Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has honoured five winning teams and innovators at the ‘Sfuron: Sustainable Energy Idea Contest 2026’, recognising their proposed solutions to expand renewable energy and improve energy efficiency.
The awards were presented during the inauguration of the Bangladesh Solar Expo 2026, where the prime minister attended as chief guest.
The contest was jointly organised by the Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), the European Union and German Development Cooperation, through GIZ.
The initiative aims to promote the National Renewable Energy Development Strategy Paper (RESP) 2026–2030, which sets a target of generating 10,450 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy by 2030 and saving 15% of energy consumption across households, industry and commercial establishments.
Five innovative projects were selected through a multi-stage evaluation process, which included live presentations before a jury comprising representatives from government, academia, development partners and the private sector.
In the student renewable energy category, Sanjida Afrin and Tasfia Tahiat of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) won first prize for ‘Roddur AI’, an automated, satellite-based platform for assessing the feasibility of solar power installations.
Sheikh Sajidul Islam and Lamia Tabassum Naboni of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) secured second place with ‘Surjo Ghat’, a solar-powered retrofit system for diesel-operated fishing boats, alongside charging facilities at river and fishing terminals.
In the student energy efficiency category, Zaara Tasnuva Alam and Humayra Tabassum Turasa of the University of Dhaka won first prize for their ‘TPECO Framework’, a smart campus energy conservation and automation system.
BUET students Labiba Anika and Khandaker Ruhama Amin secured second place for ‘ChhadGrid’, a model combining rooftop solar installations and appliance clustering around public anchor buildings in urban areas.
In the professionals category, Md Tipu Sultan of Multifabs Limited won the award for an integrated industrial retrofit system combining boiler heat recovery with carbon dioxide (CO₂) wastewater neutralisation.
Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman praised the students and professionals for their innovative contributions, saying a single innovative idea could become a ‘game changer’ for Bangladesh.
The competition sought to encourage practical solutions to the country’s energy challenges by bringing together young innovators, industry professionals, government institutions and development partners.
The winning proposals cover a range of applications, including solar energy assessment, clean-powered fishing vessels, smart building management, urban rooftop solar and industrial heat recovery.