The Chief Advisor has instructed the concerned to take initiatives to generate solar power by installing solar panels on the roofs of all government buildings in the country.
The Chief Advisor gave this instruction at a meeting titled ‘National Rooftop Solar Program’ at the State Guest House Jamuna today, Thursday (June 26, 2025).
Officials present at the meeting said that according to the 2024 report of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Bangladesh is far behind its neighboring countries in expanding solar power and meeting the set targets. While India produces 24 percent of the total electricity demand, Pakistan 17.16 percent, and Sri Lanka 39.7 percent, only 5.6 percent of the total electricity demand is generated from solar power in Bangladesh.
According to the Renewable Energy Policy 2025, the target for generation from renewable energy has been set at 20 percent of the total electricity demand by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040. To achieve this target, the tender process for 55 land-based solar power plants with a capacity of 5238 MW has already started. However, the concerned said that it will take time till 2028 to implement it.
In the meeting, the Chief Advisor directed to adopt a quickly implementable ‘National Rooftop Solar Program’. As part of this, he directed to take necessary measures to install rooftop solar systems on the roofs of all government buildings, schools-colleges-madrasas and all government hospitals.
The Chief Advisor said, ‘Consider whether the installation of solar panels in government buildings can be done by private initiatives. Those who install them will maintain it for their own business interests, operate it effectively. Only the roof will be provided by the government; they will do the rest of the work.’
‘We need to know about the experience of all the institutions that have done rooftop solar so far. We need to know what kind of problems they have faced. We need to move towards solving those problems,’ he said.
In this process, government schools, colleges, and madrasas will not have to pay any electricity bills for electricity consumption, and the institutions will receive rent for the roofs used for solar power generation.
Among others, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Advisor Fawzul Kabir Khan, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun, and senior officials of the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Secondary and Mass Education Ministries were present at the meeting.
