Substandard products slow down solar power development

Imported low-quality solar panels and components have flooded the domestic market, causing concern among the relevant government agencies.

According to market insiders and government officials, a sizeable volume of such solar modules are being imported into the country in the absence of clear regulations and compliances.

To streamline solar product imports, the power division has sought steps to include solar panel, inverter, charge controller and battery in the proposed import policy 2018-2021 for mandatory verification by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

The power division has asked the ministry of commerce (MoC) to take necessary measures to this end.

The move came after the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) raised the issue.

The influx of such substandard solar panels has an adverse impact on the domestic users who are losing confidence in renewable energy products, as such solar modules do not last for as long as expected, said a source concerned.

At the same time, use of such solar modules has made it difficult to attain the government’s target to generate 10 per cent of power from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Currently, a section of importers are bringing in poor quality solar components (solar panel, inverter, charge controller and battery) without ensuring quality and obtaining proper certification.

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the national standards body, has developed a Bangladesh Standards (BDS), a guideline for product and service standards, to ensure the quality of products, but complying with the BDS is not mandatory for the importers of solar accessories.

In August last, SREDA Chairman Md Helal Uddin has asked the BSTI to send a proposal to the commerce ministry through a letter for inclusion of solar panel and equipment in the proposed import policy 2018-2021.

In a letter, he mentioned that the government set a target to generate 10 per cent (2000 MW) of power from renewable energy sources by 2020. To attain the target, solar home system, solar mini-grid, solar street lights and solar irrigation pumps have been installed across the country.

But low-quality solar equipment are entering the market due to lack of steps to ensure implementation of BDS specifications at the import level. As a result, system efficiency has been on the decline, he added.

On the other hand, lifespan of the imported products is short, which is creating frustration among the solar panel users, he said.

Bangladesh is currently generating around 624 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources. Experts think that raising the power generation to 2000 MW within the next 15 months is a challenging task and it would not be possible.

When contacted, President of Solar Mini-Grid Association of Bangladesh (SMAB) DM Majibor Rahman said they would like to see proper steps to check the import of low-quality solar panels and equipment.

But there are no equipment at the government facilities to examine the imported solar modules, he regretted.

Presently, a total of 624.59 MW power (off-grid and on-grid) is generated from renewable energy sources, 390.66 MW of which comes from solar energy sources, according to SREDA data.

With a 230 MW stake, hydropower is the second-highest contributor to the renewable energy sector, followed by wind power (2.9 MW), biogas (0.63 MW) and biomass (0.4 MW).

Contacted, President of Solar Module Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh Munawar M Moin said nobody should be allowed to import solar components without the certification of BSTI, the national standards body.

SREDA can play an important role in checking the import of poor quality solar systems, he added.

Mr Moin, also the managing director of Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd., said most of the rooftop solar modules are being imported into the country without compliance with the BDS.

There are seven local manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) module in the country. They invested about Tk 1.0 billion in this sector, he added.

Source: today.thefinancialexpress