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Potentiality of Alternative Energy

Resources in Bangladesh with its
possible future action plan
Prepared by
Name:
Id:

Submitted to
Department of Environmental Science and Management
North South University Bashundhara, Dhaka

04 June 2020
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Potentiality of Alternative Energy Resources in Bangladesh with its possible future

action plan

1)Background and rational: Energy is basic to life and every single living being. The sun is the
source of all the energy accessible on Earth directly or indirectly. Energy, in science, is the
quantitative property that must be moved to an article so as to perform or to take a shot at, or to
warm, the item. Common forms of energy include kinetic energy, potential energy, elastic
energy, chemical energy, radiant energy, and thermal energy. We need to choose our energy
sources very carefully and cautiously as we are not aware of the impact this choice will have in
the natural system of Earth. The true cost of energy is something beyond money. There are
significant financial, political and social factors and outcomes to consider as well. If we look at
the facts and figures shown in different online sources, we will find that 1 in 7 people living in
rural areas of the developing world still lacks electricity. Energy produces around 60 percent of
greenhouse gases. Progressively proficient energy guidelines could diminish building and
industry power utilization by 14 percent. More than 40% of the world’s population relies on
polluting and unhealthy fuels for cooking. As of 2015, more than 20% of power was generated
through renewable sources. ("Bangladesh - Countries & Regions - IEA", 2020) Some 1.4
billion individuals have no entrance to power and a billion all the more just approach
untrustworthy power systems. About 3 billion people rely on solid fuels to meet their basic
needs. Bangladesh also suffers with energy crisis. As of September 2019, the total installed
electricity generation capacity in Bangladesh was 21,419. Natural gas represents about 70% of
the country’s energy supply. The initial gas reserve of the country amounts to 28.4 trillion cubic
feet. Bangladesh has a save of roughly 3 billion tons of steam grade bituminous coal. (Alrikabi,
2020)
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 Renewable Sources of Energy

Renewable energy means energy that is sustainable, an energy produced from sources that do not
deplete, or is endless, like the sun. The term, alternative energy, it's normally alluding to
renewable power sources as well. The most widely recognized models incorporate solar energy,
wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower.

A renewable energy is a natural resource that can get lost with time, but different processes can
bring them back to workable condition. These resources are a part of earth’s environment.
Renewable energy sources can also be known as ‘Green Energy’ and ‘Clean Energy’. But we
also need to understand that the terms ‘renewable energy’, ‘green energy’ and ‘clean energy’ are
not always interchangeable. For example, a ‘clean’ coal plant is simply a coal plant, the plant
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itself is not a ‘renewable energy’ source. ("What is renewable energy? Definition and
examples", 2020)

Renewable energy is about 13.5% of total energy supply produced and used around the world. It
also provides 22% of the world's electricity. Renewable energy systems are a major topic when
discussing the world’s energy future mainly because of two reasons:

 These provide energy from sources that will never be depleted.

 Fossil fuel generates higher amount of greenhouse gas emissions than Renewable energy
sources .

Even though renewable energy sources are better for the environment as well as they produce
less emissions than conventional energy sources, many of these sources still face difficulties due
to technological barriers, high start-up capital costs, and other various kinds of challenges.

 Types of renewable energy

Renewable energy sources normally don’t get depleted. These energy sources are also distributed
over a wide geographical area. The best thing about these resources is that these resources get
renewed quickly through natural process. The main advantage of using renewable energy is that
it is available throughout the year. ("Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts", 2020)

The technologies of using renewable sources of energy to its maximum are improving all the
time. There are many ways of using renewable energy. The most popular renewable sources of
energy are:

1. Solar energy
2. Wind energy
3. Hydroelectric energy
4. Tidal energy
5. Geothermal energy
6. Biomass energy
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2) Reason behind the problem-

Solar Energy

Sunlight is one of our planet's generally abundant and openly accessible natural resource. Solar
energy is the best and the most reliable source for providing clean, safe, and reliable power.
The measure of sun oriented energy that arrives at the world's surface in one hour is more than
the planet's complete energy necessities for an entire year. Despite the fact that it seems like an
ideal sustainable power source, the measure of solar energy we can utilize fluctuates as indicated
by the hour of day and the period of the year just as land area. The sunlight based force age is
finished by utilizing a progression of photovoltaic cells where the sun oriented beams are
changed over into power.

Commercial Solar Panels

Limitations of Solar Energy

 Initial cost of purchasing a solar system is very high for which it may not be affordable
for everyone.
 Solar panels are dependent on sunlight for gathering solar energy. Therefore, cloudy or
rainy days can have a noticeable negative effect on the solar energy system.
 Solar panels require a lot of space but some roofs may not be big enough to fit the
number of solar panels required.
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 Solar energy can be associated with pollution due to transportation and installation of
solar system.

Wind energy

Wind is a source of clean energy. Wind energy is a powerful elective wellspring of energy in
regions where the speed of wind stream is high. Wind turbines are used to drive generators to
harness electricity from wind. The electricity is then feed into the National Grid. The main
disadvantage of wind energy is that not every property or land is suitable for wind turbine.
("Advantages & Disadvantages of Wind Energy - Clean Energy Ideas", 2020)

Wind Energy Production

Limitations of Wind Energy

 The main disadvantage of wind turbines is the noise pollution they generate.
 Although the wind is sustainable and will never run out, it is not constant and the wind
speed does change. This can cause serious problems for the efficiency of a turbine.
 Wind turbines are usually very expensive.
 Wind turbines pose a possible threat to wildlife, especially to birds and bats.
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Hydroelectric energy

Hydroelectric energy is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion, such as
waterfall, to generate electricity. People have used this force for a very long time. As a
renewable energy resource, power of water is one of the most commercially developed and used.
By building a dam or barrier, a large reservoir can be used to create a controlled flow of water
that will drive a turbine which will eventually generate electricity.

Hydroelectric Energy Plant

Limitations of Hydroelectric Energy:

 Interruptions of natural water flow can have a great impact in the ecosystem of the river
as well as the environment.
 Power plants for hydroelectric energy is normally very expensive to build and
maintained.
 Hydroelectric power plants create risk of local droughts.
 People and the communities living downstream are vulnerable to flooding if for some
reason strong water currents are released from the dam.
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Tidal energy

This is a form of energy that uses tidal currents to drive turbine generators. Although tidal flow
unlike some other energy sources isn’t constant, it is highly predictable. Therefore it
compensates for the periods when the tide current is low.

The outside of the earth is for the most part secured by water. The tides in water rise and fall
because of the gravity of the sun and moon. Since the position of moon changes is known to us,
we can predict the rise and fall of tides. This ascent and fall of tides can be used by setting up
little dams. The small dams lets the water pass through the turbines so that power can be
generated. (Training et al., 2020)

Tidal Energy working process

Disadvantages of tidal energy

 Tidal power plant construction costs are very high.

 This has a chance of creating negative influence on marine life form.
 The location for properly using this energy resource is very limited.
 The intensity of sea waves is mostly unpredictable.
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Geothermal energy

This is the energy tapped from the warmth inside the earth. By harnessing the natural heat below
the earth’s surface, geothermal energy can be used to generate electricity. Geothermal heat is
much more freely used and available in countries like Iceland where it is mostly cold.

Geothermal Energy Powerplant

Limitations of geothermal energy

 The extraction of geothermal energy from the ground leads to a release of gases like
hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane etc.
 There is a possibility of depletion of geothermal energy sources.
 High investment costs are needed for geothermal energy system.

Biomass Energy

Biomass energy is the energy that can be developed from the wastes produced by various human
and animal activities. Biomass energy is actually the conversion of solid fuel from plant
materials into electricity. This involves burning organic materials to produce electricity.
Nowadays generating biomass energy is a much cleaner and energy-efficient process. Through
converting agricultural, industrial and domestic wastes into solid, liquid and gas fuel, biomass
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generates power at a very cost. Biomass energy takes into account the utilization of waste
material to develop energy. This makes disposing the waste materials in a profitable and
effective way. (Ritchie & Roser, 2020)

Biomass Energy Sources

Limitations of biomass energy:

 Fossil fuels are much more efficient than biomass energy.

 Generation of this energy can lead to deforestation.
 Biomass plants require a lot of space. (Training et al., 2020)

3) Role of energy resource: Quick urbanization, fuelled by stable monetary development, has
made a tremendous energy request in Bangladesh. It is notable that energy assumes an essential
job in destitution annihilation, financial development, feasible framework advancement, and
guaranteeing security of a nation. In Bangladesh, power is the most broadly utilized type of
energy. Future monetary development altogether relies upon the accessibility of power. At
present, about 72% of the complete population approaches power, and power flexibly isn't
satisfactorily solid. Bangladesh is starving for energy for most recent couple of decades since its
capacity age is essentially relied upon imported non-renewable energy source and petroleum gas.
The current government has effectively expanded power age, yet framework power isn't
reachable in the remote zones of the nation because of absence of foundation and longstanding
conveyance offices. As of late, the world is moving towards green power age to diminish carbon-
dioxide and ozone depleting substance outflows. Customary power creation is the essential
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source of ozone depleting substance discharge. At present, ozone harming substance discharge
influences the atmosphere legitimately by raising the worldwide temperature. Bangladesh is one
of the top atmosphere defenseless nation. It is confronting the effect of environmental change,
for example, rising ocean levels, increment of saltiness, substantial precipitation, floods, and
avalanches. As a defenseless nation, both private and open parts of Bangladesh have taken
various activities to move towards sustainable power creation to secure the earth and for better
everyday environments. The legislature of Bangladesh has define a goal-oriented objective of
giving power association with each provincial family unit. Sun based and other sustainable
power source can be the key part of this yearning objective.

Sun oriented energy or solar energy has little offer in the current energy blend in Bangladesh.
We have the quickest developing Solar Home System program on the planet with more than
50,000 Solar Home System unit establishments for each month in the ongoing past.

Starting at 2017, Bangladesh has the world's biggest SHS program with around 5 million SHS.
More than 30 million individuals are profiting legitimately from sun oriented vitality and more
than 100,000 new livelihoods have just been made. (Barua, 2020)

Network based sun based methodology, for example, sun powered water system siphons, sun
oriented smaller than normal lattice, arsenic water treatment plants, and sun powered road lights
have the capability of profiting the network individuals by guaranteeing food security, arsenic
free unadulterated water, improved financial conditions in off-framework regions of Bangladesh
and so on.

It's conceivable to deliver extra power of 30,000MW from the usage of solar powered PV at
schools, universities, colleges, mosques, sanctuaries madrasahs, government structures,
production lines, transport stations, train stations, unused grounds, and network based PV plants.

At present, more than 1.6 million water system siphons are there and among them 1.3 million
siphons are controlled by diesel. To supplant conventional diesel-run water system siphons, 617
solar based water system siphons have just been introduced. By supplanting all these diesel-run
siphons, about 10,000MW power can be delivered by solar energy. (Barua, 2020)
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Bangladesh has gigantic potential, yet it must conquer numerous difficulties, particularly the
difficulties of a worldwide temperature alteration and energy emergency alongside neediness
decrease to understand its maximum capacity. We can dream of a future where innovation is the
significant supporter of our energy blend.

We can fantasize about giving all the advanced offices to a large number of country towns
through the following decade. Moving towards sustainable power source can bring a genuine
green unrest for the provincial individuals by offering food security, giving current offices,
making new organizations and occupations for the people of this country. From the encounters of
the most recent two decades, we can say that solar energy has gotten natural and acknowledged
by the individuals of Bangladesh.

Legitimate arranging and execution of a manageable mechanical, money related, and socially
acknowledged plan of action verbalized through Bangladesh's sun powered crucial, government
approach, appropriate speculation arrangement for financial specialists, guaranteeing reasonable
advances and quality items, and solid innovative work will continuously change the country. We
can dream of Bangladesh to turn into the principal solar based country by 2041. (Express, 2020)

4) Consequence/ impact-

Advantages of Solar Energy

 We will have access to solar energy as long as we have the sun. It means that we cannot
run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources of energy.
 Energy bills or rather electricity bills will drop as the user of solar energy will be meeting
some of his/her energy needs with the electricity solar system has generated.
 Solar energy can be used to produce electricity in areas where it has not been possible to
provide electricity.
 Solar energy systems usually don’t require a lot of maintenance.
 Innovations in technology can potentially increase the effectiveness of solar panels and
double the electrical input of the solar system. (Sharif, Anik, Al-Amin & Siddique,
2020)

Advantages of Wind Energy:

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 Wind is both a renewable and a sustainable resource of energy.

 Wind energy is one of the most environment friendly energy sources as wind turbines
don’t create pollution at the time of generating electricity.
 Reduces the need to burn fossil fuels while it creates electricity.
 Wind turbines can play a very important role in bringing power to remote areas.
 Running costs of wind energy are quite low.

Advantages of hydroelectric energy:

 The hydroelectric energy is a clean, renewable energy.

 The source, water is free of cost.
 Dams can provide continuous electricity generation.
 The water used for power generation can be used again.
 As no chemical process is involved in the power generation process, the produced power
is clean and does not harm the environment.
 Hydroelectric power plants mainly supplies electricity to remote areas and communities.

Advantages of tidal energy

 The source of generating power is free and renewable.

 The generated power is clean and does not cause any pollution.
 Tidal energy is environment-friendly.
 The density of energy is very high.
 Operational and maintenance costs are low for tidal energy generation.

Advantages of geothermal energy

 The geothermal energy source is free of cost just like most of the other renewable energy
sources.
 With a proper power generation system in place, no harmful products are produced.
 Geothermal energy systems normally have high efficiency rate.
 Geothermal energy system requires very low maintenance.

Advantages of biomass energy

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 Biomass energy is produced in a very environmental friendly way.

 Agricultural, industrial and domestic waste is recycled and re-used.
 The biomass will continue producing and deteriorating as a major aspect of the regular
organic cycle. Consequently, biomass energy is viewed as a sustainable wellspring of
energy.
 Biomass fuels only release the same amount of carbon into the atmosphere as plants
absorbed in the course of their life cycle.
 It reduces reliance on fossil fuels.
 It is less expensive than fossil fuels.

5) Possible solution in a sustainable way-

A consumer who installs a solar panel array on a house can sell surplus energy to the
local utilities. The solar panel cost, reduced to 50%, which would make solar Powered
Electricity cost comparable with other types of fuel, is possible within the next decade.
Aside from power creation solar energy is additionally being utilized for warming water,
preparing food, and so forth. (Deb, Nasir & Bhuiyan, 2020)

Hydroelectric energy source can often be more reliable than solar or wind energy. This also
allows electricity to be stored for use in future. Out of all the other alternative energy sources,
this one has been most commonly used and generated. (Sharif, Anik, Al-Amin & Siddique,
2020)

Bangladesh is honored with all year daylight (more than 300 days out of each year) and has a
huge potential for solar energy. We have been using sun powered force carefully and utilizing its
experience towards expanding sustainable power source for greatest use.

The nation has gained noteworthy ground in the rustic sustainable power source advancement by
introducing SHS in the off-network regions. In 1996, SHS got famous among the country
individuals of Bangladesh for its moderate regularly scheduled payment based money related
model at the cost of lamp fuel.

Green Technology Centers (GTC) were built up in rustic territories to prepare country ladies, for
limit building, and after-deals administrations at customers' entryway steps. A solid system of
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gracefully chain and branches additionally help SHS become famous and satisfactory. At
present, individuals can without much of a stretch charge their cell phones, sit in front of the TV,
use fans, youngsters can concentrate better, and individuals can do their significant family unit
errands around evening time with the Solar Home System (SHS).

Bangladesh government has adopted a methodical strategy towards sustainable power source
advancement. The activity incorporates advancement of mindfulness, legitimate and
administrative structure, institutional turn of events, and financing system.

A few Systems (SHS) in Bangladesh has touched off the future possibilities for sun oriented
energy, and will speed up to make the nation the principal solar powered country on the planet.
Alongside the SHS, 617 Solar Irrigation Pumps (SIP) have just been introduced, alongside solar
based road lights in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, and remote rustic zones of the nation, 7 sunlight
based scaled down networks in remote islands, urban housetop sun oriented program, and sun
based controlled arsenic water treatment plants are supplementing the push to create clean force.
(Barua, 2020)

Bangladesh is resolved to accomplish 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, which

incorporates battling environmental change and expanding energy access from sustainable power
sources.

As an atmosphere helpless nation, and for feasible energy advancement, a Bangladesh sunlight
based strategy is to be intended to accomplish SDGs by 2030 and to fabricate the establishment
to arrive at 100% sustainable power source later on.

 Concluding Remarks

The global warming due to greenhouse gas emanation and the vitality shortage overall are
inciting practically all the nations on the planet to search for elective wellsprings of vitality, for
example, atomic and inexhaustible, for example, sun powered, wind, geo-warm and wave
energies, which don't cause carbon discharge. Though formed nations can take advantage of
atomic energy, a creating nation like Bangladesh isn't sufficiently blessed to have that choice
accessible. Therefore, the main alternative that is available to Bangladesh right now is
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sustainable power source, for example, sunlight based and hydro-electric. Sun oriented insolation
is the most plentiful sustainable power wellspring of Bangladesh. Exploiting it we can advance
our standard life. In this paper we have attempted to concentrate on the elective employments of
sun based vitality to guarantee the vitality security in not so distant future. A sun oriented based
electric vehicle energizing station can lessen the petroleum derivative utilization in transportation
part without utilizing any force from framework and will keep our condition clean. A DC
network in off framework region dependent on sunlight based PV can tackle our water system
issue just as will guarantee a superior life for the rustic individuals .Solar cooking canbe a
suitable alternative for cooking both in country and city region for diminishing the flammable
gas utilization and consuming of wood stock. So by guaranteeing these possibilities we can settle
our vitality and gas emergency; and guarantee a green domain for the people in the future.

References:

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