Tawfiq discounts potential of renewable energy

Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury yesterday discounted the potential of renewable energy saying that the green energy technology based on solar power suffers from various limitations.

''It is a fact that renewable energy has some limitations,'' said Tawfiq adding that it cannot supply power 24 hours a week if there is lack of sunshine.

So, power supply will not be available continuously and prices of solar system are also very high, he told a seminar at Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in the city.

Tawfiq Chowdhury, however, said Bangladesh should focus on finding a balance in power generation through both traditional and renewable sources.

Bangladesh targets to meet 5 percent its power demand through green technologies by 2015 and 10 percent by 2020.

Now over 10 lakh solar home systems (SHSs) are lighting up homes in off-grid rural areas thanks to massive expansion since the year 2006 when total SHSs was 1 lakh.

In a presentation, MA Gofran, chairman of Bangladesh Biogas Development Foundation (BBDF), commended the benefit of renewable energy technologies--solar, wind and bio-gas--as a mean to ensure energy in future in the face of concerns over steady fall of fossil fuel based energy sources--gas and coal.

''Searching renewable is the only option. It is environment friendly and reserves are unlimited,'' he said, referring to the efforts by many countries, including Germany, Australia and China, of generating energy through renewable sources.

''Technologies are proven and locally available,'' he said, urging the government to frame a law on renewable energy and extend financial incentive to promote the technology.

Muhammad Zamir, chairman of Bangladesh Renewable Energy Society, also spoke at the event, organised by IDEB.

According to the Wikipedia, renewable energy is energy, which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable.

Source : The Daily Star

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