Roof tops with solar panels generating significant amount of electricity for industries

  • Staff Correspondent

According to the draft Energy Security Study by the power division, Bangladesh witnessed a rise in peak electricity demand by 8-9 percent every year from fiscal 2009-2010 to 2014-15 because of population increasing, urbanization and expansion of economic activities.



Honorable State Minister for ministry of power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid said that Bangladesh government would take some initiatives for facilitating their effort who are working in green energy. Government is providing various facility including cash incentive, lowest tax and low interest loan for green energy. solar



“Now we are catering 82 percent of country’s electricity demand from the national grid and 7.6 zpercent of electricity demand from the solar panel system,” said Nasrul Hamid.



Nasrul urged the garments industry owners to make the best of the rooftops at their industrial units by installing solar panels to meet part of their energy demand and cut reliance on the national power grid. Bangladesh government has expressed its vision to generate 2000 MW of electricity from the renewable energy by 2020, he added.



Figure 1: Distinguished guest opened rooftop solar project of paragon Poultry Ltd.

Figure 1: Distinguished guest opened rooftop solar project of paragon Poultry Ltd.


Recently Paragon Poultry ltd, a sister concern of Paragon Group, and Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) jointly have started 723 KW roof-top solar project on top of the poultry sheds of Paragon Group at Gazipur industrial  zone.



Figure 2:  Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for ministry of power, energy and mineral delivered his speech at the event.

Figure 2: Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for ministry of power, energy and mineral delivered his speech at the event.


The total cost of project was 58 million of which 20 percent was invested by Paragon Poultry ltd and 80 percent was financed by IDCOL at on interest rate of 6 percent for 10 years.



“More than 45 lakh houses used roof-top solar energy solution specially in village”, said Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Secretory, Power Division. “Very soon we will announce net-energy metering system, which will help the country’s household, commercial or industrial consumers of grid-connected electricity use solar energy for power generation installing solar panels on their own roofs,” Kaikaus added.



“Electricity generated from rooftop solar project is cheaper and sustainable for the industries,” said Moshiur Rahman, Managing Director, Paragon Group.



Rooftop solar plant can deliver power during load shedding. Per unit cost of rooftop solar power will be 8-8.5 TK, which is lower than diesel power and electricity brought from the state-run utility service provider.



Energy cost of solar will be fixed for the next 25 years, Moshiur Rahman addressing his speech



Mahmood Malik, Executive Director and CEO, IDCOL, said, in the last three months, 30 companies showed interest in setting up solar panels on their factory rooftops. One kilowatt of electricity can be produced from every 100 square feet of rooftop space.



Therefore, an industry that has one lakh square feet of space will be able to produce one megawatt of electricity, added Mahmood Malik.

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