There is little doubt that renewable energy is the next frontier of power generation for Bangladesh -- with a target of generating 15% of all electricity by the year 2030 and the recent announcement of Tk100 crore being allocated specifically for renewable energy in the newest national budget, it is clear that the government is increasingly prioritizing the adoption of clean energy.
While targets and increased budgetary allocations are absolutely welcome developments, pivoting away from fossil fuels to renewable sources is a goal that would require careful planning and a clear roadmap in how the announced targets would be reached -- to that end, the government is falling short.
According to policy experts, who recently gathered at a national dialogue organized by Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, a comprehensive roadmap that outlines exactly how the government plans to achieve its ambitions renewable energy goals is critical in materializing it.
We agree wholeheartedly.
One of the unfortunate realities of development projects in Bangladesh is that far too often they go dark with next to no progress reports all the while missing deadlines. In the best of cases, these projects resurface with a newfound commitment, but the worst of cases see projects simply die out with little to no public information.
Power generation is a fundamental aspect of how a nation runs, and pivoting towards an entirely new and modern form of energy source behooves the government to be as transparent about its goals and progress as possible, all the while informing the general public about the virtues of clean energy and its significance to our nation’s climate vulnerability.
Renewable energy is the future, and the future is always brighter when it is planned out.
