Topu Roy’s family had no electricity until around 2005 when his parents set up a solar power system at their home in Dinajpur, in northern Bangladesh, to power lights and fans.
In the past two decades, approximately 6 million solar home systems have been installed across the country, bringing electricity to remote off-grid communities.
“It’s a remarkable success story,” said Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, director of the Center for Energy Research at the United International University of Bangladesh.
For the rapidly developing South Asian nation, solar energy has brought benefits for citizens by creating jobs. But the growth of the sector was limited by bottlenecks such as a lack of land on which to build large-scale plants.
Grid power finally reached the village of Roy in 2020 under a government program to electrify the entire country by 2021, enabling residents to use a range of electrical appliances for the first time.
“But with the recent power crisis in Bangladesh, we are back to square one, resorting to the solar home system, because grid power is mostly off,” said the 25-year-old student.
Millions of Bangladeshis are doing the same to cope with severe blackouts, caused by a recent power crisis amid extreme heat and high fuel prices, with rural areas bearing the brunt.
Bakirul Islam, 21, a student from Mymensingh, north of Dhaka, said he now gets only two to three hours of grid power every day and also depends on a solar home system.
Rising fuel prices worldwide have destabilized energy policy in Bangladesh, which imports about a quarter of its natural gas supply, prompting calls for a more diversified energy mix including a greater focus on renewables, particularly solar.
The country has little more than 900 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity, out of a total power capacity of 25,700 MW, far from a target of reaching 10% of generation from clean energy sources by 2020.
Last year the energy ministry announced a more ambitious target of getting 40% of the nation’s electricity from renewables by 2041, with solar seen as having the highest potential.
Business case
Development of solar energy has been delayed in part because it was expensive a decade ago, at more than $0. This may interest you : How can electricity be produced from solar energy ?.16 per kilowatt-hour, said Ijaz Hossain, a professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
But the price has since plunged, making solar cheaper than using imported fuels like coal, heavy fuel oil or diesel, said Chowdhury of the Center for Energy Research.
The recent rise in fossil fuel prices means industry can now save a lot of money by adopting solar energy, said Ziaur Rahman Khan, another BUET professor.
With rooftop solar, 1 kilowatt hour of electricity costs about 4 taka ($0.04) for a commercial or industrial user, compared to 8-11 taka per unit for grid power, said M. Rashedul Alam, assistant director at the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development. Authority, a Bangladesh government agency.
Estimates of Bangladesh’s solar energy potential support a larger-scale push into solar power, experts say.
The National Solar Energy Roadmap, drafted in 2020 with the United Nations Development Programme, calculated that 6,000 MW could be generated from solar by 2041 in a business-as-usual scenario – and with aggressive policies, as much as 30,000 MW.
The report offers key policy indicators, such as the “very real opportunities” of rooftop solar installations, said Farseem Mannan Mohammedy, director of BUET’s Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development.
Recent solar energy expansion has focused on both rooftop solar photovoltaic systems and large-scale ground-based plants.
Rooftop solar is attractive because it doesn’t require land acquisition, said Munawar Moin, group director at Rahimafrooz Ltd, a pioneering solar panel manufacturer in Bangladesh.
An earlier study estimated that 5,000 MW could be generated by solar plants on industrial roofs.
Chowdhury noted that there are now more than 30 large-scale rooftop solar PV plants, mostly mounted on factories.
Besides clothing and textile manufacturing, other sectors such as steel and electronics are also venturing into rooftop solar.
Rooftop solar PV plants are a great source of job creation, Mohammedy said, noting that Bangladesh has the fifth highest number of jobs in solar PV, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
According to a 2020 IRENA report, there were 137,000 jobs in Bangladesh’s solar sector, mostly concentrated in solar home systems including 10,000 jobs in solar module assembly.
But getting finance to expand the business has been a key challenge, experts said, with bank officials often lacking the knowledge needed to evaluate solar projects.
To create manufacturing jobs in the supply chain, the government should set quotas so that a certain portion of solar panels must be sourced locally, Moin added.
Looking for land
Nestled between the scenic Brahmaputra River and farm fields in Mymensingh district, stands a 50-MW solar park set up by HDFC Sinpower Limited, a joint venture between Bangladeshi, Malaysian and Singaporean investors. On the same subject : Solar fountains san diego.
The plant, which has been supplying power to the grid since last November, is one of eight large-scale solar plants operating in Bangladesh, which have a combined capacity of about 230 MW.
Ibrahim Johny, 25, who works as a security guard at the Mymensingh solar park, was unemployed before getting this job, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the entrance.
Plant manager Ahsanul Muznebin said 42 local people are employed there as module cleaners, while another 14 work as security guards and 12 as operation and maintenance engineers.
But setting up a new solar park is difficult because Bangladesh has little available land, said BUET professor Khan.
National land use policy of 2001 prohibits conversion of fertile agricultural land for other purposes.
Mymensingh solar park manager Muznebin told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that it took almost two years to acquire the 174 acres needed for the plant, as farmland could not be used.
Chowdhury, who wrote the draft solar road map, said sufficient land could be found for solar parks by reclaiming barren riverside areas and estuaries, while farmland could also be used for both agriculture and power generation.
He urged the government to take responsibility for organizing land for large-scale solar parks and developing transmission infrastructure for solar energy hubs.
It should also ease the strict eligibility criteria and approval process for ground-based solar farms, he added.
Alam, of the sustainable energy authority, said the drop in investment costs has given solar a bright future in Bangladesh and the government will support its development, including setting a new target in a revised renewable energy policy expected in 2023.
This story was published with permission from Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women’s rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate.
Solar energy is one of the most possible renewable energy resources in Bangladesh because solar radiation falls on average 5kWh/m 2 with more than 300 sunny days per year. The Government of Bangladesh has already launched a “500MW Solar Power Mission” to promote the use of renewable energy.
Which renewable energy is best for Bangladesh and why?
Currently, solar energy dominates the renewable energy mix in Bangladesh. Wind power, currently, remains at almost zero levels. By the end of 2021, the government plans to achieve at least 10% in renewable energies contributing to its total energy mix. Currently, the figure stands at just 3%.
What is the best renewable energy resource for Bangladesh and why? The available renewable energies of Bangladesh are solar, biomass, wind, hydropower and Page 4 658 M.N. Uddin et al. / Energy Procedia 160 (2019) 655â661 4 MN Uddin et al. / Energy Procedia00 (2019) 000â000 geothermal energy and this is the potential renewable energy to eradicate energy problem in Bangladesh [5].
What renewable energy resources are used in Bangladesh?
Major sources of renewable energy in Bangladesh are as follows:
- 4.1. sunny …
- 4.2. Wind energy. …
- 4.3. Biomass Energy. …
- 4.4. Biogas Energy. …
- 4.5. Hydropower. …
- 4.6. Geothermal Energy. …
- 4.7. Tidal power. …
- 4.8. Ocean Wave Energy.
What energy source does Bangladesh use?
About 62.9% of Bangladesh’s generated electricity comes from natural gas, while 10% is from diesel, 5% comes from coal, 3% from heavy oil, and 3.3% is from renewable sources.
Does Bangladesh have renewable energy?
The State of Renewable Energy in Bangladesh The installed renewable energy capacity of Bangladesh is 650.53 megawatts (MW). Solar making up 416 MW, with hydropower producing 230 MW.
Which renewable energy source in Bangladesh has the best long term prospects for electricity generation?
Solar Energy Daily sunlight in Bangladesh ranges from 7 to 10 hours. This abundant solar energy has great potential in various sectors in Bangladesh, and its use will contribute to reducing the traditional fossil fuel-based electricity consumption, ensuring a green environment for future generations.
Which renewable energy source in Bangladesh has the best long term prospects for electricity generation?
Solar Energy Daily sunlight in Bangladesh ranges from 7 to 10 hours. This abundant solar energy has great potential in various sectors in Bangladesh, and its use will contribute to reducing the traditional fossil fuel-based electricity consumption, ensuring a green environment for future generations.
Which is used most to generate electricity in Bangladesh?
About 62.9% of Bangladesh’s generated electricity comes from natural gas, while 10% is from diesel, 5% comes from coal, 3% from heavy oil, and 3.3% is from renewable sources.
Which renewable energy is the best and why?
Wind power is the leading renewable energy source, providing 8% of the US’s energy. This renewable energy source is not as quiet as solar energy, but it has solid efficiency and is generally environmentally friendly.
What is the best renewable energy to use?
Wind comes out on top by a wide margin over all other sources. It is followed in order of geothermal, hydro, nuclear and solar.
What is the best renewable energy source for electricity?
Hydroelectric power, using the potential energy of rivers, is by far the best established means of electricity production from renewable sources. It can also be large-scale – nine of the ten largest power plants in the world are hydro, using dams on rivers.
What is the greatest challenge of solar?
This year the biggest problem facing the global solar industry is market uncertainty. A lack of consistency in government support has created an atmosphere of uncertainty leading to project delays, pricing and declining employment and expansion plans.
What is a major challenge with solar energy? Solar PV has challenges regarding the uncertainty of how much of the sun’s rays it would receive, as weather can change from time to time. This would prove difficult to determine how much energy to store for future use. Sunlight is clearly unavailable during night hours while there is still a demand for electricity.
What are the three challenges of solar energy?
The Three Challenges Facing Solar Technologies Today
- Excess supply. At one time, everyone wanted to have their solar energy generating system at home. …
- Local Infrastructure. …
- Relatively expensive. …
- Network infrastructure in the US and your utility company.
What is the biggest challenge to the use of solar energy?
One of the biggest obstacles facing the solar industry over the past year – and historically – is the public’s perception of the cost and effectiveness of solar. The general public falsely believes that solar is much more expensive than it actually is and that it is not an efficient technology.
What are the challenges for solar energy?
On the other hand, challenges that the solar sector faces are in the form of: high production costs, diverse supply across states, need for increased government cooperation, inefficient financial infrastructure, lack of consumer awareness and a general lack of uniform standards.
What is the biggest challenge of using solar energy to generate electricity?
The biggest challenge however facing the solar energy future is its unavailability throughout the year, coupled with its high capital cost and scarcity of the materials for PV cells. These challenges can be met by developing an efficient energy storage system and developing cheap, efficient and abundant PV solar cells.
What is the biggest challenge to the use of solar energy?
One of the biggest obstacles facing the solar industry over the past year – and historically – is the public’s perception of the cost and effectiveness of solar. The general public falsely believes that solar is much more expensive than it actually is and that it is not an efficient technology.
What is the most challenging issue related to solar energy?
The biggest challenge facing the solar industry is politicization, which is expected in an election year. However, solar is an unusually partisan issue. Ironically, solar power is now more cost-effective than nuclear, which has been heavily subsidized by the government for generations.
What are the challenges faced by solar energy industry today?
One major concern is efficiency – solar panels only convert a small percentage of the available solar energy into usable energy. Solar’s reliability is also an issue, especially in certain geographic regions.
What is the main challenge with solar power?
Associated with Pollution Transportation and installation of solar systems have been associated with the emission of greenhouse gases. There are also some toxic materials and hazardous products used during the manufacture of solar photovoltaic systems that can indirectly affect the environment.
What are 10 disadvantages of solar energy?
10 Disadvantages Of Solar Panels
- High upfront cost. …
- The size of the system depends on your available space. …
- Requires sunny weather to work best. …
- Manufacturing solar panels can harm the environment. …
- Low energy conversion. …
- Cannot be used at night. …
- Solar panels are fixed at their installed location.
What is the biggest problem with solar energy? Intermittency One of the biggest problems that solar energy technology presents is that energy is only generated while the sun is shining. This means that night and cloudy days can interrupt the supply.
What is one disadvantage of using solar energy?
| Advantages of Solar Energy | Disadvantages of Solar Energy |
|---|---|
| Reduces Electricity Bills | High Initial Costs |
| Provides Tax Incentives | Time consuming |
| Pairs with Solar Battery Storage | Weather dependent |
| Environmentally friendly | Stringent Criteria |
What is one disadvantage of using solar energy apex?
Disadvantages of Solar Energy? Solar panels can be expensive to install resulting in a time lag of many years for savings on energy bills to equal initial investment. Electricity production depends entirely on a country’s exposure to sunlight; this could be limited by country climate.
What are 4 disadvantages of solar energy?
High initial costs for material and installation and a long ROI (however, with the reduction in the cost of solar over the last 10 years, solar is becoming more cost feasible every day) Needs a lot of space because efficiency is still not 100%. No solar power at night so a large battery bank is required.
What are the two main disadvantage of solar energy?
The 2 main disadvantages of solar energy are dependence on weather conditions and the inability to store electricity. Solar energy production depends mostly on direct sunlight. A cloudy day can reduce electricity production by more than 80%.
What are negative effects of solar energy?
The environmental disadvantages of solar energy include habitat loss, change in cultivation, the stress on water resources, exposure to hazardous materials, and pollution of soil, air, and water resources.
Why is solar energy bad for the environment?
Solar panels are composed of photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert sunlight into electricity. When these panels enter landfills, valuable resources are wasted. And because solar panels contain toxic materials like lead that can leach out as they break down, landfilling also creates new environmental hazards.