Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has directed authorities concerned to initiate solar power generation by installing solar panels on the rooftops of all government buildings.
The directive was given at a meeting titled “National Rooftop Solar Program,” held at the state guest house Jamuna on Thursday.
Officials present at the meeting stated that, according to a 2024 report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Bangladesh lags significantly behind its neighbouring countries in solar energy expansion.
While India generates 24%, Pakistan 17.16%, and Sri Lanka 39.7% of their total electricity demand from solar sources, the share in Bangladesh stands at only 5.6%.
Per the “Renewable Energy Policy 2025,” Bangladesh has set targets to meet 20% of total electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and 30% by 2040.
To achieve this, tenders for 55 land-based solar power plants with a total capacity of 5,238 megawatts have already been initiated.
However, officials noted that implementation could take until 2028.
At the meeting, the chief adviser instructed officials to undertake a swiftly implementable national rooftop solar program.
As part of this, he ordered the necessary measures to install rooftop solar systems on all government buildings, schools, colleges, madrasas, and government hospitals.
The chief adviser said: “Consider whether solar panel installation on government buildings can be carried out through private initiatives. Those who install them will maintain and operate the systems effectively out of their own business interests. The government will only provide the rooftop, and the rest will be done by them.”
He added: “We must learn from the experiences of institutions that have already implemented rooftop solar. We need to understand the problems they faced and find solutions accordingly.”
Yunus stated that under this process, government schools, colleges, and madrasas would not have to pay electricity bills, and they would also receive rent for the use of their rooftops for solar power generation.
