[Video] University Lecturer Lights up Hanoi Slums With Clean Energy

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July 8, 2016

On the banks of the Red River, one Hanoian professor is bringing clean energy to some of the capital's most vulnerable residents.

In recent months, much has been made of Hanoi's Red River slums, where countryside residents struggling to get ahead find themselves living a precarious existence, unable to return home and yet pushed to the fringes of the northern hub.

While life on the river may not be glamorous, Hanoi University lecturer Le Vu Cuong is doing his part to help some of the capital's poorest citizens, reports Reuters. Using red plastic buckets, discarded printers and old motorbike batteries, Cuong has developed a wind-powered electrical generator which can cut electricity costs for residents by nearly a third.

For families who live far from power supply lines or simply can't afford the expense, Cuong's generators make a considerable difference.

“It is enough to light the home of my family and other families around here,” local resident Bui Van Ha told Reuters. On average, Ha takes home about US$4.50 a day.

He continued: “Even for only a few hours after dark, it helped us to save on our monthly spending and bring profit to my family.”

With cheap, easily replacable materials and a required wind speed of just 0.4 meters per second, Cuong's electrical generator can power the equivalent of a 45-watt lightbulb and employs renewable energy in addition to solving a poor community's power problem. The lecturer is currently seeking outside donors to help expand his project beyond the banks of the Red River.

Though Vietnam produces 140 megawatts of solar and wind power annually, officials say the country is capable of creating 500 times as much from its renewable resources. Clean power will be a crucial part of the country's energy plan moving forward, experts say, as Vietnam expects to see a 7-10% increase in power demand every year from now until 2030.

[Photo by Reuters via Tuoi Tre]