Renewable energy can be a good alternative of fossil-based energy production in Bangladesh, said discussants at a meeting yesterday at the National Press Club.
Panelists placed their views on the future possibilities of renewable energy at the discussion meeting on 'Renewable Energy Potentials in Bangladesh' held yesterday under the joint aegis of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon and Waterkeepers Bangladesh.
The key note speaker Professor Danel M Kammen of University of California, Berkely, who researched on the opportunity of investment in clean energy of Bangladesh, read out the summery of his findings in the meeting.
He said Bangladesh is committed to provide electricity for all by 2021, to reduce its greenhouse gas by 5 percent from power and other sectors by 2030 and to develop 100 percent domestic renewable energy as rapidly as possible.
Prof Danel claimed that his study found Bangladesh has a high potential of generating solar energy at a lower costs than coal power and this can be done without damaging much of croplands.
He showed that rooftop solar panel, concentrated solar power (CSP) and wind energy can add 31.57 Giga Watt (GW) - more than the government total electricity demand projected by 2021, which is 24 GW and these alternatives, are more economical, environment friendly and socially profitable to new coal-fired power projects.
B D Rahmatullah, professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in University of Asia Pacific, said China, Brazil, Canada, and India are producing major portion of energy from renewable sources whereas, Bangladesh is producing only one Mega Watt (MW) but the country has the potential to cultivate 33,000 MW from clean sources like natural gas, wind, solar, biomass, river water flow and sea wave in much lower costs than energy derived from fossil sources.
State Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid said the government is open to new plans, which are suitable for the country's demand and potential.
He said government has to install the coal and nuclear-based power stations to fulfill the high demand in short period whereas, the renewable sources have many short comings like high cost, land shortage and so on.
The state Minister asked the researchers and entrepreneurs to develop smart projects of renewable energies, which will be cost-effective and can be realized in the densely populated country where availability of land is a problem.
Dr Saiful Haque, Director of Energy Institute of Dhaka University, Muhammad Alauddin, Joint Secretary of Power Division, Prof Badrul Imam of Department of Geology of Dhaka University attended, among others, the program chaired by Prof Khandekar Bazlul Haque of Department of Economics of Dhaka University.
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