Bangladesh has launched its first scientifically structured, grid-connected agrivoltaics pilot project in Chuadanga, combining solar power generation with agricultural production on the same land.
The 49.6-kWp pilot project was inaugurated in Chuadanga Sadar on Wednesday by the Power Division as part of efforts to expand clean energy without reducing land available for agriculture.
The project is being implemented under the Green Energy Transition – Policy Advisory Partnership (GET-PAP), co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ Bangladesh in partnership with the Power Division.
Green chillies are currently being cultivated at the pilot site, while other suitable seasonal vegetables and rice are planned for cultivation in the next season.
The project is being developed with technical guidance from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) of Germany, which is providing support in modelling, technical design, installation and local capacity building.
Muhammad Khalequzzaman, Joint Secretary of the Efficiency and Conservation Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, said using the same land for both agriculture and solar power generation could help Bangladesh pursue its clean energy goals without compromising agricultural productivity and food security.
The project will also generate data on crop yields, solar power generation and system operations, which will be used to help develop national guidelines and policies for agrivoltaics, according to the organizers.
Before the inauguration, local farmers, teachers, researchers, engineering and construction professionals, and system operators received training on shade-tolerant farming practices, system maintenance and digital data collection.
Policymakers also visited the demonstration plot as part of efforts to develop a roadmap for expanding agrivoltaics in Bangladesh.
Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) financed 80% of the installation cost through a capital grant sourced from Germany’s KfW Development Bank. Local civil society organization Wave Foundation sponsored the project and provided the site at its solar irrigation pumping facility.
GIZ and Fraunhofer ISE are providing technical support for the project.
Ulrich Kleppmann, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Dhaka, and Tanzina Dilshad, Program Manager for Green Inclusive Development at the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, also spoke at the inauguration.
The pilot comes as Bangladesh targets generating 20% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2030. The data and experience gathered from the Chuadanga project are expected to support the development of scalable agrivoltaics models across the country.
