Government plans to install floating solar panels
The government is planning to install floating solar panels in different water bodies of the country as it plans to generate 10 percent of the total electricity demand from renewable energy sources.
The initiative is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) is taking this initiative.
The government agency under the ministry of power and energy is working with the scheme due to the scarcity of land in the country.
SREDA, in association with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has already selected five separate locations in this regard.
The sites are: Kaptai Lake, Mohamaya Lake, Joydia Baor, Bukbahara Baor and Khajura Baor.
“Around 20MW of (AC) and 5MW of AC floating solar power plants can be established using maximum coverage of one percent and five percent of Kaptai and Mohamaya lake respectively,” an ADB survey submitted to the SREDA in a recent inter ministerial meeting said.
Establishing MW scale floating solar power plants are also possible in other three water bodies, the report said.
It also presented the grid connectivity, environmental and social findings of the study on the sites.
So far in Bangladesh, a single floating solar power plant with a capacity of only 19-kilowatt of electricity has been established at Mongla of Bagerhat district.
SREDA will conduct a environmental and social fields surveys for setting up the floating power plant under ADB funding.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by SREDA chairman Md Helal Uddin.
The meeting also sought data from the ministry of fisheries and livestock for breeding ground of fishes and fish sanctuaries to materialize the plan.
It also asked for consultantion with BEZA regarding this plans to use the water of Mohalaya Lake.
The government has so far reached the electricity generation capacity to 22787MW against the maximum demand of 12893MW.
Of the electricity, a total of 357MW comes from renewable energy.
