Bangladesh opens off-grid energy scheme to suitable bidders

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The Bangladeshi government is bidding for more partners to be a part of its off-grid “Taka” programme, which aims to bring renewable household electricity, street lighting and cooking stoves to every off-grid community in the united states.

The state-run Infrastructure Development Company (IDCOL) has overseen installing 1.2 million clean energy systems during the last four years, together with 58 local partner organisations.

The government aims for renewables to power 10% of the country’s energy needs, including community solar projects, biogas, solar street lights and solar-powered cookers beneath the Taka scheme. IDCOL wants more NGOs, micro-finance companies and private organisations to participate.

Criteria for off-grid developers
Those considering participating will need to have a “successful background and experience in installation of solar technology systems”, according to IDCOL.

Eligible partners should be profitable, have at least 3 years’ experience of deploying solar projects like the deployment of 2,000 solar home systems, 500 solar street lights, 50 net-metered solar rooftop arrays with minimum capacities of 10kW, or any combo of these.

Organisations must be registered with the relevant authorities, and private entities organised under Bangladeshi law and incorporated with the country’s registrar of Joint Stock Companies are also eligible.

Participating organisations may also be expected to provide a three-year warrantee and service the gear for three years cost-free.

With the federal government hoping to allocate a Taka partner company to every off-grid community in the united states, demand for solar infrastructure from local suppliers is expected, along with an elevated demand for engineering, procurement and construction providers.

Dipal C Barua from Bright Green Energy Foundation is one of the Taka partners noted that solar home systems beneath the scheme have an average capacity of 20-30W, which customers purchase within a monthly plan, but Barua, who's also president of the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association, confirmed to news site PV International that the Taka scheme involved supplying systems cost-free.

“The benefit of this program is [to] marginal people who don't have capacity to get solar home. [They] are receiving usage of the electricity beneath the initiative,” he said.
Source: https://www.esi-africa.com

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