Solar power stations to be built for charging batteries

The government has decided to build solar power stations for charging batteries of three wheelers like easy bikes and auto-rickshaws.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources last month, the meeting sources said.

The meeting discussed that financing would be needed for setting up such small stations.

Seven to ten such model charging stations are going to be set up in the capital city, according to the meeting sources.

A technical committee headed by the power cell's Director General Mohammad Hossain would conduct a feasibility study in this connection as early as possible, sources concerned said.

A Power-Point presentation was made on battery-run easy bikes and auto-rickshaws in the meeting.

More than 0.4 million (four lakh) battery-run easy bikes run across the country. They consume maximum 400 MW of electricity for charging batteries as claimed in the presentation made.

"If it was possible to set up the battery charging stations in the private sector, the pressure on the national power grid could be reduced. An easy bike needs 6 to 11 units of electricity a day," a ministry source said.

On the other hand, most of the easy bikes charge their batteries by connecting those illegally to the power grid. As a result, the government is deprived of a large amount of revenue, he also said.

The meeting also discussed the feasibility of a commercial solar power station charging Tk 70-100 a day for a battery.

A battery-run easy-bike is not a legal vehicle for carrying passengers. Such solar power-run three wheelers are prohibited by the National Security Council (NSC). Easy bikes cannot be licensed as passenger vehicles, as they lack some features that make a vehicle fit for the roads, a representative of the ministry of communication told the meeting.

On the other hand, the brakes on easy bikes are the main problem and the drivers are not professional and well-trained. They have no knowledge about road safety, a representative of the ministry of home affairs told the meeting.

Initially a small station should be set up and then many investors would come forward to establish such stations because of the lower initial investments involved, a representative of the ministry of industries also informed the meeting.