Energy security remains one of the most pressing issues in Bangladesh, as it has been more than a year now since the country was plunged back into the days of rolling blackouts due to the global fuel crisis.
While work is still progressing on power projects such as the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, it is high time that the government started pivoting towards other clean sources of energy at a national level. To that end, according to a new report published by BloombergNEF, solar energy is set to be the most affordable option for our nation to meet its rising energy demands.
Unfortunately, Bangladesh still relies on outdated fossil fuel-based energy sources such as coal, but as projects such as Rooppur have shown, the government is indeed cognizant of the fact that switching to clean energy is an imperative at this point in our history -- a time when the looming threat of climate change seeks to destroy nations such as ours, those on the front-lines of the climate crisis.
But the government has yet to fully grasp the potential of adopting renewable sources such as solar, and to a point even wind, to fully cater to all our energy needs. In fact wind energy is now considered a genuinely viable source according to US-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which states that Bangladesh has significantly more wind power potential than previously believed.
Solar, on the other hand, is the most obvious source that we have yet to capitalize on to any meaningful capacity. Earlier this year, it was reported that much of the solar panels in the capital city were being wasted due to mishandling, lack of proper maintenance, and cheap panels which go bad in a short amount of time.
For an administration that is, at this moment, adopting the word “smart” in each and every approach of governance, it is inexcusable that it has yet to fully commit to renewable energy.