Six foreign cos eye 0.5m solar units sales by 2017

Ismail Hossain | Published: December 04, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Six foreign solar power product manufacturers are looking to sell 5,00,000 units of low-cost Pico PV systems in the country's off-grid areas by 2017.
The companies -- Greenlight Planet, D light, Omnivoltaic Power Co, Orb Energy, Fosera and TOTAL -- are launching a product campaign under a project called Lighting Asia Bangladesh. It is a joint initiative of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and German International Cooperation (GIZ).
"The companies have set a target to sell 5,00,000 units of solar products, aiming to light some 8,000 off-grid villages by 2017," said Mohammad Taif Ul Islam, programme manager of Lighting Asia Bangladesh.
Pico PV or Solar Pico Systems (SPS) can enable people in non-electrified areas to get access to modern energy services in cases where the cost is not affordable or the energy demand is too low to be powered by Solar Home Systems (SHS).
SPS are 'plug and play' systems, typically below 10Wp and mostly with a voltage not above 12V.
"The cost of SPS is very reasonable, ranging from Tk 700 to Tk 21,000 each, with two years replacement guarantee," Mr Islam told The Financial Express.
The companies are going to launch a year-round campaign across the country to make people aware of cleaner, safer and better lighting options to off-grid communities.
With the assistance of IFC and GIZ they are targeting approximately 70 million people, who do not have access to grid electricity, and another 60 million, who have unreliable grid connections.
"We paid a minimum amount to IFC for launching the campaign on behalf of us," said Jashim Uddin, programme manager of TOTAL Bangladesh's Solar Project.
Mohammad Taif Ul Islam said the off-grid and underserved communities are meeting their lighting needs by burning fossil fuels, like -- kerosene and diesel, which are inefficient, uneconomical, unhealthy, environmentally-damaging, and hazardous.
However, none of the around 20 solar power products, going to be launched in the country, is being manufactured in Bangladesh. These SPS are being manufactured by Lighting Global-certified 20-25 companies in China, Africa, India and the US.
Raden Siddiqui, managing director of JadRoo Power Ltd, a Bangladeshi company marketing products of Hong Kong-based Omnivoltaic Power Co Ltd, said they are marketing the products under JadRoo-Omnivoltaic.
"We have plans to manufacture SPS in the country in future, depending on the success of the campaign," he said.
Mohammad Taif Ul Islam said the programme delivers value by facilitating different market building activities for its associate companies.
He said manufacturers or distributors of Pico-PV lighting appliances can become associates, once quality of their products are tested in the programme's designated labs.
Besides, different private companies, NGOs and MFIs can also become associates as distribution channel partners.
"Specific results of the programme will be undertaken to provide access to better lighting for 2.5 million people by 2017, which will also help avoid emission of 73,600 tonnes of GHG," Mr. Islam added.
Â Â Â bdsmile@gmail.com