Bangladesh pushes solar energy to tackle energy appliances
Bangladesh’s care leader has ordered all government institutions, including buildings and schools in the ministry, to install solar panels to illuminate chronic power problems in a country that is regularly hit by deadly heat waves.
The South Asian nation of 170 million people has set themselves the goal of generating 20 percent of renewable energy by 2030-a four-time increase and rising to 30 percent by 2040, the government said in a statement.
“Bangladesh stays far behind neighboring countries”, reads the statement published by the office of Interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
“Only 5.6 percent of our total requirement is currently being met renewable sources,” it added, and noted that it is 24 percent in neighboring India and almost 40 percent in Sri Lanka.
In the solar program on the roof of the government, all government offices, schools, colleges and hospitals will immediately be installed with panels, according to the statement that was issued late on Thursday.
The micro-financing pioneer said the panels would be installed and operated by companies in the private sector, in contrast to the largely failed push by since then former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to install panels by using government agencies.
“The private sector will handle general maintenance and keep the systems operational for their own business interests,” said the statement.
“The government will only provide them with access on the roof”.
The government has also started tendering processes for 55 solar energy plants with a total of 5,238 megawatt capacity.
Bangladesh greatly relies on importing cross-border power from neighboring India, and from Nepal, especially when demand rises during the blistering warmth when consumers rely on energy-hungry air conditioners to stay cool.
Dhaka also started the construction of the nuclear power plant supported by Russia in Rooppur in 2017.
The much delayed project of 2,400 megawatts will be the largest power plant in Bangladesh by generating capacity as soon as they are fully operational.
