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State Minister for Power Anwarul Kabir Talukder underscored the need for using solar power as an alternative to conventional power to bridge the demand-supply gap of the country's electricity.
He was speaking in a ceremony, organised by the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) in the city Wednesday to celebrate the installation of about 75,000 solar home systems (SHSs).
Talukdar was the chief guest of the ceremony, chaired by Ismail Zabiullah, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) and chairman of IDCOL.
The state minister urged the SHS producers to provide possible financial assistance for research on renewable energy.
He said, the government has been striving to meet the demand, which is increasing at a rate of more than 10 per cent each year.
"The government aims to ensure smooth power supply across the country within 2020, and the goal of Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) could be achieved through using renewable sources of energy", he added.
IDCOL had undertaken a plan to finance some 50,000 SHSs under the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (REREDP) from January 2003 to June 2008.
But the company achieved its target in August 2005, three years ahead of the project completion period.
Following the IDCOL's success, the World Bank (WB) extended its support to the project. Besides, KFW, a German-based donor agency, signed an agreement to provide a grant worth euro 16.5 million (1.65 crore) for the programme's further expansion.
Speaking on the occasion, Dipal Chandra Barua, managing director of Grameen Shakti, stressed the need for a 'renewable energy cell' to ensure technical support and fund allocation.
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