Renewable energy (RE) includes energy from the sun (directly), commonly known as solar, biomass, wind, tidal, geothermal, and hydraulic. The endowment of these resources will be the amount of each form of renewable energy source that can be harnessed in a country. For example, Bangladesh has no geothermal prospect and its hydroelectric prospective, especially that based on altitude, is low. The tide is a new form of energy source that has not yet been commercialized. It leaves solar, wind and biomass as the only existing options. When it comes to biomass, the biggest challenge is the high demand for agricultural and animal waste for cooking in rural areas. In addition, extracting too much biological matter unsustainably can lead to soil degradation. However, through biogasification, there is a significant perspective, but this would require careful planning and control of biological resources.
In the case of Bangladesh, the main barriers to biomass are; The price is high and collecting large quantities is complicated, therefore expensive. Wind energy has been a problematic resource to evaluate in the context of Bangladesh. A panel of experts believes the wind outlook in Bangladesh, especially onshore, is limited. , although one hears unsubstantiated claims of great foresight. From a monetary point of view, it is difficult to comment on this in the absence of in-depth investment-grade technical and environmental studies on offshore wind prospective.
Solar energy is the most reliable RE resource that can be harnessed on a large scale. This expectation is proving true with local and foreign investments in large-scale grid-connected solar parks and commercial rooftop projects. According to the president of SREDA, more More than 1000 MW of large-scale solar farms and 500 MW of commercial/commercial solar PV projects on rooftops under the measurement formula are looming on the horizon.
According to the Bangladesh Energy Development Board (BPDB), in January 2022, Bangladesh had 22,066 MW of grid-connected installed capacity, the breakdown of which through fuel is shown in Figure 1. Renewables account for only 2. 08% of total installed capacity. connected to the network; Half of that, or 1. 04%, is hydroelectricity, whose production has remained static since 1967. The full picture of renewable energy deployment can be seen in Figure 2, which shows on- and off-grid renewable energy applications. claimed that 543 MW of sun is off-grid sun, with grid-connected sun farms contributing just 196 MW. It should be noted that due to the expansion of rural electrification through grid expansion, much of the solar PV systems that Bangladesh stands out for are idle. Unsurprisingly, renewable energy in Bangladesh is governed by the sun, while other resources are very small in comparison.
It is transparent that Bangladesh is struggling to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix. The long-term renewable energy in Bangladesh also doesn’t look very bright unless the government takes steps to explore new, cutting-edge tactics to harness renewable energy. .
The biggest impediment to large-scale deployment of solar PV is severe land scarcity. The challenge has more to do with politics (a blanket ban on farmland for solar projects) than with land availability. In Bangladesh, the land is highly fragmented and it is very difficult to locate contiguous land to build even a 50 MW solar park without encroaching on agricultural land. Therefore, instead of a blanket ban, a policy can be formulated that allows a certain amount of agricultural land; Let’s say 25% of the land of a bachelor solarium, up to a maximum of two hundred hectares according to the project.
Using just one percent of Bangladesh’s total farmland domain can facilitate the structure of approximately 50,000 MW of solar power plants. GWh, which is consistent with the total intake in 2020. Si the stored fuel load is to production even on three-crop land, the monetary benefits will more than quintuple. The loss of agricultural production of 1% of the land can be compensated without problems through the prevention of deterioration due to the lack of a bloodless garage and other processing facilities.
Since land is very expensive in Bangladesh, dual land use can make many sun allocations viable. There are more than 2. 83 million hectares of lowland in Bangladesh (about 20% of the total area of the country). The use of those lowland lands combined with fishing is one of those cutting-edge solutions. A solar fishing allocation of 50 MW has been approved and implementation of the allocation is underway.
“Floatovoltaics” are solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems designed for reservoirs, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water. Floating solar farms can generate massive amounts of electrical energy without using valuable land. Bangladesh, being a coastal country, is ideal for ovoltaic deployment. More studies and pilot projects are needed to exploit this potential. Many lakes and reservoirs under WASA’s jurisdiction can be developed as public-private joint venture projects.
There are many other cutting-edge solar technologies that are being researched and evolved advertising. A very promising generation for Bangladesh is the “Agrivoltaic”, where crops can be grown under solar panels. A traditional popular solar panel is largely opaque to sunlight. Therefore, under photovoltaic panels, peak crops will not grow. The panels require only a small portion of the sun’s bandwidth; Therefore, technologies are being developed that can clean it for the production of electrical energy and pass the mandatory infrared and ultraviolet rays to plants, i. e. a translucent/transparent solar panel. If this generation achieves a full advertising app, the land restriction facing Bangladesh will be removed. .
Electricity transmission system
Even though Bangladesh is a small country in terms of area; The policy of the electric power grid is very low. Cheap land is invariably located away from the existing electrical infrastructure. The Government of Bangladesh wishes to take a major initiative to modernize the network. The usability of the national network of transmission lines will have to be made wise and expanded throughout the country. Being geographically small, no matter where the solar plant is located, the grid can generate electricity anywhere in the country with minimal losses. With a smart, built-in regionally connected shipping network, the intermittent nature of renewables can be made more reliable and robust.
Solar PV is already the cheapest source of electrical energy in many places, but it can only be obtained when the sun is shining. To make solar PV electrical available at other times and make it a de facto source to upgrade fossil fuels, electrical energy will need to be stored for later use. Currently, the most promising generation is the battery. BESS is one of many generation features that can afford and reliability the electric power formula and allow degrees of renewable energy integration. Due to technological inventions and production capacity, lithium-ion chemicals experienced a sharp drop of more than 70% between 2010 and 2016, and prices are expected to decline further.
Technological advances and reduction
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE presented the latest edition of its study on the levelized electric power load (LCOE) of renewable energy plants, as reported. Although the contained data is applicable to Germany, where wind and sun are very reasonable and coal is expensive due to a carbon tax, it nevertheless provides smart indications of how renewables, especially solar photovoltaics, gain economic value over traditional fuel-based electric power.
In Germany, the electrical energy load of a combined cycle fuel turbine (CCGT), the sorting generation in Bangladesh, is higher than that of the electrical energy of a large-scale photovoltaic battery. battery in Bangladesh would be around 15 Tk, almost one hundred percent more than in Germany, while the electric power of CCGT based on LNG would be around 10 Tk.
At present, therefore, utility-scale photovoltaic battery is much more expensive than one of the cheapest electric power features for Bangladesh, however, this one hundred percent load difference is expected to disappear until 2030, making the sun’s electrical energy comparable in load to any traditional electrical system. energy. Therefore, it is vital to review the country’s Electric System Master Plan (PSMP) and integrate the characteristics of the sun, particularly considering the truth of conversion of large-scale solar power plants with storage.
The country reports peaks in electricity demand in an average of 3 hours a day, that is, from 7:00 p. m. to 10:00 p. m. A BESS assignment can be designed in such a way that on day, when the sun is shining, it charges a battery and discharges the force stored at that moment. This is a financially viable solution, it can be verified in Figure 3; The electrical energy load for the photovoltaic battery is much lower than for the fuel turbine. Therefore, peak fuel turbine power plants (assuming they are fueled with LNG) and petroleum-based power plants (HFO and diesel) can be phased out shortly. favor of photovoltaic battery power plants.
Bangladesh announced ambitious plans for renewable energy adoption at COP26. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) speaks of a target of 4100 MW of renewable energy until 2030. However, such plans would be difficult to mobilize from a personal sector unless the network is truly extensive. Regulatory adjustments and reforms are implemented. There are many barriers for personal sector RE corporations that hinder the widespread use of renewable energy. Some of the key demanding situations are listed below:
1. Lack of strategic direction: The renewable energy sector in Bangladesh lacks transparent strategic direction in terms of setting targets in rapid technologies. Shifting government priorities have noted that some technologies (solar house systems, mini-grids) have ground to a halt. Different competing force resources and force systems are also diverting the government’s attention from renewables. Oil-powered quick-lease power plants from small independent power manufacturers still constitute a giant and expensive component of the power mix, and they want to be phased out to make room for renewables.
2. Failure of the first unsolicited large-scale solar projects: the main problems were the availability and acquisition of land, the safety of the right of way (ROW) and the demanding situations of interconnection to the grid.
3. Lack of adequate studies, bankable knowledge, regulatory checklist in the wind energy sector: The personal sector is exposed to many dangers in terms of obtaining reliable and authenticated knowledge. There is a shortage of knowledge in terms of land availability, wear and tear of substations. capacity, site-specific knowledge, etc.
4. Investor/lender interest around uncertainties: foreign investors/lenders are discouraged due to delays in allocations, inter-agency navigation, contract blockages (p. e. g. , a local component and its foreign component must be part of the assignment for at least 6 years), and lack of clarity in regulations.
5. Improvement of application distribution companies: distribution companies in their current state are insufficient for the massive adoption of renewable energies to serve the local electricity market.
The underlying factors are two, firstly, in terms of infrastructure preparation and planning and, secondly, in terms of the capacity and preparedness of many offices at the local level.
Ijaz Hossain is Professor (retired), Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET.
Ishtiaq A Chisti is P. E. , an energy consultant.
(This article was first published in The Daily Star’s special anniversary supplement on February 15, 2022. )