Bangladesh can generate 20,555 megawatts of electricity by 2050 using a very small portion of available khas land in the Dhaka division alone, according to a joint study released recently by the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network and the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.
The study was conducted between 2020 and 2022 with information collected from official sources, including the deputy commissioner’s office in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, and other relevant offices.
Of the solar power potential, ground-mounted solar photovoltaics accounted for 1,367MW while rooftop solar for 10,779MW, floating for 5,985MW, and agrovoltaics for 2,424MW, according to the study.
‘The objective of the study is to show what can be achieved if good will exists to use actual solar potential,’ said Hasan Mehedi, chief executive officer of Clean.
Over 1,374MW can be generated if only 5.3 per cent or 3,388.7 acres, of the khas land available in the 13 districts of Dhaka is allocated for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic.
Dhaka division has more than 274,172 acres of khas land, the study said, adding that 80,241 acres of the khas land were unallocated.
