The Bangladesh government has finally issued guidelines on how solar-powered irrigation system owners will be compensated for feeding power back to the grid. But the outcome may disappoint those who wish to occasionally use grid power to supplement their solar.
The Bangladesh government has released guidelines on net metering and grid integration for solar pumps. But worryingly, the new rules could obstruct farmers who may need to utilize both system-generated solar as well as grid power at times, from adopting them.
Under the new regime, solar pump owners who do not consume grid power can qualify as independent power producers, except for allowing 1kW a month to keep some systems operational.
However, a spokesperson for Bangladesh’s Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) told PV Magazine that pump owners wanting to utilize grid power to boost solar generation will now have to forfeit their grid-tied status and instead apply for net metering. Under the new rules released by SREDA last week, net metering will allow solar pump owners to offset the power they feed back to the grid at the same rate as their consumption. But net metering users will be classified as power consumers, facing issues like pay-as-you-go and line rental charges, adding financial burdens.
Downsides
Dipal C Barua, president of the Solar and Renewable Energy Association of Bangladesh, told PV Magazine that the inability to use grid power beyond net metering is a drawback that could hinder solar pump deployment. In neighboring India, solar pump owners can operate solely on solar or use grid power as per net metering rates under the KUSUM scheme.
Currently, most of Bangladesh’s 1,702 solar pumps (totalling over 45.5MW) are off-grid.
IDCOL provides low-cost loans for solar pumps, targeting 50,000 installations by 2025 to replace part of the nation’s 365,000 electric irrigation pumps. These consume nearly 2GW of grid power each summer. Annually, 1.34 million diesel-powered devices consume fuel worth $1 billion.
Money spinners
Bright Green Energy Foundation connected Bangladesh’s first grid-tied solar pump to a 25kW solar array in Kushtia’s Mirpur upazila. It fed 6,956kWh to the grid in 9 months, earning $410 from the local utility.
“In addition to income from water supply, a pump owner can earn over $50 a month by selling power to the grid,” Barua told PV Magazine.
The head of a renewable energy firm advised expanding financing beyond IDCOL, noting government agencies favor funding larger systems, often require loan collateral, and take too long to disburse loans. He suggested, “More organizations should [provide] financing to accelerate the transition,” adding, “We propose installing small pumps which are low cost and easy to operate.”
