Bangladesh to Produce 500 MW Power from Solar System

Bangladesh has set a target to produce 500 MW of electricity installing solar home systems to reduce greenhouse emissions and ensure sustainable development in energy sector.


It also plans to install solar irrigation system to cut diesel cost.

To use Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s fund in solar power project, Bangladesh set the target of elctricity generation from solar energy.

"To ensure energy security and to reduce carbon emission we have taken up a massive programme to implement renewable energy, energy conservation plan," Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said.

ADB is set to support 3000 MW capacity power project in Asia-Pacific region. To get benefit from it, Bangladesh has prepared its programme in collaboration with NGOs.

Bangladesh has achieved a landmark achievement in implementing renewable energy expansion programme through installing solar home systems across the country. Every month, more than 36,000 solar home systems are being installed adding one and half MW of electricity. Just one and half years back about 12,000 systems were installed every month.

According to the power division, Bangladesh made a pledge at Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, 2008 that about five per cent of its total electricity generation will come from renewable sources by 2015.
Source: www.bangladeshprotidin.com

New electricity connections from this month

Government would provide new households electricity connections from this month as the national grid witnessed enhanced supply.

New Electricity line from this month

As per government decision, the authorities concerned would provide more than one lakh new electricity connections by December this year. According to the Power Development Board (PDB), it added 1922 MW of electricity into the grid in last two years, which is a record in country’s power generation history.

Power ministry sources said over 830,000 consumers had applied for new connections that require around 1,500MW of additional electricity. According to the power division sources the authorities stopped giving new households connections formally for the last two years. However, some new connections were provided during the last two months on conditional basis.

The Power Division has permitted new connections to over 0.2 million consumers with requirement of 339MW of electricity, following issuance of the demand notes from November 7, 2010 across the country, an official said. On November 7 last year, the government had decided to allow power distribution agencies to resume connections on condition that consumers would install solar panels of specified capacity.

On June 27, adviser to the prime minister Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury conducted a meeting with the managing directors of power distribution agencies and directed them to materialise the government decision and fulfill the public aspiration.

“People will get new electricity connections phase by phase and the authorities would start issuing new demand notes after receiving applications in this regard,” additional secretary of the power division Taposh Roy said. He said the consumers, who would take lead in installing solar systems, would get priority in getting connection. Consumers, who need to install 5MW of electricity, would require permission from the Power Division, he added.

New residential consumers requiring more than two-kilowatts of electricity would have to meet 3 percent of their electricity requirement from solar energy.

As per its election pledge, the government took plans to add 9,426MW power to the national grid by 2015.

According to PDB, 920MW would be added by 2011; 2,269MW in 2012; 1,675 MW in 2013; 1,170MW in 2014 and 2,600MW in 2015. The government has the plan to make the country free from loadshedding by 2013.
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