Bangladesh doesn't have natural advantage for producing large-scale clean and renewable energy, an industry leader said.
Scarcity of land for solar power, absence of quality and steady wind for windmills and deficiency of waterfall for hydropower are some of the key barriers to the development of clean and renewable energy in the country, said Imran Karim, Vice Chairman of Confidence Group.
Government policy initiatives including khas land are needed for setting up of large-scale solar power plants, he said in an interview with the FE.
Despite having disadvantages for clean energy, Mr Karim, said the industry people will try to find solutions during "Bangladesh Clean Energy Summit 2019" which is going to be held from March 10-11.
Confidence Group, one of the leading companies in the power sector, having four power plants, is platinum sponsor of the summit.
Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL), a state-owned non-bank financial institution, is organising the summit at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre to create awareness among consumers about the benefits of energy-efficient products.
Some 100 stalls of local and international manufacturers from different countries will showcase their products at a fair on the sidelines of the summit.
Imran Karim said Confidence Group doesn't have direct investment in renewable energy.
"Power generation in Bangladesh now solely depends on fossil fuel, but the future of electricity is renewable energy," he said, adding that Confidence Group always extends its support to clean energy initiative.
He said renewable energy in the country didn't get big investments. "Business conglomerates didn't come here as the sector is not lucrative yet."
So far new investments have been made in solar power. The biggest problem of solar power is scarcity of land in Bangladesh, he added.
"It is very difficult for a densely-populated country like Bangladesh to bring together vast lands for solar power projects. It is not also financially lucrative to buy land and build solar power and sell that power."
Mr Karim said some 10 to 15 new solar power projects have been launched to date, but only one or two projects saw success.
"If the government allocates khas land for solar power entrepreneurs, it might be lucrative for big businesses. Small-sized solar power plants don't attract big investments."
"Now most of the solar power initiatives are small-sized - 20 or 30 megawatt," he said and suggested that the government should start land reclamation project in the southern region and allocate land for solar power projects.
The vice president of Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association also observed that wind in Bangladesh has gusty effect which is not suitable for wind power.
"We also don't have much waterfall for building hydropower projects."
Bangladesh imports electricity from Nepal as it has huge opportunity for hydropower, he said.
Admitting that the country has achieved a lot in power generation, he said the government must take initiatives to bring down electricity prices and ensure quality electricity for all.
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