Green power plans go sideways

Bangladesh has failed to achieve its target to raise the share of renewable energy to the total power generation to 10 per cent by 2020 amid constraints of resources, technologies and policies.

Currently, 723.97 megawatts of power are generated from renewable sources, accounting for 3.25 per cent of the total electricity produced.

The Renewable Energy Policy 2008 had set a goal to produce 5 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2015 and 10 per cent by 2020.

Experts say though Bangladesh's contribution to the global carbon emission is negligible, it cannot stay away from green energy. It will be an important factor in international business since consumers are increasingly getting more conscious about protecting the environment, they say.

Over the years, Bangladesh has formulated policies and taken steps to promote renewable energy. For example, it has installed around 5.8 million solar home systems that benefited 18 million beneficiaries.

Besides, 60.6MW of solar panels were installed on the rooftops of government and private buildings. Nearly 1,969 solar-run irrigation systems have been installed in different parts of the country.

Still, the production of renewable energy has remained insignificant.

According to the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda), of the 22,289MW of power generation capacity nationally, 47.91 per cent is from gas, 23.37 per cent from heavy fuel oil, 8.05 per cent from high-speed diesel, and 2.35 per cent from coal.

Besides, 9.87 per cent of electricity comes from captive power, which is also generated using fossil fuel, and 5.2 per cent is imported.

Of the renewable energy, 489.96MW comes from solar home systems and panels, and 230MW from hydropower. A tiny portion comes from wind, biogas, and biomass.

Despite failing to pull off the targets repeatedly, the government has set a new target to generate 1,700MW from utility-scale solar plants and 250MW from solar home systems by 2030.

Officials and researchers say Bangladesh's main renewable energy comes from solar, but the sticking point here is the lack of land. Besides, the country is fully dependent on other countries for technology, engineers and technicians.

There are cases where foreign companies had signed contracts with Bangladesh to set up solar power plants only to cancel them later for not getting land or for the government's reluctance to accept the prices they offered, said Badrul Imam, honorary professor of the geology department of the University of Dhaka.

"Land is a major issue. But we need to go for renewable energy, and solar has the highest potential," he said on April 20.

He suggested the government find ponds, lakes or rooftops that can be used for solar plants.

Hasan Mehedi, chief facilitator of the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network, said the government helped in land acquisition for the fossil fuel plants, but not for the solar power plants.

"The government needs to have a policy for this."

The equipment for solar plants should be tax-free, Mehedi said. "Some items enjoy the tax-free facility. But if we want to promote renewable energy, we need to do it for all equipment."

Also, the price is an issue. For example, foreign companies fix a price, but the government does not agree with it.

The government needs to provide subsidies to encourage the expansion of renewable energy, he said.

Presently, all those involved in solar power plants are foreigners. So, the most crucial task now is to transfer knowledge and build local capacity, said Prof Imam, adding that Bangladesh needed to acquire technological knowledge.

As of now, the potential for hydroelectricity is largely unknown. The government plans to carry out a feasibility study on offshore energy.

"It should be done at the soonest. The negotiation to import hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan needs to be expedited," the geologist said.

Sreda Chairman Mohammad Alauddin said resources were a real issue when it came to renewable energy. Infrastructure Development Company Ltd provides some grants for solar home systems, but the support was limited.

"The developed countries are not keeping their commitments on finance. Had we had that, we could accelerate our efforts of producing renewable energy."

Alauddin demanded the developed countries share technological knowledge on renewable energy as incentives to green growth.

In Bangladesh, there are nearly 2,000 units of solar irrigation systems, which run only four months a year. If they are connected to the grid, it can generate power all year round, he said.