Harnessing solar power
A host of
technical,
economic and
institutional
barriers have
constrained
widespread
deployment of solar technology in this country
According to a report published in this newspaper on Wednesday people of 16 remote haor villages in Sulla upazila of Sunamganj district are going to get solar power to light their houses under a government project. The project, titled Haor Solar Power Project, will supply energy to around 400 families and also facilitate irrigation in five villages in the area.
Bangladesh with vast tracts of sun-kissed lands is an ideal place for harvesting solar energy. It enjoys some of the best sunshine in the world for most part of the years and is still energy hungry. Despite the availability of this solar energy resource, Bangladeshs solar market remains relatively underdeveloped when compared to that in other countries in the region. A host of technical, economic and institutional barriers have constrained widespread deployment of solar technology in this country.
The countrys energy mix is dominated by oil and gas. Apart from hydropower, share of other renewable sources of power has been negligible. This has imposed significant burden on our national exchequer. Unfortunately, there are very few academic centres or innovation cells researching into materials, applications, business models or infrastructure financing.
In Bangladesh most of the electricity demand comes from residential and commercial consumers. Using solar energy to power homes will abet demand reduction for grid electricity, which has been growing steadily. There has been a recent trend among urban residential consumers installing solar panels to augment grid electricity supply. However, this has been limited to less than two per cent of the population, partly because of the nature of investment. A solar home system compared to UPS and diesel generator is a long-term investment, deterring potential consumers. Thus, if solar were to truly take off in this country a cultural change is essential.
Despite the fact that the cost of solar cells has come down considerably in the last decade or so, the initial investment in solar technology remains relatively high for an average Bangladeshi consumer, necessitating business models that offer innovative financing options to lower the upfront payment.
Solar is a fast developing technology as countries, both developed and developing, are making investments to increase the share of solar in their electricity generation mix. Bangladesh undoubtedly has large potential for utilising solar energy.
It is high time that the government started thinking long-term strategies to increase the use of solar energy and other renewables. Off-grid applications of solar can certainly play a crucial role in lowering electricity demand.
