Business Desk

Stressing on the importance of clean energy, speakers at a programme called for taking necessary steps for ensuring clean energy for the sake of solving the energy crisis in the country.

At the moment, the demand for energy is increasing gradually in the world. There is no alternative to renewable source for meeting the future energy needs. If we go for solar and windmill systems, the cost of meeting our power requirement will be reduced by 80%, they said.

They made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled ‘Importance of formulating a national renewable energy roadmap for expanding just and clean energy transformation process’.

Coastal Development Partner (CDP) and other likeminded 10 NGOs jointly organized the event at Development Wheel (DEW) office at Babar Road in city’s Mohammadpur area on Monday .

They said, through the emission of green house gas, clean energy can play a significant role in facing the negative effects of climate change, reducing air and water pollution, and also it is helpful to economic progress.

Now, time has come to utilize alternative sources of energy for ensuring long term energy safety and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the country has scarcity of skilled manpower as well as required technological infrastructure for production of renewable energy. In Bangladesh’s Power System Master Plan, 2016 the matter of local renewable energy assets did not get its due importance.

At present, Bangladesh has only several solar producing institutions, whose production capacity is very low (100-megawatt module per year). On the other hand, private investors are not interested in renewable energy project due to inadequate government incentive in it. Banks are only eager to invest in large government-subsidized solar project, they said.

“We have about 6250 square km land (except agri land and forest) where it is possible to produce 156 gigawatt solar power through establishing big size solar farms, which can meet the energy requirement of every people in the country”.

Putting emphasis on clean energy instead of fossil energy for building a sustainable future for people and animals, they called for investment in renewable energy, which is environment friendly.

Referring to our commitment to achieving SDGs and for protecting the environment, they said it is essential for countries like Bangladesh to formulate a suitable national renewable energy roadmap with the participation of relevant stakeholders, which can help achieve the goals of Paris Climate Agreement and SDGs.

Ensuring the renewable energy can result in development in energy industry and employment generation for people, they observed.

We need to raise mass awareness about the renewable energy issue, they said, urging the policymakers to consider the issue for the sake of public interest.

Chaired by Shah Abdus Salam, executive director of Development Wheel (DEW), Adourd Aleo Madhu, senior programme manager of CDP, moderated the discussion.

Najmun Taiyeba Propa, Area coordinator of CDP, presented the keynote paper. Energy experts from different organizations addressed the discussion. The event was held as part of Promoting Gender-sensitive Climate Resilience & Effective Climate Governance through Locally-Led Climate Resilient Development Model (PROCEED) project of CDP.