At the turn of the millennium, Bangladesh, in her quest to provide cleaner energy and power, decided to trigger a solar revolution.
The country is blessed with sunlight and apart from a few sporadic periods during heavy monsoon, solar power can be harnessed all year round.
The idea was to provide clean energy while reducing reliance on traditional fuels.
Also, during the early years of the millennium, a significant part of rural Bangladesh was outside the national grid with millions grappling with difficulties.
Spearheaded by Infrastructure Development Company Limited with direct World Bank financing of over $416 million and supported by local partners, six million Solar Home Systems (SHS) were installed, providing electricity to 20 million people.
This initiative became the largest off-grid renewable energy programme in the world.
In 2024, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $121.55 million financing package with Dynamic Sun Energy Private Limited to build and operate a 100-megawatt (MW) grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant in Pabna, Bangladesh.
This supplies up to 100 megawatt to the national grid every day.
While these systems brought light to countless homes, especially in remote Char areas, the clean energy reportedly saved about four billion litres of kerosene from 2003 to 2021, avoiding 9.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
In 2021, 2.25 per cent of people used the SHS, which then declined to 1.81 per cent in 2023 as more homes got connected to the national grid.
Although there was talk that rural people should be encouraged to go for a hybrid model, using both solar and the national grid, preference for the former saw a decline.
In addition, many of the solar systems, placed at the turn of the millennium, have become old and, therefore, need to be replaced.
At one point, when Bangladesh was presenting the 6 million solar story to the world with pride, there was widespread discussion about a nationwide solar awareness campaign under which, people living in towns and cities will be encouraged to set up solar panels on the roof to support a section of their energy needs.
One proposal was to bring a large number of street side shops, set up after sunset, to be brought fully under solar system, although in 2026, most after dark establishments on the roadsides operate with connections to the national grid.
A recent newspaper report states that despite a decade of policy campaign, a paltry 113.67 megawatt capacity panels were installed across the capital although nearly 70 per cent of rooftop solar systems were found to be inactive due to poor maintenance, monitoring gaps and other complexities.
Just to jog our memory a bit, in 2010, the government made it mandatory for customers to have solar-energy systems to get new electricity connections, in order to boost renewable-energy coverage.
A ward based solar panel placement drive took place about ten years ago although it did not cover the whole city.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) data show until March 2026, DPDC installed a total of 52 megawatts of solar capacity since 2014, of which around 9.0mw is currently under net metering.
Reportedly, only about 30 per cent of the systems are active, while nearly 70 per cent are lying idle.
It’s found that many multi-storied buildings have solar panels just to fulfil the mandatory requirement to get an electric line and once that is achieved, the panels are left in neglect.
Perhaps, the ward commissioners’ office can play a part here to carry out a campaign plus regular monitoring with the support of students from school and colleges within each ward.
Academic institutions getting involved in such solar usage drives may also get state recognition for facilitating the clean energy transition.
At COP 31 in Turkey, various sessions will be held on accelerating the energy transition and expanding solar and energy storage.
