Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, has called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to increase investment in the country’s renewable energy sector, saying they could play a pivotal role in expanding solar power in rural areas.
Addressing the national workshop styled “Voice of Development”, organised by the National Development Programme (NDP) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on Monday, the minister said wider adoption of solar energy would reduce Bangladesh’s reliance on imported fuels, cutting import costs and allowing the government to redirect savings towards development projects.
“If we can generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources, our dependence on imported energy will decline significantly, and the money saved can be invested in national development,” he said, noting that the government has already introduced policies to support solar energy expansion.
The minister said NGOs could implement cluster-based projects to promote rooftop solar systems in rural communities. Under the net metering scheme, households would be able to sell surplus electricity to the grid, helping investors recover their costs.
He added that solar-powered irrigation could also become a profitable business model, drawing a comparison with deep tube-well owners who sell irrigation water to farmers.
Mr Mahmud said financing should not be a major obstacle, as the World Bank and other international development partners are keen to fund renewable energy projects. In contrast, he said, securing finance for fossil fuel projects has become increasingly difficult amid global efforts to tackle climate change.
Highlighting public interest in renewable energy, the minister cited the example of a woman in Faridpur who produces biogas from livestock waste and supplies cooking gas to neighbouring households, describing it as evidence of the sector’s strong commercial potential.