The government needs to allocate a specific budget, set a target and formulate policy guideline to promote renewable energy in the country, experts and stakeholders said Saturday in a webinar.
Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, assistant professor and director of the Centre for Energy Research at United International University, said at the programme, "Bangladesh can generate 30,000 megawatts (MW) from solar energy if its moves with an ambitious plan."
"The country now generates 546 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources. But if the abandoned lands can be reclaimed under the Delta Plan 2100 from the training of different rivers, they could be easily used for solar power generation," Shahriar said.
He was addressing the webinar "Proposed Solar Energy Roadmap 2021-2041 and Reality" organised by Energy and Power magazine.
"Land scarcity is not a major problem if there is a budgetary allocation, a specific guideline and policy decision," Munawar Moin, president of Solar Module Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh, said.
Abul Kalam Azad, former principal secretary and special envoy to the presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, said, "A comprehensive plan is required to use the rooftops of different public and private buildings to generate solar energy."
"What is more important is to prepare a plan based on a large feasibility study on how rooftops could be used," Azad added.
Mohammad Alauddin, chairman of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda), said a draft roadmap on renewable energy was forwarded to the Power Division for approval.
"Once it is approved, Sreda will take all-out moves to implement the roadmap to achieve the goal set in renewable energy," he said.
Dipal Barua, president of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association, said: "The government has been successful in achieving its target in power generation from conventional energy."
"If a policy guideline is set by the government, it will also be possible to achieve the target in renewable energy," he added.
