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Consistent with its commitment to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, the present government has initiated steps through which Bangladesh will be generating 24,000 MW of energy by that year. It is also being expected that energy generation will reach 40,000 MW by 2041.
Power generation capacity has risen to 18,353 MW. 54 new power plants, with a total generation capacity of 14,147 MW, are under construction. Among these, 36 power plants, with 7,104 MW power generation capacity, are independent power producer (IPP) entities and 18 power plants, with 7,313 MW capacity are under the public sector.
In addition to these initiatives, two separate agreements involving US $ 7.4 billion to generate 6,000 MW of electricity largely from liquefied natural gas (LNG) have been signed. One deal involves the local Summit Group, Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation and the US General Electric Company and the other Bangladesh Power Development Board and GE Switzerland. The projects will include two units of on-shore LNG terminal with a total capacity of 380,000 cubic metres and an oil terminal with a 100,000 tonne capacity - all to be located in Matarbari, Cox's Bazar.
These are definitely welcome developments. The Energy Ministry is, in the meanwhile, giving utmost importance to shaping the future of Bangladesh by increasing the share of renewable energy in the total power mix to 10 per cent by 2021. Energy-efficient appliance usage is also being promoted.
As someone who has been involved in promoting renewable energy since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, the present writer wants to stress the importance of renewable energy not only in the context of climate change but also in the availability of affordable energy within the paradigm of overall socio-economic growth.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy flows involve natural phenomena such as sunlight, wind, tides, plant growth and geothermal heat. Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. Included in the definition is electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources, and bio-fuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources.
Renewable energy resources and significant opportunities for energy efficiency exist over wide geographical areas, in contrast to other energy sources, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. It is also generally agreed that rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and technological diversification of energy sources, would result in significant energy security and economic benefits. It would also reduce environmental pollution such as air pollution caused by burning of fossil fuels and improve public health, reduce premature mortalities due to pollution and save associated health costs that amount to several hundred billion dollars annually all over the world. It is believed by scientists that renewable energy sources, that derive their energy from the sun, either directly or indirectly, such as hydro and wind, are expected to be capable of supplying humanity energy for almost another one billion years, at which point the predicted increase in heat from the Sun is expected to make the surface of the earth too hot for liquid water to exist.
Worldwide investments in renewable technologies amounted to more than US$286 billion in 2015, with countries like China and the United States heavily investing in wind, hydro, solar and bio-fuels. Globally, there are an estimated 7.7 million jobs associated with the renewable energy industries, with solar photovoltaics being the largest renewable employer. As of 2015 worldwide, more than half of all new electricity capacity installed was renewable.
The significance of generating and using renewable energy can be best understood by monitoring what is happening in Scandanavia. Two countries, Iceland and Norway, already generate all their electricity needs by using renewable energy. Many other countries have also set a goal to reach 100 per cent renewable energy usage in the future. The government of Denmark, for example, has decided to switch the total energy supply (electricity, mobility and heating/cooling) to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050.
By 2040, renewable energy is projected to equal coal and natural gas electricity generation. Several jurisdictions, including Denmark, Germany, the state of South Australia and some US States have already achieved high integration of variable renewables. For example, in 2015, wind power met 42 per cent of electricity demand in Denmark, 23.2 per cent in Portugal and 15.5 per cent in Uruguay. Interconnectors have also enabled countries to balance electricity systems by allowing the import and export of renewable energy. Innovative hybrid systems have emerged between countries and regions.
While many renewable energy projects are large-scale, renewable technologies are also particularly suited for rural and remote areas in developing countries like Bangladesh where energy is crucial for human development. This dynamics was recognised by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who observed that renewable energy has the ability to lift the poorest nations to new levels of prosperity. This is so because most of renewables provide electricity and renewable energy can be deployed and applied in conjunction with further efforts being undertaken towards electrification. This creates several benefits: electricity can be converted to heat and into mechanical energy with high efficiency and it is clean at the point of consumption. Electrification with renewable energy is much more efficient and therefore leads to a significant reduction in primary energy requirements. Most renewables don't have a steam cycle with high losses. But fossil power plants usually have losses of 40 to 65 per cent.
Any discussion on renewable energy requires reference to Bio-energy. Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. It most often refers to plants or plant-derived materials which are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of bio-fuel. Biomass can also be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and bio-diesel. Rotting garbage, and agricultural and human waste, all release methane gas. This is identified as landfill gas or biogas. Crops, such as corn and sugarcane, can be fermented to produce the transportation fuel, ethanol. Biodiesel, another transportation fuel, can be produced from left-over food products like vegetable oils and animal fats. Agricultural waste in Mauritius and in many countries in Southeast Asia is commonly used for this purpose. Animal husbandry residues, such as poultry litter, are commonly used to produce biodiesel in the United Kingdom.
It has been determined that as of 2016, solar power was providing about 1.0 per cent of total worldwide electricity production.This is now growing at 33 per cent per annum. This is so because many industrialised nations have installed significant solar power capacity into their grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources while an increasing number of less developed nations have turned to solar to reduce dependence on expensive imported fuels .
In Bangladesh, the relevant authorities appear to have started taking the process of generating renewable energy with seriousness. The Power Division has come to the conclusion that coordination between different sectors and authorities can gradually facilitate the production of at least 10,000 MW of electricity by using wind power in the coastal region. The relevant data in this context was collected after 24 to 43 months of wind tracking in nine places. The United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NRIL) has come to the conclusion that average wind speed in nine areas is between 5/6 meters/ second, which is an ideal condition for setting up wind power stations.
A significant development in Bangladesh is the introduction and usage of Solar Home Systems (SHS). The first one came through in 1996 in Sylhet. It has now become the biggest renewable energy programme and has resulted in the installing of 5.2 million units in different parts of the country. 17 million people are now using this facility. The financial institution IDCOL has greatly helped in this regard. This has changed the rural socio-economic profile.
According to the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, renewable energy currently makes up 2.5 per cent of our total electricity generation - 218 MW. The Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has decided to construct a 200MW solar power plant at Mollarhat. It will be fully in place by 2021.
Bangladesh's success in the field of renewable energy has persuaded the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to provide financing support of US $ 45.4 million for solar-driven irrigation in the rural sector. At least 2,000 SPV pumping systems will be installed in areas without electricity.
These are welcome developments. Efforts should be undertaken to manufacture solar panels locally rather than being dependent on import.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.