Dr Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser of the interim government for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, on Monday urged the industries to install rooftop solar power to meet their power requirements.
This will not only reduce dependency on grid electricity but also support the government’s commitment to renewable energy, he told a workshop on the installation of rooftop industrial solar systems, organized by Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) at a Dhaka hotel.
“The adoption of rooftop solar technology in the industrial sector marks a significant step towards energy independence and sustainability for Bangladesh”, he said.
The objective of the workshop was to promote rooftop solar technology among the members of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
IDCOL officials said the cost of electricity generation from solar rooftops is much cheaper than that of grid tariffs.
Thus, financing such projects makes financial sense apart from achieving the country’s target of renewable energy-based power generation.
The event was also addressed by Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary, ERD and Chairman, IDCOL; Abdoulaye Seck, Country Director of World Bank and Stephanie Rieger, Head of Division Energy of South Asia, KfW.
Alamgir Morshed, executive Director & CEO of IDCOL said: “Under Renewable Energy projects, IDCOL not only provides low-cost financing to various organizations, but also provides technical support, quality equipment purchase and capacity building to different organizations”.
He said it is estimated that Bangladesh has a potential of generating more than 4000-5000mw of electricity from rooftop solar only.
“IDCOL has set a target to finance 300 MW peak rooftop solar projects by 2026”, he added.
