initial and aged coating no containing Green Luconyl illustrated aging process led content of O-H and C=C increased significantly but baseline of spectra was fairly unchanged. For coating filled Green Luconyl, IR spectrums’ shape was fairly stable but baseline saw a clear reduce during accelerated weather exposure. Moreover, SEM images indicated that surfaces morphology of samples changed differently depending on in presence of organic pigment. Surface of aged coating without Luconyl saw rougher than surface of coating with Luconyl after aging process. Hence, the weather aging test had more significant influence on paint coating in absence of Luconyl than paint coating in presence of Luconyl. It was explained that the macroradical produced in aging process would attack into conjugated double bonds of Luconyl instead of double bonds of AC-261 leading to aged coating filled Luconyl become more opaque than initial while coating no filled Luconyl had significant changes in chemical structure during aging process. Although this was a hypothesis, it saw a suitable with the obtained results. The paint coating in presence of Luconyl illustrated significant color change, especially, showed the loss of green color while the other paint coating showed slight color change

THE IMPACT OF INNOVATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH: THE SPILLOVER EFFECT OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Purpose of the study: Innovation is seen as the key to improving quality and productivity, thereby promoting competition and economic growth. This study analyzes the impact of innovation on economic growth through various measures, such as research and development spending, the number of researchers, number of patents as well as trademark registrations. Research results are evidence to recommend policies for intellectual-based economic growth. Methodology: Literature review and empirical analysis conducted in the study. The empirical method is a two-step System Generalize Methods of Moments (GMM), aiming at reliable results. Accessing the World Bank Database, research data from 64 developed and developing countries are collected from 2006 to 2014. Main Findings: The empirical findings show that innovation plays a crucial contribution in promoting economic growth, similar to national openness and government spending on education. This study also finds a positive impact on foreign investment flows and their spillover role in enhancing the correlation between innovation and economic growth. Applications of this study: The findings of this study focus on the contributions of innovation, foreign direct investment inflows, and other macro factors that can be enforced to improve economic growth by policymakers. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study uses different measures of innovation, including inputs such as the number of researchers, research and development expenditure, and outputs as the number of patents and number of trademark registrations. Empirical findings are found consistently, thus confirming that innovation is very important for economic growth. The study also shows convincing evidence confirming the positive contribution of foreign direct investment as well as its spillover effect on innovation and economic growth