Where there is more challenge, there is more. Renewable energy is more challenging, and success here can save huge foreign exchange.
This was stated by Abul Kalam Azad, President of Special Energy to CVF Presidency and President of Bangladesh Energy Society in his keynote address at EP Talks on Saturday (February 5).
He said that a lot of work has been done on solar energy. A lot has been implemented here. There are huge shoals in the country. Solar power generation is possible there. Electricity can be obtained from here at 4/5 cents. Solar source can be installed on the roofs of government buildings in the divisional cities, solar can be installed on the railway line; solar panels can be placed on both sides of the road. There are many embankments where solar can be installed. Floating solar panels can be installed at Kaptai Lake. It is possible to generate 500 MW of electricity by installing solar in 1% area of Kaptai Lake. Sreda has the opportunity to work on these issues. In the meantime, the work of air mapping is going on. It is important to make a policy on wind energy in the sea. Making Sreda a one-stop center is not a complicated matter.
He added that it is very difficult to keep pace with the volatile world energy market. If foreign exchange can be saved from the energy buying sector, it will be useful for development in other sectors of the country.
Shreda Chairman Mohammad Alauddin said, “We have a lot of success with Solar Home. However, in a country with a large population, land scarcity is a big problem. Business models are needed for renewable energy. Creating a business model in solar irrigation has become urgent. Because electricity is required for irrigation only 4 months, but production is 12 months. In that case the rest of the electricity generated has to be supplied to the grid. The government is working to generate 245 MW in wind energy IPP and 110 MW in Sirajganj. Data is being collected on the potential of wind energy in the coastal area. Sreda is working on how to utilize wind energy in the Bay of Bengal.
Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell, said Sreda needs to work on renewable electricity storage. There is ample opportunity for policy discussions. 2010-15 was a good time for power generation; in 2015-20 we have focused on transmission and distribution. And in 2021-25 we need to look at sustainable energy. Sreda can play a major role in this. However, it is still difficult to read because the transmission system is not so good.
The speakers said that despite the current production capacity, full production is not possible due to lack of gas or coal. That is why renewable energy is needed. In addition, renewable energy can only be converted into sustainable energy if it is made affordable. It should also be noted that the climate fund and the energy assistance fund should not be merged.
President of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association Deepal Chandra Barua, Energy Specialist Engineer Al Mudabbir Bin Anam and Managing Director of Jules Power Limited Nuher El Khan participated in the discussion.
Mollah Amjad Hossain, Secretary, Energy and Power division moderated the discussion.