A leap towards decarbonization - Bangladesh’s viewpoint

There has been an increase in the access to electricity over the past two decades in Bangladesh. The reason is because Bangladesh has become dependent on the burning of furnace oil for electricity generation instead of the increase of renewable energy sources. It has been said that there has been a variety of carbon neutral energy sources that can be used in Bangladesh but has not been used to its full potential. Further, if there is a lack of proper strategies then the country's emission reduction target would not be met with a falling in the emissions reduction target and a lack in the diversification policy.

There is an increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases which is contributing to climate change and is affecting human health. Statistics show that “about 70%of the global power investment (USD 530 billion) in 2021 is expected to be invested for renewable energy generation”. 

The energy situation in Bangladesh currently

Currently, the power sector in Bangladesh is highly dependent on fossil fuels, although coal and natural gas are dominating sources for power generation. Countries in the surrounding region are benefiting from renewable energy prices. Bangladesh has yet to establish its renewable energy potential and energy resources. It is said to believe that coal-fired power plants are running out in the country as the government does not believe in dirty energy due to environmental problems and rising coal import costs. In recent times, renewable energy has made strides. The goal of the Bangladesh government is as follows: “he government of Bangladesh outlined an ambitious goal of generating more than 4100 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.” A clear road map however is needed for the implementation for the renewable power generation target. The solution provided is, “the acceleration of the country's clean energy transition and reducing the dependency of fossil fuel could be achieved by bolstering the hydrogen energy and fuel cell research.” The diversification of the energy mix needs funding to develop hydrogen technology which is still reliant on coal and gas. Environmentally friendly hydrogen energy can be a boost source in transitions instead of gas and coal.

A transition to renewable energy

The country’s energy efficiency could be progressed with hydrogen technology. The reason being is that it has the ability to be produced by renewable energy sources. In the future hydrogen will join electricity as a key energy carrier. In Bangladesh, an establishment of a research centre and technology-specific policy approaches are crucial for Bangladesh to progress in the energy sector. The different types of energy access in Bangladesh has been analysed by various researchers through an environmental analysis. The researchers discussed having a solar energy park in Bangladesh. The study is researched by Kusay Faisal Al-tabatabaie, Md. Biplob Hossain , Md. Kamrul Islam, Md. Rabiul Awual, Abu Reza Md. TowfiqulIslam, Md. Amzad. Hossain, Md. Esraz-Ul-Zannat, and Aminul Islam and shows the importance of energy diversification in relation to decarbonization and through increasing indigenous energy sources. The key energy challenges were discussed in this paper in order to achieve the nation's energy generation targets.

Some of the energy challenges in Bangladesh were as follows:

1. Fuel diversification initiatives

2. Present installed capacity and primary energy mix of Bangladesh, which is from fossil fuels.

3. The diversification index analysis

4. Energy mix concentration index

5. Integrated multi-criteria diversification index (IMCDI)

6. Relationship between energy diversification and reliability indices

7. The decarbonization of the energy sector through advancing technology and increasing the energy efficiency

8. Solar energy

9. Wind and hydro energy

10.  Nuclear energy

11.  Hydrogen energy

12.  Hydrogen fuel cell

13.  Energy efficiency and to minimise carbon emissions.

14.  The link between economic growth and energy diversification

The concluding comments in the article

Non-renewable energy is widely used although it is ultimately damaging the environment. Hence, non-renewable energy must be substituted with renewable energy to make the energy evolve with clean energy. In the near future Bangladesh will have energy consumption issues. It is vital to get an understanding of the energy sources and their efficient energy production. Further, research must be headed in the direction of hydrogen fuel cells so the possible costs and advantages can be analysed. Investing in energy technology is needed to get out of the energy crisis. For example, Greenie Web, a climate-tech start-up, has a tool that focuses on digital decarbonization and sustainable digitization. The article also mentions that “to support energy diversification and sustainable energy transitions, policymakers must expand investments in renewable energies and diversify their economies. In addition, policy makers must find a balance between technology and demand-stimulating policies, especially by integrating innovation policies into energy mixes and focusing on technology development in Bangladesh’s energy sector.”

Personal thoughts

Renewable energy is the way to go in solving the energy crisis as well as climate technology and we need to focus on these renewable energy infrastructures and technologies.