Solar panels for all govt offices in two years, says minister

Solar rooftop systems will be installed atop all government offices within two years, housing and public works minister Mosharrof Hossain said yesterday. A working committee comprising members from the ministries of housing and public works, and power, energy and mineral resources as well as from the state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) will be formed soon to look into this matter.
The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop titled “Solar rooftop—its viable option for Bangladesh”. It was organised by the SREPGen Project of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) and Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at Mukti Hall of Bidyut Bhaban.
Mosharrof said solar power has become very popular in rural Bangladesh. “In every village, you'll find houses with solar panels on rooftops. Previously, well-off households in rural areas used to buy IPS, but they now prefer going for solar home systems (SHS),” he added.
“If SHS can be a success story in villages, why can’t it be successful in urban areas? I believe it can be implemented in urban rooftop as well,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion as a special guest, Dr Tawfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said Bangladesh is already a world leader in terms of using solar power for lighting up houses. “Around 40 lakh SHS have been installed in various parts of the country. That’s a remarkable achievement,” he added.
“SHS was basically a solar rooftop system. So if those can be placed in rural areas, the same could be done in urban areas as well,” he observed.
Chowdhury, however, said that the initiative of installing solar rooftop system should realistically start with government offices and buildings. “Private building owners might feel reluctant due to various reasons. But once the government starts doing that by itself and formulates a formidable policy for installing solar rooftop system for residential buildings, I believe many people will come forward spontaneously,” he added.
Chowdhury also emphasised on research and development in the solar power sector. “The expenses in solar power are associated with research and development. The prices of solar power across the world have been reducing because of new technologies,” he noted.
He lauded the innovative suggestion of Kazi Golam Nasir, chief architect of the Department of Architecture under the housing and public works ministry, that a provision should be included in the building design to have a 10-foot-high platform at rooftop on which the solar panel could be installed instead of the roof itself. “I think this suggestion should be implemented because it will save roof space for the building dwellers,” Chowdhury said.
He said the PM has given utmost importance to research and development for finding viable energy alternatives. “I'm urging our engineers and the technical people concerned to come up with new solar technologies with which we could increase their access to more people,” he added.

Solar panels for all govt offices in two years, says minister

Solar rooftop systems will be installed atop all government offices within two years, housing and public works minister Mosharrof Hossain said yesterday. A working committee comprising members from the ministries of housing and public works, and power, energy and mineral resources as well as from the state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) will be formed soon to look into this matter. The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop titled Solar rooftopits viable option for Bangladesh. It was organised by the SREPGen Project of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) and Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at Mukti Hall of Bidyut Bhaban. Mosharrof said solar power has become very popular in rural Bangladesh. In every village, youll find houses with solar panels on rooftops. Previously, well-off households in rural areas used to buy IPS, but they now prefer going for solar home systems (SHS), he added. If SHS can be a success story in villages, why cant it be successful in urban areas? I believe it can be implemented in urban rooftop as well, he said. Speaking on the occasion as a special guest, Dr Tawfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said Bangladesh is already a world leader in terms of using solar power for lighting up houses. Around 40 lakh SHS have been installed in various parts of the country. Thats a remarkable achievement, he added. SHS was basically a solar rooftop system. So if those can be placed in rural areas, the same could be done in urban areas as well, he observed. Chowdhury, however, said that the initiative of installing solar rooftop system should realistically start with government offices and buildings. Private building owners might feel reluctant due to various reasons. But once the government starts doing that by itself and formulates a formidable policy for installing solar rooftop system for residential buildings, I believe many people will come forward spontaneously, he added. Chowdhury also emphasised on research and development in the solar power sector. The expenses in solar power are associated with research and development. The prices of solar power across the world have been reducing because of new technologies, he noted. He lauded the innovative suggestion of Kazi Golam Nasir, chief architect of the Department of Architecture under the housing and public works ministry, that a provision should be included in the building design to have a 10-foot-high platform at rooftop on which the solar panel could be installed instead of the roof itself. I think this suggestion should be implemented because it will save roof space for the building dwellers, Chowdhury said. He said the PM has given utmost importance to research and development for finding viable energy alternatives. Im urging our engineers and the technical people concerned to come up with new solar technologies with which we could increase their access to more people, he added.