5-MW rooftop solar power by Sept

Bangladesh is set to supply nearly 5 megawatts (MW) of electricity generated from rooftop solar panels to the national grid by September, marking another step in the government's efforts to diversify the country's energy mix and expand renewable power generation.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Chairman Engineer Rezaul Karim said the process of installing additional rooftop solar panels was progressing steadily as part of the government's strategy to increase electricity generation from renewable sources.

"We are moving forward with the installation of more solar power panels across the country to generate electricity from renewable sources as part of the energy mix," he told BSS on Wednesday.

According to the BPDB, grid-connected rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of 5MW are being installed at 19 locations nationwide using the board's own Power Sector Development Fund.

The projects include 1.3MW at Ghorashal, 0.26MW in Khulna, 0.12MW at the Rajshahi Training Centre, 0.13MW at the Chattogram Training Centre, 0.40MW at Bibiyana, 0.25MW at Barapukuria, along with several other sites.

In addition to the rooftop initiative, the BPDB is moving ahead with three utility-scale solar projects with a combined generation capacity of 77.5MW.