Photo: Collected
The government has set a target of generating 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts from solar power to keep the suffering from the electricity crisis at a tolerable level next summer. In the eyes of the Power Division, the easy way to meet this target is installing solar panels on building rooftops, known as rooftop solar.
A view-exchange meeting on installing solar power systems at the country’s 31 public universities was held on Monday at the University Grants Commission (UGC) building in the capital’s Agargaon. State Minister for Power and Energy Anindya Islam Amit disclosed the plan there.
The state minister said the government is working so that people do not have to endure next time the hardship they had to bear this summer. Even if the suffering cannot be avoided entirely, it should remain tolerable. They want to generate 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity from solar panels by next summer, and he sees rooftop solar as the easy solution for this.
At the same meeting, Power Secretary Mirana Mahrukh said the government wants to make next summer bearable for people. That is why solar power is being given priority.
Background
According to US-based research organisation IEEFA, rooftop solar capacity in the country could reach about 1,000 megawatts if small installations are included — bdnews24.com reported this on 4 August.
By the numbers
According to government data, rooftop solar capacity in the country stood at 418.1 megawatts as of June 2026 — bdnews24.com reported this on 4 August.
By the estimate of IEEFA analyst Shafiqul Alam, the combined capacity of grid-connected solar and wind power was 859 megawatts as of June 2026 — pv magazine published this on 5 August.
According to PGCB and PDB data, the country’s highest-ever electricity generation of 16,477 megawatts was recorded on 30 April 2024 — Ittefaq’s English edition reported this on 28 April 2025.
At a glance
According to a bdnews24.com report of 4 August, the government has set a target of adding 5,500 megawatts of new rooftop solar power by 2030.
According to a pv magazine report of 5 August, under the government’s target of adding 10,450 megawatts of renewable power between 2026 and 2030, more than half of the new capacity is expected to come from rooftop solar.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: bdnews24.com, 4 August 2026; pv magazine, 5 August 2026; Ittefaq (English edition), 28 April 2025
