A three-day renewable energy festival has opened in Bangladesh’s capital, with campaigners calling for a fairer transition away from fossil fuels and greater investment in clean energy.
The second Renewable Energy Fest, held at the central playground of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), brings together representatives from youth groups, women’s organisations, workers’ communities, civil society and climate action networks.
Organised by ActionAid Bangladesh, BUET, the Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETnet-BD) and BUET’s Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, the festival is themed A Just, Inclusive and Green Energy Transition.
More than 200 people took part in a rally from Shaheed Minar to the festival venue on Monday, followed by a flash mob performance by 30 artists organised by Surjodoy Youth Society.
Speaking at the opening press conference, Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said the climate crisis required countries to move away from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy and innovation.
“Bangladesh now stands at a critical juncture,” she said, calling for inclusive renewable energy planning backed by budget commitments, with farmers, women and marginalised communities at its centre.
Professor MA A Shoukat Choudhury, director of BUET’s Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, said Bangladesh needed to strengthen its renewable energy capabilities to safeguard future energy security while continuing to rely on fossil fuels.
Md Abul Kalam Azad, manager of ActionAid Bangladesh’s Just Energy Transition team and member secretary of JETnet-BD, said the festival aimed to encourage more equitable policies and investment, while building partnerships to turn renewable energy innovations into practical projects.
Nazmul Hasan, managing director of Hithium Energy Storage Technology Bangladesh, also called for stronger oversight to ensure the quality of solar energy components.
Innovation and investment in focus
The festival is intended to connect policymakers, investors, businesses and communities, with a programme spanning technology exhibitions, investment opportunities and discussions on energy policy.
On Tuesday, 27 October, Bangladesh’s minister of power, energy and mineral resources, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, is due to inaugurate the Innovation and Technology Fair.
Representatives from the European Union, Australia, Indonesia and Pakistan are also expected to attend the inauguration. They include Tobias Biermann, first counsellor and head of green economy and public sector investments at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, and Jacob de Leon, second secretary for development at the Australian High Commission.
The innovation and technology exhibitions will feature 29 stalls showcasing renewable energy technologies and services developed by domestic innovators and companies. Twenty stalls will be dedicated to innovation and nine to technology.
An accompanying Innovation-to-Impact Marketplace will give start-ups and young entrepreneurs the opportunity to present business models to investors and banks, with seed funding planned for the most promising proposals.
Oxfam Bangladesh will also host a discussion on reducing industrial carbon emissions.
Regional lessons for Bangladesh
Further sessions over the three days will examine renewable energy finance, investment, technology, infrastructure, energy governance and social and environmental safeguards.
Experts from South and South-east Asia will share experiences from their own countries, with discussions intended to help shape Bangladesh’s approach to a cleaner and more inclusive energy system.
Among the speakers expected on the final day are Shafiqul Alam, lead analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis; engineer Md Mujibur Rahman, director of renewable energy development at the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority; and Md Sabur Hossain, chairman of the Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council.
Organisers also plan to recognise innovators, young leaders and partner organisations for their contributions to the renewable energy sector.
The festival will close with a puppet show and cultural performances, with Professor Mamun Ahmed, chairman of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, attending as a special guest.
Young people and communities at the centre
The Youth and People Hub, a flagship feature of the event, will host discussions, workshops, cultural activities and networking sessions designed to bring citizens into conversations with policymakers and private-sector representatives.
Organisers say the aim is to ensure that the shift towards renewable energy benefits communities that are often most vulnerable to climate change and economic disruption.