Bangladesh has implemented a new regulation requiring new buildings with a roof area of more than 92.2 square meters to install a net metering solar system as a prerequisite for grid-connection.
The Bangladeshi government requires new residential, educational, medical, industrial and commercial buildings to have net-metering solar systems installed as a prerequisite for integration into the grid. As a result, the country's rooftop photovoltaic power generation will increase significantly.
According to the new regulations, buildings with a roof area of more than 92.2 square meters must install a net-metering solar system. Owners wishing to achieve a single-phase grid connection must install a net metering solar system with a minimum capacity of 1 kW, while those requiring a three-phase grid connection must meet a capacity requirement of 3 kW. The same rules apply to schools, hospitals and charities with a roof area of at least 1,000 square feet.
The new regulations also require industrial and commercial customers with grid-connected capacity of less than 80 kilowatts to install rooftop photovoltaic systems equivalent to 15% of their total load. Customers with grid-connected capacity between 80 and 500 kW must install a PV system accounting for 12% of their load capacity, while customers with a load capacity greater than 500 kW must install a rooftop array accounting for 10% of the load capacity.
Existing buildings wishing to increase their grid-connected load capacity will also have to comply with the same rules by installing additional rooftop solar systems. Dipal C. Barua, former president of the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association and current advisor, told PV magazine that there is strong support for the new measure.
"Now, rooftop solar systems will contribute hundreds of megawatts of electricity per year. For new buildings, the mandatory installation of net metering PV systems is easier to implement because they must comply with the regulations before they can be connected to the grid."
Barua said that Bangladesh builds about 40,000 new residential buildings every year, and if each building installs an average of a 2 kW system, it can provide about 80 MW of power. He also pointed out that industrial and commercial buildings with large electricity loads will install larger rooftop solar systems, which will further increase electricity generation.
Bangladesh's total clean energy generation capacity reached 1,194.63 MW. Of this, 84.837 MW came from net-metered rooftop solar systems and 70.301 MW was provided by non-net-metered rooftop PV systems.
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