Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has directed all relevant authorities to install rooftop solar panels on government buildings across the country to promote solar power generation, says CA’s verified page.
He gave the directive today (Thursday) during a meeting titled “National Rooftop Solar Program” held at the state guest house, Jamuna.
Officials attending the meeting cited the 2024 report of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which shows that Bangladesh lags significantly behind its neighboring countries in solar power production and meeting set targets. While solar energy meets 24% of India’s power demand, 17.16% in Pakistan, and 39.7% in Sri Lanka, only 5.6% of Bangladesh’s total electricity demand is currently met by solar power.
According to the Renewable Energy Policy 2025, the country aims to meet 20% of its electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and 30% by 2040.
To achieve this goal, tenders for 55 ground-based solar power plants with a combined capacity of 5,238 MW have already been floated. However, officials noted that implementation may take until 2028.
In the meeting, the Chief Adviser stressed the need for a fast-track implementation of the National Rooftop Solar Program. As part of this, he instructed authorities to take necessary steps to install rooftop solar systems on all government buildings, schools, colleges, madrasas, and public hospitals.
“Consider whether the installation of solar panels on public buildings can be carried out through private initiatives. The companies involved would maintain and operate the systems efficiently as part of their own business interests. The government would only provide rooftop access,” he said.
“We also need to learn from the experience of institutions that have already adopted rooftop solar. What challenges did they face? We must address those issues moving forward,” he added.
As part of this initiative, government educational institutions will be exempt from electricity bills, and they will receive rent for the use of their rooftops in solar power generation.
The meeting was attended by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan; Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun; and senior officials from the Ministries of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Ministry of Secondary and Mass Education.