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The solar power generation under the net metering system reached nearly 4.25 megawatt (MW) in February last, officials said.
They said some 179 producers were generating the electricity in their building rooftops and supplying to the national electricity grid.
Under the net metering system, one can store the energy in the grid when the solar panels produce excess power than that of the requirement and later can take electricity from the grid when the solar system produces lower than required electricity.
Power Division joint secretary Mohammad Alauddin told the FE on Monday that the net metering system is an option for industry owners to generate electricity in their building rooftops and get power at low cost.
He said the industrialists pay much higher price due to commercial rate of the electricity.
"But if they produce solar power on their own, they are actually paying much lower," Mr Alauddin said.
Because, nowadays the production cost of solar electricity is lower than the commercial rate of power for industrialists, he noted.
Besides, Mr Alauddin said, if the industrialists use solar power in their factories, they get global reputation for using the green energy.
He was hopeful that these two factors will encourage more factory owners to produce solar electricity and go for the net metering system.
The government formulated guidelines for net energy metering in July 2018 and asked the power distribution companies to encourage factory owners to invest in solar power production in their building rooftops.
Until February last, some 50 such solar electricity producers have enlisted themselves under the net metering system in Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) area. They are producing 450.66 kilowatt of electricity.
Some 35 power producers in Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREAB) area are producing 3.064 MW of electricity and supplying it to the grid.
Besides, some nine customers of West Zone Power Distribution Company are producing 120 kilowatt of electricity, 57 customers of Dhaka Electric Supply Company producing 128.16 kilowatt, 27 customers of Bangladesh Power Development Board generating 127 kilowatt, and one customer of Northern Electricity Supply Company is producing 364 kilowatt of electricity.
President of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association Dipal C Barua told the FE that the net metering system has immense potential and if the industrialists feel encouraged, a significant volume of electricity can be generated from this arrangement.
"There are many big industrial buildings in the country. Their rooftops can be used for a big chunk of power generation," he said.