Vietnam lays groundwork to aggregate rooftop solar, home batteries and EVs into virtual power plants

Vietnam is beginning to set the policy conditions for virtual power plants, or VPPs, that could combine rooftop solar, behind-the-meter batteries and electric vehicles into dispatchable grid resources. Industry reporting published on September 7 said the Ministry of Industry and Trade, or MOIT, is moving beyond time-of-use tariffs and industrial demand response toward early thinking on aggregation platforms. Vietnam’s formal energy policy has not yet announced a nationwide VPP market, but official documents this year have already pushed rooftop solar, storage and more flexible distributed resources higher up the power-system agenda. March 30, 2026, was a key date in that shift. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s Directive 10/CT-TTg said self-produced, self-consumed rooftop solar combined with “appropriate energy storage systems” should be implemented decisively from 2026 to supplement on-site supply, enhance system flexibility and support energy security. EVN, the state utility, said on March 17 it was already accelerating battery energy storage deployment, load management and distributed power sources to help secure power supply during the 2026 dry season. (ess-news.com) ### What is Vietnam actually setting up here? September 7 industry reporting described Vietnam’s next step as early policy groundwork rather than a finished VPP rulebook. The report said authorities are starting to consider aggregation platforms that would link distributed rooftop solar, battery energy storage systems and electric vehicles so grid operators can absorb midday solar output and dispatch stored energy later in the day. (en.evn.com.vn) A VPP does not require a single new power plant. Instead, software and market rules allow many small devices across homes, businesses and charging sites to act in aggregate as a flexible resource. The reported Vietnam approach matters because it points to dispatch and market participation for distributed assets, not just retail tariff changes. (ess-news.com) ### Which official policies already point in that direction? Directive 10/CT-TTg is the clearest official signal so far. The March 30 directive linked electricity-saving policy with rooftop solar development and said rooftop systems paired with storage can reduce peak load, improve system operations and ease pressure on new generation investment. (ess-news.com) July 16 added another piece. EVN said Decree 243/2026/ND-CP amended Vietnam’s direct power purchase and renewable-energy rules, lifting the cap on surplus rooftop solar sales through negotiated contracts from 20% to 50% of total generation, with scope for a higher ratio through late 2030 if grid safety conditions are met. EVN Deputy General Director Pham Le Phu said the decree creates a clearer legal framework for households, businesses and investors, while National Power System and Market Operator Deputy General Director Nguyen Quoc Trung said rooftop solar coupled with batteries will play a growing role in renewable integration, grid flexibility and peak supply. (en.evn.com.vn) ### Why does storage matter more than tariffs alone? EVN said in March that it was prioritizing rooftop solar for self-production and self-consumption while also accelerating battery energy storage systems. That pairing matters because rooftop solar by itself tends to produce most strongly in daylight hours, while power demand often tightens later in the day. (en.evn.com.vn) September 7 reporting said aggregation could help operators absorb midday photovoltaic generation and then dispatch stored electricity into the evening peak. In practical terms, that is the bridge from simple distributed generation to a VPP-style resource that can respond to system needs. ### Where do electric vehicles fit into the picture? (en.evn.com.vn) The September 7 report explicitly included electric vehicles alongside rooftop solar and behind-the-meter batteries as assets that could be aggregated. That suggests Vietnam’s policy discussion is not limited to stationary storage and may eventually extend to managed EV charging, and potentially other flexible distributed loads, if market and technical rules are put in place. (ess-news.com) July 16 EVN reporting also tied the broader clean-power framework to demand from EV charging stations, naming them among emerging consumers seeking green electricity under the revised rules. That does not amount to a vehicle-to-grid program on its own, but it places EV charging inside the same policy build-out around distributed power, storage and market-based electricity arrangements. (ess-news.com) ### What comes next in concrete terms? The next milestones are likely to come through MOIT, EVN and the National Power System and Market Operator rather than through a single standalone VPP law. MOIT said on September 8 that the national power system operator must conduct monthly reviews and publish operation plans for the upcoming month and the remainder of 2026, while EVN and government directives already point to continued rooftop solar and storage rollout. (en.evn.com.vn) Through late 2030, Decree 243’s new rooftop solar sales rules and the government’s 2026 rooftop-solar push provide the clearest official framework to watch as Vietnam moves from distributed generation support toward formal aggregation and pilot VPP structures. (en.evn.com.vn) (moit.gov.vn)