Exhibitors in Dhaka upbeat about solar future

Exhibitors at the Solar Bangladesh Expo in Dhaka have spoken of optimism about the future of PV in the power-hungry nation with the advent of net metering cited as a boost for the domestic solar sector.

“The prospect is huge. We are getting more projects nowadays,” said Nahid Hasan, technical general manager at renewables company Exelon Bangladesh Ltd.

Exelon has completed a 10.3 MW solar plant in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh and a 250 kWh installation at St Martin Island, among other projects. The company is also in talks with Dhaka-based clothing manufacturer Envoy Group and with Kaliakair-headquartered conglomerate Walton Group to install 5 MW and 3 MW rooftop plants, respectively, at the firms’ industrial units.

Kazi Atiqur Rahman, a sales manager for the Bangladesh subsidiary of Chinese electrical equipment company Chint Electric, said Chint Bangladesh Ltd has completed a 15 kWh rooftop PV system in the capital and talks are under way about 830 kWh more rooftop solar in Trishal, in the Mymensingh district.

Rooftop potential

Work on the larger project may start next month and Rahman told pv magazine: “Rooftop shows immense potential amid land scarcity.”

Sustainable and Renewable Energy Ltd (SREL) is exhibiting building-integrated PV (BIPV) at the expo, a new type of technology for Bangladesh. SREL’s product generates power on building walls, said CEO Ahsan Ullah Chowdhury. The product’s cadmium telluride solar cells do not need direct sunlight to generate energy, said the chief executive.

SREL chairman Tim Nurun Nabi added: “If we can use all building walls in the capital and elsewhere with BIPV solutions, the solar power production will be huge.” The chairman of the Dhaka-based supplier added the business was receiving encouraging interest from potential clients.

Solar manufacturer Denryo is exhibiting its Solar Amp charge controllers at the expo, which opened today and will run until Saturday. Denryo official Kensuke Tachikawa told pv magazine its devices are the smartest energy saving eco controller and the lightest. The Japanese manufacturer is among 267 businesses which are taking part in the three-day show.