Bangladeshi-owned Canadian company to launch solar panels

[GoldenAsif]

Bangladeshi-owned Canadian company to launch solar panels

Friday May 25 2007 11:08:08 AM BDT

Canadian company Centennial Solar Inc is set to make foray into Bangladesh’s market with its high performing solar photovoltaic panels.

The Centennial Solar, owned by an expatriate Bangladeshi, has recently entered into a business deal with Rahimafrooz, a leading promoter of solar energy, to supply solar PV panels, suited for multi-use ranging from home systems to water pumping.

‘Our panels are cost effective and best suited for solar home systems with longer durability,’ said Ajay Das, the company president, who has been in Dhaka on a business tour now.

The first consignment of Centennial Solar panels will arrive in the market next month. Initially, the company will supply about 800 panels on an average per month in one year.

A solar panel for home systems will be enough for illuminating six electric bulbs, and running two fans and a television set, for six hours a day and it will cost around Tk 27,000. The company offers 20 years’ warranty for solar panel output.

Centennial solar panels are also suited for storing energy to operate an irrigation pump for at least 12 hours a day, the company chief said, giving the salient features of their products, already made their way to a number of European and North American markets.

About 65 per cent of the company’s exports are shipped to Germany, Ajay said.

He sees huge potentials in energy-hungry Bangladesh to market and popularise their solar panels in rural areas for home systems and irrigation pumps.

It will help the country to make up its power shortage and save a lot of foreign currency it spends on fuel oil imports, said the company chief, who set up solar PV manufacturing plant in Canada years ago.

He observed that the government should offer fiscal incentives, like Canada and other European countries, to encourage people in using solar energy. ‘Users can be offered cash incentives for installation of solar panels and on usage of solar energy at every household.

Shopping malls and multipurpose building complexes can also reduce their fuel costs by installing high performance solar panels instead of operating generators. The installation cost may be higher, but it will be one-time investment with much higher dividends, Ajay noted.

Grameen Shakti so far installed nearly 65,000 solar home systems in the country, followed by Rahimafrooz with around 25,000 units, with average sales of 7,000 units per month. Officials of the two solar energy service providers hope that the monthly sales would become double in next year if the present rate of market expansion continues.

Solar energy is the best option to give rural people access to electricity in Bangladesh where 75 per cent houses are out of power coverage. Moreover those having power connections are suffering from regular erratic power supply due to load-shedding.

Solar energy promoters said solar panels at their homes would provide relief to the rural people from affording the cost of kerosene and better living condition.

It will also help save environment from household carbon emissions from kerosene lamps by around 350-450kg per year.

Centennial Solar chief Ajay Das expressed hope that the prospect of using solar energy in Bangladesh is bright and the government would take steps for its promotion.

He informed that the Centennial would consider setting up a solar panel manufacturing plant in Bangladesh in near future.

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/v...00000000160935

[GoldenAsif]

A couple of points to take from this.

1. This is an example of members of the Bangladeshi diaspora contributing to the country, something which the UK Bangladeshi community has been doing including the construction of a $100 million 5 star hotel in Dhaka, Royal Bengal airlines and $3 billion investment package in Bangladesh.

2. From what I can gather Das' company are Indians. This is part of the general process of BD-Indian relations becoming more productive and mututally beneficial and in the power sector the government has awarded some contracts to Indian companies. I would rather be friends with India (as long as we don't compromise our interests) than be enemies.

3. I am not a specialist in the energy sector. I am sure this is good news, but from my laymens knowledge of energy, this wouldn't be enough in the long term to meet the demands of an expanding population with an economy which continues to increase at faster rates and is diversifying and becoming more dynamic.