Social movement needed to speed up renewable energy adoption

A nationwide social movement is needed to speed up the adoption of renewable energy in Bangladesh, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the prime minister on finance and planning, said on Saturday.

He said public demand, rather than government policy alone, would drive the country’s transition to clean energy and reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels.

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Speaking at a discussion titled “Distributed Renewable Energy: The Future Solar Solution for Bangladesh” at the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) auditorium in Dhaka, Titumir said renewable energy should become a shared public cause to ensure a livable planet for future generations.

“Our first priority should be to build a social movement. We need collective and public action to make access to renewable energy a right,” he said.

The discussion was organised by the Economic Reporters’ Forum in collaboration with the Distributed Renewable Energy Platform (DREP).

Titumir said Bangladesh’s shift to renewable energy should start by creating public demand, arguing that the market will respond when people want cleaner energy.

“If we can create the demand, the supply system will follow,” he said, urging civil society organisations, NGOs and microfinance institutions to help expand access to distributed solar technologies.

He said renewable energy could lower household energy costs, leaving families with more disposable income for other needs and investments.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s reliance on imported fuels, Titumir said wider use of rooftop solar systems could significantly reduce gas and LPG consumption and improve the country’s energy security.

“Energy is sovereignty,” he said. “We must move away from the culture of dependence and build a culture of self-reliance.”

The adviser also stressed the need to develop local manufacturing of renewable energy equipment, including solar panels, batteries and inverters, to support the sector’s long-term growth.

He said the government has introduced fiscal incentives and policy reforms to encourage investment in renewable energy technologies and electric vehicle manufacturing.

Titumir also called on NGOs to include renewable energy financing in their microfinance programmes, saying development organisations could help speed up the adoption of clean energy across the country.

“The success of this transition depends on a social movement,” he said. “Every household, school, hospital, office and shop should gradually become part of the renewable energy journey.”

He added that expanding distributed renewable energy would reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on imported fuels, cut the import bill, strengthen energy security and support sustainable economic growth.

Others who spoke at the event included Khondaker Golam Moazzem, coordinator at DREP; Md Mehadi Hasan Shamim, research associate at CPD; ASM Munir, company secretary of the Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association; Hasan Mehedi, chief executive officer of the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network; Ishtiaque Ahmed, director of engineering and innovation at SOLshare; Abul Azad, manager of Just Energy Transition at ActionAid Bangladesh; Doulot Akter Mala, president of the ERF; and Abul Kashem, the forum’s general secretary.