Developing alternative sources of energy
of energy on a sustainable basis, from a | Wednesday, 6 April 2011
of energy on a sustainable basis, from a
Shihab Ahmed The power crisis in the country is such that any additional supply of energy from any source would be most welcome and relieving for the economy. In this context, the prospects of renewable energy in Bangladesh should merit priority attention. The country has the potential, according to some experts in this sector, to produce 10,000mw of electricity on a sustainable basis from the solar source alone. This amount is well above the current total effective demand for electricity in the country. In this connection, only the process of getting electricity from the solar source needs to be facilitated by government's fiscal and other policies that would completely exempt imported equipment from duties and reward entrepreneurs in this sector with measures like extended tax holiday facility. One would also like to add here that there is a scope for generating about 400mw of electricity on a daily basis throughout the country from rice husks produced as a by-product after separating the grain from the chaff, for utilization by small-scale plants. This amount would meet the total demand for power of rice mills and leave a surplus for any user. Then, there is also much potential to produce electricity from winds by operating windmills, from operating small turbines in rivers when their flows are strong and from waves of the ocean in the coastal areas. Even our neighbouring countries, specially India, have been harnessing such non-conventional power for some years. Such non-conventional energy supplies a significant amount of power also to the national grid there. The vast rural areas of India have become considerably self-sufficient in power from developing and utilizing such non-conventional sources of off-grid electricity. The same model of viable electrification beckons to Bangladesh for the taking. The slogan in this country of reaching power to all, on an enduring basis, can be only realistically met from developing such renewable off-grid sources of electricity in the rural areas where the majority of the population live. Bangladesh presently spends a great deal of resources on imported petroleum-based fuels. But such imports can be substantially decreased from domestically produced alternatives. For example, there is a scope for producing ethanol from the molasses produced in substantial quantities in Bangladesh. Ethanol can be also produced from other sources such as agricultural wastes and from municipal garbage. Ethanol is an ideal fuel. It burns cleanly, producing virtually none of the pollutants associated with conventional gasoline or diesel oil. And the technology for producing it is relatively simple and, thus, affordable for a country like Bangladesh. In the USA and Brazil, vehicles operate on mixtures that contain up to 20 per cent ethanol. There is also the potential of producing diesel for use in automotive vehicles in Bangladesh from jatrofa plants. The seeds of this plant are crushed to make a liquid similar to diesel called bio-diesel. Bio-diesel from jatrofa plants is significantly meeting requirements of fuels for transporters in neighbouring India. Jatrofa plants can grow easily without much care anywhere. A plan to introduce jatrofa cultivation was reported in newspapers sometime ago. But no further follow-up in the matter was heard since then. Therefore, activities should be speeded up to produce ethanol and bio-disel and use them extensively in the road transport sector.
Shihab Ahmed The power crisis in the country is such that any additional supply of energy from any source would be most welcome and relieving for the economy. In this context, the prospects of renewable energy in Bangladesh should merit priority attention. The country has the potential, according to some experts in this sector, to produce 10,000mw of electricity on a sustainable basis from the solar source alone. This amount is well above the current total effective demand for electricity in the country. In this connection, only the process of getting electricity from the solar source needs to be facilitated by government's fiscal and other policies that would completely exempt imported equipment from duties and reward entrepreneurs in this sector with measures like extended tax holiday facility. One would also like to add here that there is a scope for generating about 400mw of electricity on a daily basis throughout the country from rice husks produced as a by-product after separating the grain from the chaff, for utilization by small-scale plants. This amount would meet the total demand for power of rice mills and leave a surplus for any user. Then, there is also much potential to produce electricity from winds by operating windmills, from operating small turbines in rivers when their flows are strong and from waves of the ocean in the coastal areas. Even our neighbouring countries, specially India, have been harnessing such non-conventional power for some years. Such non-conventional energy supplies a significant amount of power also to the national grid there. The vast rural areas of India have become considerably self-sufficient in power from developing and utilizing such non-conventional sources of off-grid electricity. The same model of viable electrification beckons to Bangladesh for the taking. The slogan in this country of reaching power to all, on an enduring basis, can be only realistically met from developing such renewable off-grid sources of electricity in the rural areas where the majority of the population live. Bangladesh presently spends a great deal of resources on imported petroleum-based fuels. But such imports can be substantially decreased from domestically produced alternatives. For example, there is a scope for producing ethanol from the molasses produced in substantial quantities in Bangladesh. Ethanol can be also produced from other sources such as agricultural wastes and from municipal garbage. Ethanol is an ideal fuel. It burns cleanly, producing virtually none of the pollutants associated with conventional gasoline or diesel oil. And the technology for producing it is relatively simple and, thus, affordable for a country like Bangladesh. In the USA and Brazil, vehicles operate on mixtures that contain up to 20 per cent ethanol. There is also the potential of producing diesel for use in automotive vehicles in Bangladesh from jatrofa plants. The seeds of this plant are crushed to make a liquid similar to diesel called bio-diesel. Bio-diesel from jatrofa plants is significantly meeting requirements of fuels for transporters in neighbouring India. Jatrofa plants can grow easily without much care anywhere. A plan to introduce jatrofa cultivation was reported in newspapers sometime ago. But no further follow-up in the matter was heard since then. Therefore, activities should be speeded up to produce ethanol and bio-disel and use them extensively in the road transport sector.