Solar Module Manufacturers' Association of Bangladesh (SMMAB), a business body of local solar module manufacturers, have placed a 7-point demand, seeking introduction of 30 percent mandatory quota system for use of local products in the public projects. Munawar Moin, president of the SMMAB, raised the demands from a press conference at the National Press Club on Sunday.
At the briefing, he claimed that their industry has grown up to a level that they can now meet the entire demand of the country. “But if there’s no policy support from the government, many manufacturers will be discouraged to continue their growth,” he said. Though Munawar thanked the government for its cash incentive support for PV module exports, he alleged that currently, they have been facing an uneven competition at home for imported panels without maintaining any standard and quality.
Golam Baki Masud, general secretary of the SMMAB, read out a statement and placed the demands of the association while other leaders of the organisation also were present. The other points of the demand include setting up a testing lab for solar panels and other related products; expediting the government’s move to replace 1.34 million diesel-run irrigation pumps with solar-run ones; rollout of annual target-based rooftop solar on all government facilities; planned rollout of mini grid in identified 1000 villages where grid electricity will not reach; 10-15 years’ bank loan at 5 percent interest rate as green industry; regular stakeholders’ meeting at ministries concerned in every three months; ensuring at least 15 percent duty gap between import of raw materials and finished products; incorporating representatives of SMMAB in different committees of Sreda and other ministries concerned; and financial incentives for users of solar power.
The leaders said some nine companies are now having capacity to produce solar panels equivalent to about 100 MW against the current annual demand of similar level. In this case, due to the uneven competition from cheap importers for panels from China and India, some of the companies either keep their production capacity unutilized or some use the capacity to export their products.
The huge foreign solar panels are being imported compromising with the standard and quality for lack of quality control mechanism, they said urging the government to take measures to check this entrance of substandard products. They said the government has set a target of generating 10 percent electricity from renewable energy by 2020 which means at least 2000 MW of power should come from renewable sources.
But so far only 600MW electricity is coming from renewable sources and maximum is from solar home system which now the biggest programme with installing 6.4 million panels. In such a situation, the SMMAB leaders said the government and private sector should work together to achieve the goals. Among others SMMAB senior vice president Moshiur Rahman, vice president Engineer Ansar Uddin, member Tanzil Chowdhury were also present in the press conference.
