Roughly 1,768 megawatts of solar power could be generated from the rooftops of the country’s 3,320 garment factories, according to private research organization the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). A CPD study found that this would require an investment of $188 million.
The study’s findings were disclosed at a CPD-organized seminar at BRAC Centre in the capital on Thursday. The seminar, titled “Potential for Solar Power Generation on Garment Factory Rooftops,” was chaired by the organization’s research director, Khondaker Golam Moazzem. Various stakeholders from the solar power sector took part.
The seminar’s main paper was presented by CPD research associate Abrar Ahammed Bhuiyan. The paper said that only 3 percent of the electricity demand at the country’s garment factories currently comes from renewable energy. This could be raised to 14 percent.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem said 500 factories are ready to begin solar power generation. With various incentives, solar power generation could soon be made possible at another 1,300 factories. The remaining roughly 1,500 factories could be made suitable for solar power generation in the future with policy and other support. He said the cost of installing solar infrastructure needs to be reduced.
Complaints of customs complications
Businesses in the sector complain that although tariff benefits are offered for the renewable energy sector, they are not seeing the benefit in practice. Zahidul Alam, vice president of the Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association, said that while a 13.5 percent tariff is cited for commercial panel imports, customs duty is actually being charged at $3 per kilogram. This pushes the effective tariff burden above 27 percent, adding to the cost burden for small businesses and individual users.
Speakers at the seminar said that although the government talks about renewable energy, various administrative complications are slowing the pace of solar power generation.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report