Bangladesh prisons target generating own power, feed national grid with solar electricity

An agreement has been signed with a US-based firm to implement the goal entirely through private investment

The Department of Prisons has set a target to generate up to 18MW of electricity by using rooftops of its facilities across Bangladesh in solar power generation.

The initiative, implemented under the government’s net metering policy, will utilise the Opex (Operating Expenses) model to meet the internal power requirements of the prisons, according to a media release issued Friday night.

The prison authorities recently signed an agreement with a US-based firm, Injen Technology Limited.

The department highlighted that the project follows recent government directives to boost renewable energy production.

The initiative requires no financial investment from the prison authorities or the government, as the entire project is funded by private investment.

Under the net metering system, the electricity produced by the solar panels will first be used to satisfy the demand of the respective prisons.

Any surplus power will be supplied directly to the national grid, said the official release.

"This will result in significant financial savings for both the prisons and the government in the power sector," the statement said.