The merchant power policy that the interim government is formulating will facilitate renewable energy expansion, said Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission chair Jalal Ahmed at a green energy Olympiad on Sunday.
鈥楽olar power is fairly affordable and we can easily achieve our target,鈥� Jalal Ahmed said, adding that the merchant power policy is at the last stage of its passing.
The merchant power policy is expected to end the era in which the government has been the sole buyer of all electricity produced currently in the country鈥攐ver half of it by private power producers, also known as independent power producers, IPP in short, while the rest is generated by state-owned power plants.
Jalal was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day Olympiad held at the Bangladesh Military Museum.
The Olympiad, jointly organised by Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development and Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network, saw the participation of nearly 5,000 students from colleges and universities across Bangladesh.
Referring to the latest gas price hike in the industry sector, Jalal said that he believed that increased fossil fuel prices would inspire people to look for alternative energy sources such as renewable energy.
Bangladesh also has wind power potential as well, he said.
Selling gas at prices between Tk 12 and Tk 17 per unit after importing them at Tk 75 is not sustainable, he said.
Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association vice-president Zahidul Alam said that the solar energy price decreased 10 times compared with the solar home system first introduced in the country.
A substantial portion of industrial power demand could be met with rooftop solar, he said.
The concluding session was also attended by Hasan Mehedi, member secretary of CLEAN.
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