The convergence of agriculture and renewable energy, known as agrivoltaics, is emerging as a groundbreaking solution to energy and land use challenges in Bangladesh.
Recent research conducted by Dr Rohini Kamal and Mohammad Tofail Bin Azam, titled "Environmental and Economic Impacts of Agrivoltaics in Bangladesh," sheds light on the potential of this innovative approach. Utilizing an input-output model, the study analyzes the upstream effects of various energy sources, including coal, gas, oil, hydropower, nuclear, solar, and agrivoltaics, on employment, emissions, land, and wage levels.
Agrivoltaics, the practice of using land for both farming and power generation, offers a promising avenue for sustainable energy production offering dual land use option. However, rigid land use policies pose a significant challenge to the agrivoltaic industry in Bangladesh. Current regulations restrict the use of agricultural land for purposes other than farming, complicating the acquisition of land for solar projects. Nonetheless, compared to traditional solar farms, agrivoltaics requires less land for energy generation, offering a more efficient and sustainable approach.
To discuss the findings and implications of the study, a workshop was organized by the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), in collaboration with Dhaka Tribune, at LakeShore Hotel Gulshan on Thursday, March 7. The workshop brought together key stakeholders, policymakers, and experts to explore the potential of agrivoltaics in Bangladesh.
Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director of BIGD, highlighted the significance of solar energy in mitigating the reliance on fossil fuels and addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
“The study received a lot of support from the ministry. The study is a modeling simulation exercise. This kind of research needs innovation-centric thinking to step forward,” he said.
Member of Parliament MA Mannan, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning, lauded the research efforts and underscored the importance of agrivoltaics in the context of evolving agricultural practices and energy needs. He urged stakeholders to embrace this transformative approach and explore its integration with other sectors such as fisheries.
“There is a need to think about these sectors. It is a matter of happiness that where I have been working and worked, there is a section called GED which has provided data for this research work. I am very happy that government data is useful to you,” he said.
Dr Rohini Kamal delved into the economic implications of agrivoltaics, emphasizing its potential to drive sustainable growth and energy security in Bangladesh. She highlighted the country's low per capita energy consumption and the imperative to transition towards renewable sources like solar power. By combining agriculture with solar energy production, agrivoltaics offer a viable solution to address energy demands while supporting rural livelihoods.
She said: “We are poised to become a middle-income country with a need for reliable energy. Despite having massive growth, we have very low per capita energy consumption. Our usage per capita is 477 kWh/person, while the USA has 4437 kWh/person. Over 80% of the power mix comes from fossil fuel. We are importing fossil fuel, and the cost of fossil fuel is rising. The most feasible renewable option for us is solar power, but solar is land-intensive.
“It requires more land. Currently, we have 4% of renewable energy per capita, lagging behind the 10% target by 2020. Most of the rural households in Bangladesh depend on agriculture. In our country, agriculture remains the largest employing sector. A major part of the households derives some share of income from agriculture. We are combining land and solar panels to propose a potential solution, one that allows employment opportunities for women and low-income households through agriculture,” Dr Rohini Kamal added.
The study compared agrivoltaics with traditional energy sources such as coal, oil, and nuclear power, showcasing its advantages in terms of employment generation, land use efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Drawing on global evidence from countries like India, China, and the USA, the research demonstrated the multifaceted benefits of agrivoltaics for Bangladesh's energy landscape.
From a technical perspective, Mohaimenul Islam, a lecturer at the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Brac University, outlined the design considerations for implementing agrivoltaic systems in Bangladesh. Given the scarcity of land, the study proposed innovative approaches to optimize space utilization and maximize energy generation while preserving agricultural productivity.
He said: “The objective of this study is to design an agrivoltaic system in the context of Bangladesh. As we know, land scarcity is a big issue. We are building solar panels on the top of the land. We are talking about the theoretical part of our study. We considered PV Panel Width/length, Inter-row distance, Inter-panel distance for our concept design. The design is for the crop Aman rice.”
He further said: “According to the study, less than 1% of the total accumulation is used by the intended system when it comes to energy from the agrivoltaic system. The dual use of land for both farming and solar energy generation is a win-win situation from our perspective. We have positioned the solar panels at a latitude angle to achieve optimum results. Calculations show that per square metre area accumulates 2.6 megawatts of incident energy.”
Md Abdul Gaffar, Energy Advisor and Policy Advisor for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP), GIZ Bangladesh, said: “Since 2021, GIZ has been collaborating closely with the government on a 200MW solar project. The Policy Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP) project seeks to enhance the political and legal framework within the energy sector while also raising awareness among policy- and decision-makers regarding various facets of the energy transition. The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) serves as the lead executing agency.”
Dr Dipal Chandra Barua, Co-founder of the Grameen Bank, discussed the solar irrigation of Bangladesh. He also briefly discussed the impact of agrivoltaics in Bangladesh, which suggests that solar energy can replace diesel in a particular sense.
Dr Sebastian Groh, Professor at Brac Business School, Brac University and CEO and Co-founder of SOLShare Ltd, suggested exploring the use of agrivoltaics for tea production as tea plants need shade.
Dr Munshi Sulaiman, Research Director at the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University, added some of his observations after the presentations.
He said: “This is just the beginning. There is something big to get from here. We need some field tests before you convey it to the farmers let alone a policy maker. The next steps involve testing different crops and solar panel setups, including space and panel angles, to see impact on yield in Bangladesh’s context, as well as different land sharing agreements between farmers and solar providers.”
Israt Hossain; Senior Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), Dr Md Mosaddequr Rahman, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Brac University; Dr. Dipal Chandra Barua, Co-founder of the Grameen Bank, Founding Managing Director of Grameen Shakti, Founder and Chairman of the Bright Green Energy Foundation; Sakib Chowdhury, Trade Adviser at the Embassy of Denmark; Md. Rashedul Alam, Assistant Director (Solar) at SREDA; Mohaimenul Islam, Lecturer at EEE, Brac University; Mohammad Tofail Bin Azam, Research Associate at the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University; Foqoruddin Al Kabir, Research Associate at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD); and Saida Hossain Ara, Research Associate at the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER) were present at the discussion.
Executive Director, BIGD
Our country is agricultural with a lack of land for farming. In this situation, establishing agrivoltaic technology is quite promising here. The study received a lot of support from the ministry. The study is a modeling simulation exercise. This kind of research needs innovation-centric thinking to step forward.
Research Fellow and Assistant Professor, BIGD
We are combining land and solar panels to propose a potential solution, one that allows employment opportunities for women and low-income households through agriculture.
Lecturer, Brac University
According to the study, less than 1% of the total accumulation is used by the intended system when it comes to energy from the agrivoltaic system. The dual use of land for both farming and solar energy generation is a win-win situation.
Energy Advisor and Policy Advisor for PAP, GIZ Bangladesh
The Policy Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP) project seeks to enhance the political and legal framework within the energy sector while also raising awareness among policy- and decision-makers regarding various facets of the energy transition.
Research Director, BIGD
This is just the beginning. There is something big to get from here. We need some field tests before you convey it to the farmers let alone a policy maker. The next steps involve testing different crops and solar panel setups.
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee, Ministry of Planning
There is a need for such research. People around the world, countries like Germany, are working in this sector. Alongside with crops, we also need to think about the fisheries. There is a shift coming in this sector also.
Co-founder, Grameen Bank
We are exploring agrivoltaics with Japanese funding. The impact of agrivoltaics in Bangladesh suggests that solar energy can replace diesel in a particular sense.
Professor, Brac University, and CEO and Co-founder, SOLShare Ltd
Exploring the potential of growing tea under solar panels might be promising as they are shaded plants.
