Largest rooftop solar plant starts making electricity
Youngone Corporation, the Korean multinational conglomerate, yesterday launched the country's major rooftop solar power plant in its Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) to meet up its electricity demand through renewable sources.
The business will produce 40 megawatts of solar power on the rooftops of the factory buildings with an investment of $40 million. The first phase of the project began producing 16MW of electricity yesterday.
It was jointly inaugurated by Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, and Lee Jang-keun, South Korean ambassador to Bangladesh.
Separate photovoltaic (photovoltaic) units to create the remaining 24MWs of power will be established in two phases next one . 5 years, according to KEPZ officials.
There are 34 factories currently operating in the monetary zone. Solar panels were installed on the roofs of 16 factories to create electricity in the first phase.
The other units will be built with panels over another two phases. Solar panels that will generate 4MW of power will be installed on six more factories in October.
The panels to create another 20MW will be create in the 3rd phase.
The KEPZ currently uses 14MW of electricity from Bangladesh Power Development Board.
The excess capacity to be made by the EPZ will be directly fed to the national grid on weekends and holidays at the financial zone.
In the event of shortages or any other reason, the KEPZ may also secure power from the national grid.
According to BPDB, such endeavours are compliant and in keeping with the net metering guidelines formulated by the Power Division.
Beneath the guidelines, electricity consumers can hook up their rooftop solar system to the distribution grid. So, any surplus electricity can be supplied to the national grid for profit.
"The 40MW rooftop solar panel project shows the vision and innovation of the KEPZ, which sets a good example not merely in Bangladesh but also all of those other world," Hamid said.
The project is properly aligned with the government's vision and energy strategy and you will be a meaningful step towards reaching Bangladesh's National SOLAR TECHNOLOGY Action Plan 2021-2041.
"The carbon neutral green growth initiative and inclusive recovery will not be possible without the active involvement and participation of the business sector," he added.
Korean Ambassador Jang-keun said the KEPZ was at the heart of Korea-Bangladesh relations as it was the single greatest investment by any Korean company in the country.
The KEPZ sets a distinctive example of how professional zones could be formed and operated within an environmentally sustainable manner.
It really is especially impressive that even in the center of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the KEPZ never stopped or slowed up production.
"All the factories have already been running and making products for export," Jang-keun added.
Kihak Sung, chairman and ceo of Youngone and the KEPZ, said the project's main aim was not merely to harness solar technology to meet up the KEPZ's growing needs in a sustainable manner but also to provide any surplus renewable energy to the national grid.
"This demonstrates the business's commitment to its social responsibilities," he said.
Youngone may be the first foreign investor in Bangladesh's garment export sector and was also a pioneer in the local apparel industry regarding female worker employment since 1980.
The KEPZ, found in Anwara and Karnafuli upazilas of Chattogram, was paid to Korean EPZ Corporation (BD), a subsidiary of Youngone, in 1999.
The zone, made up around 2,492 acres of green and hilly areas, was established following an agreement between Bangladesh and South Korea in 1995.
The Department of Environment gave the surroundings Clearance Certificate to the KEPZ in '09 2009 on the problem that Youngone would use 48 per cent of the area to create factories and other associated facilities, as the rest would be gardens and lakes.
The KEPZ employs 28,000 people in 34 factories that produce various products, including footwear, apparel and textiles.
