Share this on social media
In Bangladesh, solar power brings work, but land shortage slows growth
(Reuters, 24 Aug 2022) Solar home systems have brought electric power to millions, but a lack of land and finance are hampering the development of large-scale plants.
Topu Roy's family did not have electricity until around 2005 when his parents set up a solar power system at their home in Dinajpur, in northern Bangladesh, to run lights and fans.
In the past two decades, some 6 million solar home systems have been installed across the country, bringing electricity to remote off-grid communities.
"It is a remarkable success story," said Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, director of the Centre for Energy Research at Bangladesh's United International University.
For the fast-developing South Asian nation, solar power has brought benefits for citizens while creating jobs. But the sector's growth has been constrained by bottlenecks such as a lack of land on which to build large-scale plants.
Grid power finally reached Roy's village in 2020 under a government programme to electrify the whole country by 2021, enabling residents to use a range of electric appliances for the first time.
"But with the recent power crisis in Bangladesh, we are back to square one, resorting to the solar home system as grid power is mostly off," said the 25-year-old student.
External link
Reuters, 24 Aug 2022: In Bangladesh, solar power brings work, but land shortage slows growth
More Related News
Solar power
6 May 2024: Italy split on possible solar plant curbs that may jeopardise green goals
23 Apr 2024: Biden marks Earth Day with $7bn ‘solar for all’ investment amid week of climate action
18 Apr 2024: Clean energy’s dirty secret: the trail of waste left by India’s solar power boom
9 Apr 2024: Germany surpasses 400,000 plug-in solar PV “balcony power plants”
5 Apr 2024: Rooftop PV takes off in EU – NGO report
5 Apr 2024: Rooftop PV takes off in EU – NGO report
18 Mar 2024: World’s largest solar manufacturer to cut one-third of workforce
15 Mar 2024: Sales of solar batteries for German homes seen rising 26% in 2024
8 Mar 2024: Italy's green transition efforts held back by lack of big solar projects
5 Mar 2024: Will floating solar prove pivotal in archipelagic Philippines?
4 Mar 2024: ‘We can’t close our borders’: Harsh solar industry protectionism off the table
23 Feb 2024: Germany’s last major solar module producer to close in March
20 Feb 2024: Solar PV industry caught up in China forced-labour controversy
16 Feb 2024: Australia's push to put more solar panels on rental homes
6 Feb 2024: EU Commission cautions against trade measures to support solar industry
2 Feb 2024: Australia should develop solar PV sector to avoid dependence on China, report finds
26 Jan 2024: Germany heading for record employment in renewables industry
23 Jan 2024: Germany’s last solar panel producer prepares to close shop
12 Jan 2024: Reflectors in space could make solar farms on Earth work for longer every day
11 Jan 2024: Installation of rooftop solar panels in UK hits 12-year high in 2023
22 Dec 2023: Britain’s roofs can be a huge resource for solar energy
30 Oct 2023: China objects to UN fund warnings on solar’s forced labour risks
27 Oct 2023: Macron's Smart Solar Move
23 Oct 2023: Surging renewable energy sees record supply to Australia’s electricity grid
12 Oct 2023: A reality check about solar panel waste and the effects on human health
6 Oct 2023: Global carbon emissions from electric power may peak this year, report says
2 Oct 2023: Europe’s solar industry warns against tariffs on imports
21 Sep 2023: Solar-powered looms boost income and safety for India’s silk weavers
28 Aug 2023: IKEA and GOGLA announce strategic partnership to help the off-grid solar sector
7 Jul 2023: Funding of European solar startups up almost 400%
7 Jul 2023: Ireland announces enhanced support for solar power projects
7 Jul 2023: ‘Revolutionary’ solar power cell innovations break key energy threshold
30 Jun 2023: China on course to hit wind and solar power target five years ahead of time
27 Jun 2023: Solar is booming in the California desert, if water issues don’t get in the way
26 Jun 2023: Subsidy matching: Berlin tries a new way to claw back the solar industry
15 Jun 2023: Germany needs 100,000 extra workers to meet its solar power targets – association
13 Jun 2023: Germany's photovoltaic system demand set for double-digit growth this year, lobby says
13 Jun 2023: UK innovators get £4.3m to develop space-based solar power
5 Jun 2023: The solar kiosks powering Lesotho’s rural communities
26 May 2023: Global solar investments outpace oil and gas for first time
9 May 2023: ‘Lack of vision’: UK green energy projects in limbo as grid struggles to keep pace
9 May 2023: South African companies innovate to tackle solar power inequality
5 May 2023: UK businesses face delays of up to 15 years for solar installations
27 Apr 2023: Number of UK homes installing rooftop solar panels highest in over seven years
25 Apr 2023: US solar boom on hold as industry awaits subsidy rules
21 Apr 2023: Western Balkans see boom in solar energy but grids unprepared
14 Apr 2023: Czechia unplugs hundreds of solar plants due to sunny weather
4 Apr 2023: Vietnam, once regional renewables beacon, loses shine to neighbours
17 Mar 2023: Shining example? Solar power boosts struggling Tunisian school
3 Mar 2023: No land, no problem: Netherlands innovates to lead EU solar drive
3 Mar 2023: Solar power battery installations increase exponentially in Germany
27 Feb 2023: Skilled workers from India encouraged to fill gap in Germany’s solar industry
13 Feb 2023: Renewable energy is Africa’s development answer
3 Feb 2023: Solar power to the people
3 Feb 2023: Malaysia lags on renewable energy, threatening climate goals
31 Jan 2023: Renewables overtook gas in power generation for first time in 2022: study
31 Jan 2023: The Netherlands ‘unquestionable solar energy leader’ of 2022: study
13 Jan 2023: Zimbabwe looks to public to provide solar power amid energy crisis
1 Dec 2022: Indian farmers turn to solar-powered fridges to fight food waste
1 Dec 2022: Car companies are now bundling EVs with home solar panels. Are customers going to buy?
10 Nov 2022: France to require all large car parks to be covered by solar panels
27 Oct 2022: Jobs or just lights? Nigeria toils to power up its solar promise
24 Oct 2022: Indian tech could boost home solar panel use - here's how
24 Oct 2022: Landowners call for scrapping of plans to ban solar energy from England’s farmland
17 Oct 2022: Solar industry ‘shocked’ by Hungarian government’s suspension of feed-in
14 Oct 2022: Inside America’s groundbreaking solar-powered health facility
14 Oct 2022: UK: Labour vows to treble solar power use during first term if elected
10 Oct 2022: UK: Ministers hope to ban solar projects from most English farms
22 Sep 2022: Germany clinches solar power record already by mid-September
29 Jul 2022: India's solar skills training falls flat, as jobs in short supply
28 Jul 2022: Red tape and reluctant locals cloud Germany’s solar power rush
25 Jul 2022: Barcelona school and residents create solar energy community
25 Jul 2022: Greek quest to save on energy bills spurs island-owned renewables
18 Jul 2022: Solar is ‘freedom energy’ – unless we depend on autocracies for the technology
18 Jul 2022: Slovenia plans significant increase in solar capacity
12 Jul 2022: Floating solar park completed after sinking disaster
8 Jul 2022: Australia could see a solar cell ‘renaissance’ if global supply chain is diversified
4 Jul 2022: ‘It’s hot’: UK interest in solar power heats up as energy bills soar
27 Jun 2022: ‘It keeps on going’: driving the world’s first production-ready solar car
21 Jun 2022: Austria doubles speed of solar panel rollout
31 May 2022: Cameroon slashes taxes to tap its solar power potential
24 May 2022: Namibia comes to Europe to sell its sunshine
12 May 2022: Floating solar: A small but vital role for India’s sunrise sector
6 May 2022: Navigating the US solar industry’s spring of discontent
29 Apr 2022: Mini solar grids empower women-led enterprises in Jharkhand’s Gumla district
26 Apr 2022: Victoria’s solar rebate expansion will help wean the state off gas, say experts
14 Mar 2022: Urban Indians beat space crunch by investing in digital solar power
28 Feb 2022: Solar panels: a ray of hope as UK energy prices go through the roof
18 Feb 2022: India solar park sparks desire for school, as girls dream of green jobs
20 Jan 2022: Growth in rooftop solar slows due to lockdowns and supply chain issues
17 Jan 2022: Unusually calm and cloudy weather led to resurgence in fossil fuel use in 2021
21 Dec 2021: Revealed: the Florida power company pushing legislation to slow rooftop solar
17 Dec 2021: Unpacking California’s controversial new rooftop solar proposal
13 Dec 2021: Solar parks could be used to boost bumblebee numbers, study suggests
12 Nov 2021: The promises and pitfalls of India’s plan for a global grid
12 Nov 2021: With coal off the menu, can China export its renewables model?
25 Oct 2021: Can solar power solve Lebanon's energy crisis?
20 Sep 2021: BP’s joint solar venture Lightsource BP to more than double expansion by 2025
16 Sep 2021: Rooftop solar to roll out on China’s public buildings
9 Sep 2021: Solar energy can account for 40% of U.S. electricity by 2035 - DOE
2 Sep 2021: Critics say French state aid scheme will crush citizen energy projects
2 Sep 2021: Spain’s energy cooperatives lead charge to exploit solar power
29 Jul 2021: California urges power conservation in heat wave, prices soar
10 Jun 2021: Solar power boom clouded by rising costs, global supply chain squeeze
