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The government will purchase surplus electricity generated from rooftop solar power systems at Tk10.50 per unit, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said on Saturday.
He made the announcement while addressing a workshop titled “From Strategy to Implementation: National Renewable Energy Development Strategy and National Rooftop Solar Power Programme” at the BRAC Learning Centre in Jashore.
The workshop was organised under the Green Energy Transition-Policy Advisory Partnership project.
The state minister said the government was prioritising renewable energy, particularly solar power, to reduce dependence on imported fuels and strengthen energy security.
“Unused rooftops of government and private buildings, factories and other institutions can be utilised for power generation and supplying electricity to the national grid,” he said.
Under the rooftop solar system, consumers will first use the electricity they generate for their own needs, while surplus power can be supplied to the national grid, Amit said.
He added that the existing net-metering system also allows consumers to feed surplus renewable electricity into the grid after meeting their own requirements.
“Solar power must be given priority to meet the country’s growing future electricity demand and reduce dependence on imported energy,” he said.
Bangladesh has a large number of government and private buildings and institutions with unused rooftop space, which could be used for installing solar panels, he said.
Utilising the rooftops would help increase power generation while reducing pressure on conventional fuels and the national grid, he added.
Amit also said expanding rooftop solar power would allow households, institutions and entrepreneurs to turn unused rooftop space into an electricity-generating asset, creating economic opportunities alongside increasing power generation.
“Reducing dependence on fossil fuels and moving towards environmentally friendly renewable energy is now a necessity,” he said, stressing increased investment in solar power generation and rooftop solar expansion.
The workshop discussed implementation of the National Renewable Energy Development Strategy 2026-30, the country’s 2030 targets, solar power generation, financing, carbon credits, incentives, policy support and net metering.
The Power Division has already launched the National Rooftop Solar Power Programme and published the National Renewable Energy Development Strategy for 2026-30.
Joint Secretary of the Power Division Abu Hasnat Mohammad Arafat delivered the welcome address.
GIZ Bangladesh Energy Coordinator Stojanka Stich and Additional Secretary of the Power Division Noor Ahmed attended the programme as special guests.
Jashore Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Mohammad Ashek Hasan chaired the workshop, which was attended by Jashore District Council Administrator Delwar Hossain Khokon, Jashore Chamber of Commerce President Mizanur Rahman Khan, government officials, public representatives and business leaders from across Khulna division.