The prime minister himself no longer uses grid electricity at home and has gone off-grid, says power minister

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman no longer uses grid electricity at his own home. The prime minister himself has gone off-grid, he said. With fuel prices having risen sharply, there is no alternative to moving towards solar power, the minister also remarked.

The minister made the remarks at a press conference at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital on Sunday (November 1). The press conference was organised ahead of the “Bangladesh Solar Expo 2026”, to be held on November 3 and 4. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the two-day exhibition at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. After the inauguration, he will visit various stalls.

At the press conference, the power minister said: “For the last eight months we have been working for solar. We are encouraging the people of the country. That is why we are holding this expo. This is the first such government-organised event. The prime minister himself will be present.”

Explaining why solar power is being emphasised, the minister said the price of energy has climbed to 32 dollars. To escape this, the country must move to solar. The government is working with various plans to advance solar power, he added.

The power minister expressed hope that the benefits of solar power will be felt next summer. “I hope that next summer, with solar, we will be able to reduce load-shedding at least somewhat,” he said.

The Power Division and the state-owned financial institution Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) have jointly organised the expo. It was announced at the press conference that the expo will have more than 80 stalls of local and foreign companies. The organisers expect more than 5,000 commercial visitors and representatives of the industrial sector to attend.

Rooftop solar power generation for homes, rooftop solar, solar-powered irrigation, battery energy storage, innovative financing and technology transfer will receive special importance at the exhibition. In addition, four seminars will be held under the theme “Policy, People and Capital for Bangladesh’s Solar Revolution”. There will be a separate orientation session for solar power service providers.

The government has set a target of generating 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity from rooftop solar by next February. Compared with the country’s current capacity, however, that target is very large.

According to September data from the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), the country’s solar power generation capacity from solar parks, rooftops and solar home systems combined is now 1,852 megawatts. Of that, 1,474 megawatts is connected to the national grid. In other words, the amount of electricity the government wants from rooftops alone is nearly double the country’s total solar capacity. There are about four months to do it.

The government has set a target of meeting 20 percent of total electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030. Solar power capacity is to be raised to 10,000 megawatts by the same time.

The Power Division also highlighted several recent initiatives to meet the targets. A “National Renewable Energy Development Strategy Paper 2026-2030” has been prepared to attract private investment in renewable energy and coordinate the work of institutions. A “Special Solar Power Ordinance, 2026” is also being formulated to reduce administrative complications in project implementation and simplify the approval process.

Special incentives are also being offered under the net metering system to encourage rooftop solar installation. Surplus electricity supplied to the grid after own use will be paid at 10 taka 50 paisa per unit. The package took effect on September 1. Those who install rooftop solar by February 28 next year will receive this rate until February 28, 2030.

An opportunity has also been created to install solar power on the roofs of public and private institutions without investing one’s own money. The arrangement is called the “OPEX” model, under which a third-party organisation will install panels at its own cost. A model agreement and the necessary documents have also been prepared for this.

In addition, the import duty on solar power and battery equipment has been brought down to 1 percent. Value added tax (VAT) exemption has also been given. According to the National Board of Revenue, previously a total of 23 to 64 percent duty and tax had to be paid on imports of such equipment, depending on the product.