Bangladesh has launched a nationwide sustainable energy innovation contest inviting university students and energy-sector professionals to propose practical solutions to help the country meet its renewable energy and energy-efficiency targets by 2030.
The contest, titled Sfuron: In Search of Sustainable Energy Innovations, will reward winning participants and provide opportunities to present their ideas to development partners, investors and financing institutions.
The initiative comes as Bangladesh seeks to expand renewable energy generation and reduce energy consumption across households, industry and commercial establishments. Its organisers aim to identify promising ideas and help connect innovators with organisations that could support their development and implementation.
The competition is aligned with the National Renewable Energy Development Strategy Paper (RESP) 2026–2030, which sets a target of 10,450 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and aims to achieve 15% energy savings across households, industry and the commercial sector against a 2026 baseline.
The contest is organised by the Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources in cooperation with the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA). Germany’s development cooperation agency, GIZ, is implementing the initiative on behalf of German Development Cooperation and the European Union.
Two categories for energy innovation
The competition has two tracks: renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The renewable energy category seeks proposals that could help Bangladesh achieve its 10,450MW target. Areas of interest include rooftop solar power, electricity grid modernisation, energy storage, domestic production of solar panels and inverters, wind power and land-efficient solutions such as agrivoltaics and floating solar installations.
Agrivoltaics involves combining solar power generation with agricultural activities, potentially allowing land to serve both purposes. Floating solar installations, meanwhile, offer opportunities to develop solar capacity on suitable water bodies rather than relying entirely on land.
The energy-efficiency category invites proposals to reduce energy consumption through campus and community initiatives, clean cooking solutions, digital monitoring systems, energy-efficient retrofits, behavioural changes and policy interventions.
The organisers are seeking ideas that can be translated into practical solutions rather than remaining theoretical proposals, with the broader objective of supporting Bangladesh’s transition towards a more sustainable energy system.
Who can participate?
The contest is open to university students and professionals working in the power and energy sector.
University students must participate in teams of two. Students from any public or private university and any academic discipline are eligible to apply.
Energy-sector professionals, meanwhile, can submit entries individually.
All participants will be subject to verification during the application process. The organisers have warned that applications containing unverified or fraudulent information may be disqualified at any stage of the competition.
Submission deadline is 25 October
Applications opened on 8 October and will close on 25 October 2026.
Participants must register through the contest website and submit a written concept note accompanied by a pitch video of no more than three minutes.
The strongest proposals will be shortlisted for live presentations before a jury of experts, who will assess the ideas before the winners are selected.
Successful participants will receive trophies, certificates and prizes intended to support their academic or professional development. They will also have the opportunity to present their proposals to development partners, investors and financing institutions, potentially opening pathways to funding and further development.
Turning ideas into practical solutions
The contest seeks to address a central challenge facing Bangladesh’s energy transition: how to generate and develop workable ideas that can help turn national targets into tangible results.
Expanding renewable energy will require not only investment in generation capacity but also improvements in supporting infrastructure, energy storage, efficiency and the domestic supply chain. Similarly, reducing energy consumption will depend on technological innovation, changes in behaviour and effective implementation of policies.
By bringing together students and energy-sector professionals, Sfuron aims to draw on ideas from both emerging innovators and people with practical industry experience.
The organisers hope the contest will help identify solutions that can contribute to Bangladesh’s renewable energy ambitions while encouraging greater participation in the development of a cleaner and more efficient energy system.
The opportunity to pitch ideas to investors and development partners is intended to help promising proposals move beyond the competition stage towards potential financing and implementation.
With submissions open until 25 October, the contest offers students and energy professionals a platform to propose solutions to some of Bangladesh’s pressing energy challenges and contribute to the country’s sustainable energy goals for 2030.