Solar power in schools: PM Hasina’s directive goes unheeded for seven years
Though surveys were conducted by the distribution companies and 92,513 schools were selected across the country to install the rooftop solar power system, there was no follow-up either from the ministry or from the distribution companies to implement the highest official directive
It has been more than seven years since the prime minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities to install rooftop solar power system in all schools across the country. The order is yet to see the light.
An official document, obtained by the news agency UNB, shows that the prime minister issued an order on 9 April, 2015 to the power authorities to bring country’s all schools under solar power system.
Following the order, the power division of the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources asked all the six power distribution companies to take initiative to implement the order.
As per the order, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO), West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), and Northern Electric Supply Company (NESCO) conducted their own surveys under a certain category and selected 92,513 schools across the country to install the rooftop solar power system.
According to the surveys, the total rooftop solar power plants’ length was calculated to be 20.031 million square meters which would generate 1,185 MW of electricity.
Officials said the main idea behind the PM’s order was to promote green energy and reduce carbon emission as part of Bangladesh’s Global Climate Change commitment.
Sources said though the surveys were conducted by the distribution companies, there was no follow-up either from the ministry, or from the distribution companies to implement the highest official directive.
About five years later, the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) and Power Cell, the technical wing of the Power Division, prepared a report fixing some criteria and also the process that would apply in implementation of a project in this regard.
Sources said the report was sent to the Power Division on 26 May last year. But the Power Division found the report a bit incomplete as it didn’t mention which ministry would bear a huge cost that would be required to executive the project.
Secondly, they said, it was also not clear as to whether the ministry concerned should implement such a project on Capex Model or on Opex Model.
In the Capex Model, the beneficiary ministry or an organisation would install the solar plant at its own cost and get the ownership. On the other hand, under the Opex Model, a third party would install the plant at its own cost as an independent power producer (IPP) and sell the electricity to the beneficiary organisation.
Official sources said that recently the SREDA and the Power Cell recast their joint report on the issue and re-sent the report to the Power Division.
They said the report was prepared considering the country’s achievement of completing 100 per cent electricity coverage.
A source at Power Division, wishing not to be named, informed that a high level meeting of the decision recently decided to send an executive summary on the subject to the prime minister for further instruction.