Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated Bangladesh’s first-ever solar exposition on Tuesday, launching a fresh drive to scale up renewable energy generation, attract private investment, and spur rooftop solar adoption across the country.
Opening the two-day Bangladesh Solar Expo 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital, Rahman presented awards to the winners of “Sfuron,” a national competition focused on sustainable energy innovation, before touring stalls displaying solar panels, smart-grid systems, and advanced battery storage.
The event, jointly organized by the Power Division and the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), comes under the theme “Make Every Inch of Rooftop Useful, Increase Income through Solar Power.” It aims to accelerate the implementation of the country’s National Renewable Energy Development Strategy 2026–2030.
“The initiative connects policymakers, investors, technology providers, and consumers to build a sustainable clean-energy ecosystem,” Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku said during the inaugural session.
To mobilize private sector participation, the government announced a series of policy and fiscal incentives:
-
Tax Relief: Import duties on solar panels and battery storage equipment have been slashed to 1 percent, accompanied by a full exemption on value-added tax (VAT).
-
Grid Feed-in Tariffs: Under a revised net-metering framework, the government will purchase excess electricity generated from rooftop installations at Tk 10.50 per kilowatt-hour.
-
No-Upfront-Cost Models: Authorities are actively promoting the Operational Expenditure (OpEx) model, allowing third-party developers to install solar systems on commercial and public rooftops at zero initial cost to building owners.
-
Legal Framework: The push is anchored by the newly enacted Special Solar Power Ordinance 2026.
Four specialized seminars under the banner “Policy, People and Capital for Bangladesh’s Solar Revolution” will run during the expo, addressing energy security, job creation, and carbon revenue mobilization.
Senior government officials, development partners, and financial sector representatives attended the opening ceremony alongside State Minister for Power Aninda Islam Amit, Finance Secretary Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Majumder, and Power Division Secretary Mirana Mahrukh.
