The Government of Bangladesh has two sets of directives for renewable energy investment. The first is the 500 MW Solar Program, developed in 2012.
The objective of the program is to add 500 MW of solar generation capacity by 2016 through financing and implementing solar-powered projects in both the public and private sectors.
Government has also set renewable energy development targets for several technologies for each year from 2015 to 2021 (“RE Development Targets”).
The RE Development Targets call for an additional 3,100 MW of RE capacity to be installed by 2021. Most of the new capacity will be provided by solar (1,676 MW, or 54 percent) and wind (1,370 MW, or 44 percent). There are also targets for waste-to-energy (40 MW), biomass (7 MW), biogas (7 MW) and hydro (4 MW).
Business model for most of the solar PV technology options like solar home system, solar mini and microgrid, utility scale solar project and solar irrigations are already explored in Bangladesh and are in progress except grid tied solar rooftop.
solar lighting at rural shop
SREDA is now developing a business viable model to facilitate expansion of grid tied solar roof top programme in government and semi government buildings, universities and other education institutions, industry, commercial and residential buildings including public facilities like stadium, airport etc.
The philosophy or vision behind launching this grid tie solar rooftop programme includes:
Establishing a practice of distributed solar and renewable energy generation,
Bringing a level of comfort to all stakeholders for further scale-up, and
Encouraging public participation.
solar dryer
The objectives of this Programme are:
Install around 200 MW of distributed photovoltaic rooftop solar systems on public
and private buildings and homes,
Obtain necessary clearances from relevant stakeholders to implement grid connected solar rooftop
photovoltaic systems, and
Set a model for Grid tied Solar Rooftop and generate clean energy.
The stakeholders for this Programme include: (i) Government administrative departments,
(ii) government departments lending their roof/ terrace for installation, (iii) Industry/Educational Institutions/home owners, (iv) Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission(BERC) , (v) Local distribution utilities (vi) Financial institutions, (vii) Project Developers, and (viii) Research and development institutions. Someone has to play coordinating role to carry forward these activities.
In this case SREDA will work as nodal agency for this programme. They structure this program and coordinated the bid process for selection of Project Developers and work as Project Implementing Agency.
The Project Developer shall pay to the Terrace Owner a ‘green incentive’ instead of a flat rent. The floor price for the green incentive will be determined by SREDA in consultation with BERC for per kWh generated from the rooftop solar photovoltaic system.
solar lighting at rural saloon
This incentive is generation based in order to incentivise the Terrace Owner to participate in the Programme. The Project Developers and Terrace Owners are bound into contacts through individual Green Incentive Agreements.
In order to comfort the Project Developers, the Government will assured terrace space for hosting 80% of the net installations on government building, in education institution, industry and in public facilities.
It is up to the Project Developers to secure the terrace space for rest 20%, which shall be only on private residences.
The local distribution utility shall buy the solar power generated through the rooftop solar photovoltaic systems at the tariffs bid by the Successful Project Developers.
The Project Developers and utilities are bound into a contract through individual Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). The Project Developers and SREDA sign Project Implementation Agreements (PIA).
solar water hiter
Among different options of solar PV technologies solar roof top has added advantages over others and those are:
• Social
– Opportunity for consumer participation and investment
– Higher employment generation and entrepreneurship options
• Technical
– Low distribution losses
– Last-mile support to grid stability, w.r.t. voltage & reactive power support
– Creates case for smart grids
• Administrative
– Widely accepted, Saves space
– Lowest time to commission which include both technical and administrative time
– Lower investment in distribution infrastructure (for lower penetrations)
– Can improve distribution grid capacity
Rooftop solar, like any new sector, experiences teething challenges.
This was the case in Germany, which faced issues at every stage of the sector’s growth.
A key barrier in most developing markets is the absence of clear capacity targets for grid-connected rooftop solar PV development.
The capital costs per megawatt of rooftop solar PV systems are approximately 20 percent higher than that of large-scale PV systems.
solar use in irrigarion
This is due to higher installation costs, small-sized components, lower economies of scale, and a smaller base on which to spread fixed costs.
On the other hand the cost of leasing rooftops, including developmental charges, or the opportunity costs in case of self-owned rooftops in urban areas, is sometime higher than the annualized value of land costs.
Government policies and incentives are vital to facilitate implementation of rooftop solar PV in any jurisdiction. Favorable policies and regulatory environments are critical precursors to the development of vibrant solar rooftop markets, even with dramatically reduced technology costs.
The type of metering arrangement for energy accounting, whether it is single meter or dual meter needs to be defined in schemes clearly.
It is very important to spell describe the point of interconnection for kilowatt-scale projects at different voltage levels. This is critical to maintain grid safety.
Connecting various small generation projects without specified interconnection standards to the grid is a threat to the safety of the grid and the overall project.
In addition, the sharing of interconnection costs and any associated network capacity enhancements needs to be clarified with the local distribution utility.
The technical standards for the specification, installation, and maintenance of rooftop projects must be clearly defined to ensure installations are of high quality, safe, and reliable.
solar lighting at power division
This helps ensure efficiency and maximizes life of the assets. Technical standards for interconnection equipment are also essential to ensure reliability and safety of the low voltage grid.
“Government has also set renewable energy development targets for several technologies for each year from 2015 to 2021 (“RE Development Targets”). The RE Development Targets call for an additional 3,100 MW of RE capacity to be installed by 2021. Most of the new capacity will be provided by solar (1,676 MW, or 54 percent) and wind (1,370 MW, or 44 percent).”
This is of particular concern for Bangladesh where availability of the grid at the low-tension level, its monitoring on a real time basis, and functioning of the power evacuation facility, all have commercial implications.
Roof top owners most often are not willing to sign 20-25 years term agreement specially those who have future plan to develop building vertically.
Coordination between many stakeholders like statutory bodies, regulator, chief electrical inspector, distribution utilities, building owners/ government departments, developer, financer, project management are real problem.
Renewable energy offer Bangladesh an unprecedented opportunity to reduce their dependence on imported energy which is a growing concern due to depletion of natural gas reserve.
Solar rooftop PV system can minimize the land requirement and contribute significantly in rapid progress of renewable energy.
It is no longer a utopian scenario rather it reality now. It is within reach, using proven, tested technologies, which already exist today and which continue to improve every year. But technology alone will not be enough to carry forward this mission.
This transformation required the collective long term commitment of all stakeholders, including government, citizens, financiers, private companies and international agencies.
Siddique Zobair, Member, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA).