The government is considering withdrawing the requirement to install solar panels for new electricity connections to households.
State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid yesterday said the alternate power method will not be encouraged in urban areas anymore; rather, its use will be encouraged in rural areas.
He was speaking to officials of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) at a meeting at the Power Division.
The REHAB members urged the state minister to fix the commercial price rate of electricity for developers during construction of buildings.
There is no fixed rate for the construction period at present, and the government charges real estate companies double the commercial rate during construction of a building.
Nasrul, who is also the president of REHAB, assured the officials of considering their demand.
According to the Power Division, new domestic connections consuming up to 2kW of electricity do not require installation of solar panels, but exceeding that range requires installing solar panels producing 3% electricity of the demand.
REHAB Vice-President Abdur Rashid told the meeting that the government had started giving new connections to households on November 7, 2011 after a gap of several months. The government asked consumers to install solar panels as a requirement for new connections, but it also seemed that it was not mandatory.
“But we have seen that consumers have been compelled to install solar panels,” he said.
The Power Division in an order on that date said it would ask consumers to install solar panels as a prerequisite to getting household electricity connections, but it also said in another clause that it would “request” consumers to set up solar panels.
Power Secretary Monwar Islam, REHAB Vice-President Liakat Ali Bhuiyan, acting general secretary Md Sydul Islam Badal, executive member Sheikh Md Shoyeb Uddin, among others, were present at the meeting.