Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday directed the authorities concerned to install solar panels in phases at key government buildings across the country as part of the government’s efforts to address the ongoing energy crisis and accelerating the use of renewable energy.

The Prime Minister gave the directives while presiding over a meeting on solar power at his office in the Cabinet Division in Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital, said Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

He said the Prime Minister issued three broad directives to tackle the energy crisis and expand the use of renewable energy.

The decisions include the phased installation of solar panels at key government establishments across the country, alongside government support for the import of raw materials required for domestic solar inverter manufacture.

The Prime Minister also directed the authorities concerned to formulate a viable economic model to make solar power affordable, accessible and financially attractive for the general public.

Shiplu said the meeting decided to launch the initiative by installing solar panels in phases at Bangabhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office at Tejgaon, the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance buildings at the Bangladesh Secretariat, the Planning Commission building, and other key government establishments.

The Prime Minister said wider use of solar power in government buildings would encourage people to adopt the technology, which is why he instructed the authorities to install solar panels at various public establishments, said Shiplu.

During the meeting, PRAN-RFL Group and Walton Group made separate presentations on installing solar panels in residential buildings and integrating the generated electricity into the national grid.

Implementation of the initiative would not only help save electricity and fuel but also create new employment opportunities, according to the presentations.

The meeting also stressed the need to widely promote the economic and practical benefits of solar power to encourage greater public adoption of the technology.

The presentations further highlighted that the technology could be used to operate electrical appliances such as air conditioners, fans and lifts.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, National Board of Revenue (NBR) Acting Chairman Ahsan Habib, PRAN-RFL Group Chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, the group’s AGM (Solar and Renewable Energy Division) Towhidul Ahad, Walton Group Managing Director SM Mahbubul Alam, and secretaries and senior officials of different ministries attended the meeting.