Feasibility Study of Solar Charging Station for

Electric Vehicle in Bangladesh: Policies and

Prospects
Md. Golam Zakaria Md. Khairul Alam Md. Sakiluzzaman
Department of Electrical and Electronic Department of Electrical and Electronic Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering Engineering Engineering)
Bangladesh University of Engineering Bangladesh University of Engineering Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology and Technology and Technology
Dhaka, Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh
mdgolamzakaria3@gmail.com khair@gmail.com sakil.zaman786@gmail.com

Abstract— The main focus of this paper is to present the current circumstance, charging those EVs does not generate any
prospects, policies and future concerns of Solar EVCS in profit for the electricity industry. Moreover, the non-linear
Bangladesh. EVs are supposed to be the frontrunner in the characteristics of EV charger affect the power quality by
transportation sector of the future. They are holding the key for producing harmonics, voltage fluctuation and causing power
green transportation and is currently a worldwide phenomenon.
Given their cost effectiveness, reliability, no greenhouse gas
loss [1]. In this way, these EVs are putting a lot of strain on
emission (GHS), they make excellent choice for the much- Bangladesh's national grid. A cost-effective alternative
cherished net zero future. Although the present EV space in strategy to generate power is necessary to relieve the strain
Bangladesh is at a very nascent stage, given the initiatives taken on the national system [3].
by GOB and various other organization the EV future is
seeming very flourished. GOB has decided to achieve a 10% of According to the NDC report, under the Business As Usual
all licensed vehicles to be powered by electricity by 2030. To (BAU) scenario greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in
achieve this goal EVs are being manufactured in the country Bangladesh from the power, transport and industrial sectors
and they are about to make their entry very soon. However, shall account for “69% of the total emissions by 2030
Bangladesh lacks the necessary infrastructure such as charging
stations and necessary policy framework to make the future of
(excluding Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry),”
EV sustainable. Both BRTA and SREDA are working on resulting in 234 MtCO2e (an increase of 264% with respect
drafting a regulatory policy framework for a sustainable EV to the level in 2011) [3].
future. Although EVs are considered as green; they are only as
green as the source of electricity that powers them. EVs are
about 96% more effective in emitting pollutants when they are
charged in a solar charge station. Although it is not possible to
charge all the electric vehicles using solar powered charging
stations, priority must be given on building a future for solar
charging stations; otherwise, the true purpose of the transition
to EV transportation is going to fail. This paper aims to examine
the present EV scenario and EVCS infrastructure and available
policy frameworks and attempts to give some general
recommendations to be added to the ‘Renewable Energy Policy’
and upcoming ‘EV Charging Station Guideline’ currently being
drafted by SREDA.
Figure 1: Projection of GHG Emission (MtCO2e) for Three Sectors
Keywords—Electric Vehicle, EVCS, Solar Charging Station,
from 2011 to 2030.
Renewable Energy Policy, GHG.

I. INTRODUCTION The emission reduction contribution intended by the GOB is

The sudden proliferation of Electric Vehicles (EV) like Easy
Bike, Auto-Rickshaw, and Electric-Bike plays a vital role in
producing energy crisis in the worldwide. As a developing
country, Bangladesh is also facing difficulties due to excess
energy consumption. Although, Electric Vehicles are
opening a new dimension in the transportation sector with
several benefits such as- cheapest mode of transportation &
lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, however the
generation of huge energy required for charging the batteries
in every day is not very easy. In addition, lack of charging
station in Bangladesh hampers the time and takes higher cost
from EV owner. Owing to this reason, almost all the EV
owner takes power from the residential connection illegally
and pays the bill as the residential consumer. In such
stated assuming international support and without
international support. Assuming no additional international
support Bangladesh will reduce its GHG emissions in the
power, transport, and industry sectors by 12 MtCO2e by 2030
or 5% below BAU emissions for those sectors. Assuming
additional international support Bangladesh will reduce its
GHG emissions in the power, transport, and industry sectors
by 36 MtCO2e by 2030 or 15% below BAU emissions for
those sectors [3].
The policy document mandates that 10% of the total power
demand by 2020 should be sourced from various RE sources.
In absolute terms, this means that at least 2000 MW must be
generated from RE sources by 2020. Very recently, the Power

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Division has also launched the Net Metering Guidelines-2018
[7], and RE based options have been included in the
‘Bangladesh National Building Code’ for some time now. All
these efforts manifest the Government’s sincere commitment
towards propagating RE usage and building a sustainable
future for Bangladesh.
Government incentives and regulations have been playing a
key role in spreading the awareness about RE technologies
and thus fostering the demand for solar PV power. But still
challenges remain in terms of unstable regulatory framework,
financial viability, and bankability, etc. Growing share of
solar PV power must be effectively integrated in a fair and
sustainable fashion into electricity systems under varying
technical and market conditions. The widespread deployment
of new RE technologies has heralded the necessity to
introduce new policies catering to the promotion and
implementation of innovative, environment friendly and
resilient mechanisms
II. EXISTING POLICY FRAMEWORK AND PRESENT
SCENARIO OF EVCS
A. Existing Renewable Energy Policy
The ‘Renewable Energy Policy 2008’ has been developed
with the goal to spread the utilization of RE technologies
across the country by strengthening a favorable technical,
financial and legal environment [5]. One of the prime
objectives of this Renewable Energy Policy was that an
institution, Sustainable Energy Development Agency
(SEDA), shall be established under the Companies Act, 1994,
as a focal point for sustainable energy development and
promotion, ‘sustainable energy’ comprising renewable
energy and energy efficiency.
The ‘Renewable Energy Policy’ of 2008 has laid the
foundation of Sustainable and Renewable Energy
Development Authority (SREDA) with a broader aim to
increase and promote the utilization of RE in the local domain
[6]. According to ‘Renewable Energy Policy 2008’, The
responsibilities of SEDA as a company is summarized below:
 Provide coordination of sustainable energy
planning, including action plans linking together the
activities of several agencies or organizations.
Promote awareness of renewable energy and other
clean energy technologies and integrate their
development within overall national energy policy
and development.
 Support demonstration of new technologies and new
business models for renewable energy and other
clean energy technologies.
 Support establishment of small and medium
renewable energy enterprises and providers. Create
market opportunities and start-up business models
for sustainable energy technologies in Bangladesh,
such as energy services companies and rural energy
providers.
 Develop financing mechanisms and facilities by
using grant, subsidy and/or carbon/CDM fund for
public and private sector investments in all forms of
sustainable energy. Provide fund for the
development of standardized renewable energy
configurations to meet common energy and power
applications.
 Stimulate market development for sustainable
energy technologies, Provide financial support in
the research and development of renewable energy
technology. Implement policies for mitigation of
environmental issues arising out of use of
Renewable Energy.
Other regulations of interest mandated by ‘Renewable
Energy Policy 2008’ are summarized below:
 To prompt renewable energy in power sector, all
renewable energy equipment’s and related raw
materials in producing renewable energy
equipment’s will be exempted from charging 15%
VAT.
 An incentive tariff may be considered for electricity
generated from renewable energy sources which
may be 10% higher than the highest purchase price
of electricity by the utility from private generators.
Published in 2008, “Policy Guideline for Enhancement of
Private Participation in the Power Sector” that considers the
depleting domestic reserve of natural gas and the global trend
of increasing RE utilization. The main objective of the policy
is to introduce and regulate competition by allowing private
investment in the power sector, and to establish new
commercial power plants and rehabilitate old ones through
Public Private Partnership (PPP). The main features of this
policy guidelines can be summed up into the following points
[9]:
 Private investors are allowed to build commercial
power plants that comply with the existing
environmental laws & regulations, technical
standards of grid interconnection and operation.
Considering the depleting natural gas reserve, they
are allowed to use any fuel including renewable ones
and are free to find their own buyers to sell
electricity at a mutually negotiated tariff.
 Non-competition from public utilities is ensured in
case there is a contract with large consumers.
However, depending on the location, they must sell
20% electricity to public utilities at a bulk tariff rate
as determined by BERC.
 The private investors are to enjoy certain fiscal
incentives, such as corporate income tax waiver for
15 years, relaxed customs duties on a certain amount
of import for 12 years, possibility of land lease
support from the GOB etc. and many more.
  Public Private Partnership (PPP) is allowed for joint
venture power plants under certain terms and
conditions.
In October 2013, SREDA has developed the ‘Guidelines for
the Implementation of Solar Power Development Program’
to act on the ‘Renewable Energy Policy 2008’ and went ahead
with two types of projects, namely, the Commercial and
Social Solar Power Projects. Solar powered charging station
was the least considered commercial project [9].
In July 2018, the Power Division of MPEMR has launched
the Net Metering Guidelines-2018 that aims to allows
consumers to become ‘prosumers’ by connecting their RE
systems to the distribution grid via a bi-directional smart
meter [7]. The capacity and energy export limit of NEM
system is as follows [according to revised Net Metering
Guideline, 2019]:
 Any three-phase consumer can be considered
eligible for the net metering system.
 A consumer can install (capacity of solar PV
system) up to 70% of his sanctioned load.
 The maximum output AC capacity of the installed
RE system for NEM can be up to 10 MW.
 For a medium voltage (MV) consumer, the installed
capacity of the RE system can be a maximum of
70% of the rated capacity of the distribution
transformers.
B. EV Future of Bangladesh
In Bangladesh the most prevalent e-mobility solution are the
electric two/three wheelers. Although the actual stock take of
these "Easy Bikes" are yet to be determined, it is estimated
that 1.24 million of these vehicles are on the road which are
facilitating transportation of approximately 250 million
people [8].
Figure 2: Currently Used Electric Vehicles in Bangladesh
Considering the socio-economic context of the country, these
vehicles are an ideal mode of transportation due to their
inexpensive nature. Moreover, sharing rides is one of the
distinctive features that make this transport more popular as
it reduces per head fare cost.
The four-wheeler EV market is still virtually non-existent in
Bangladesh. Currently, it is estimated that there are less than
10 passenger EVs in the country, and all of them are
concentrated in the capital city. However, due to lower
operational costs, the demand for Four-Wheeler Hybrid
vehicles has gone up over the last few years. In terms of sales,
the figure had been rising sharply up until the COVID-19
pandemic in 2020. In 2018, the hybrid four-wheeler market
has registered a 900% increase in sales [11].
Figure 3: Trend of Hybrid Four-Wheelers in Recent Years.
Hybrid cars varies on the technology they are operating.
Mainly there two varieties namely full hybrid and plug in
hybrid. Both variants are available in Bangladesh market.
The EV space in Bangladesh is at a very nascent stage. The
government is currently formulating policies to promote
wide-scale EV deployment. Bangladesh Road Transport
Authority (BRTA) is working on a draft policy to expedite
the import, domestic manufacturing, and registration of EVs.
Automobile Industry Development Policy 2021 is in place
that talks about 10-year tax holiday, financial incentives,
interest waiver on loans for local manufacturing and
assembly of EVs. Several large corporates have announced
their plan to establish local EV manufacturing plants [12].
Bangladesh Auto Industries Limited (BAIL) is setting up the
country's first ever electric car plant in Mirsarai Economic
Zone. They plan to manufacture all sorts of vehicles starting
from two/three wheelers, sedan, hatchback and subsequently
SUVs and pickup trucks: with an initial investment of $200
million. The plant will manufacture almost 60% of the
components of the vehicles, including lithium battery, motor,
controller, software platform, chassis, and body.
The company is expecting to sell an SUV at Tk 25 lakh, sedan
at Tk 12 lakh to Tk 15 lakh, and a hatchback at Tk 8 lakh or
even less. These electric vehicles would cut fuel cost by 90
per cent and per kilometer energy cost would be less than Tk
2. The battery capacity will be 50-kilowatt hour. Fully
charging an EV would cost Tk 400 as per the existing
electricity tariff. With a 20-minute charge, these EVs can run
400 km according to their claim [13].
Nitol Motors is also setting up an EV assembly plant with the
brand name "Suvare"[12]. The project with an estimated cost
of BDT 3.5 billion, is being set up in Pabna and Bogura. They
will assemble sedans that will be able to cover 200 kilometers
with just half an hour of charging. India’s automaker Omega
Seiki has recently announced an investment of INR 1 billion
to set up EV manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh.
The government plans to introduce EVs in the public
transportation system as well. Bangladesh Road Transport
Corporation (BRTC) has already taken the initiative to
introduce 50 electric buses that will run in long routes like
Dhaka-Chottogram. The electric buses, each having 50 seats,
will have two ways of recharging – on-route while operating market as car manufacturers are moving towards catering for
and overnight at bus depots. In the updated NDC, Bangladesh that market as mentioned above. Bangladesh will simply have
committed to establish charging station network and no option but to learn to adapt to the changes in the worldwide
introduce electric buses in major cities [14]. market trend.

C. Existing Solar Charging Station Scenarios

There are approximately 900,000 easy bikes in Bangladesh

which operate on battery power. Batteries are currently
charged through main supply electricity. Currently, around
9000MWh (9,000,000 kWh) energy is used daily from the
supply grid to meet easy bike charging demand. This has
resulted in more energy crises and load shedding in
Bangladesh. To reduce this huge burden on the national grid,
GOB has already started to implement solar-powered
charging stations at various locations [8].

Figure 4: Initiatives of the first EV Car Plant According to SREDA’s website, so far 14 solar charging
stations have been installed with total capacity of 0.253MW.
The Automobile Industry Development Policy 2021, okayed The stations are owned and financed by different utilities,
by the Cabinet in June this year, stipulates policy support, such as, BPDB, BREB, DESCO, DPDC and WZPDCL [6].
including tax holiday and fiscal incentives, for local assembly
of electric vehicles and development of technologies and Table 1: Present Installed Solar Charging Stations
infrastructures for energy efficient vehicles. The proposed
policy projects that at least 15% of registered vehicles will be SID Capacity Location Agency Finance
powered by environment-friendly electricity in 2030[15].
462 20 kWp Narayanganj DPDC Self
UNDP has pointed out that import taxes and duties are too 336 21 kWp Gazipur BREB Self
high making four-wheeled EVs simply prohibitively 337 21 kWp Mymensingh BREB Self
expensive for the Bangladesh market. The UN body, while 338 21 kWp Dhaka BREB Self
offering $1.78 crore support to enhance policy institutional 3245 15 kWp Rajshahi BMDA Self
framework for EVs and EV charging stations and tailored 281 21 kWp Jessore WZPDCL Self
capacity building, has identified several roadblocks, which, it 286 30 kWp Gazipur BREB Self
has stressed, must be removed to pave the way for a smooth 287 21 kWp Narayanganj BREB Self
transition [15]. 288 21 kWp Munshiganj BREB Self
335 20 kWp Chittagong BPDB Self
185 20 kWp Sylhet BPDB Self
188 21 kWp Keraniganj BREB Self
164 16 kWp Dhaka DESCO Self
1949 14.4 kWp Jhenaidah IDCOL Self

Table II: Solar Charging Stations Sorted by Agency

Figure 5: EV Future of Bangladesh Summarized. Organization Quantity Installed Capacity

BREB 7 156 kWp
There is also increased interest among the businesses to BPDB 2 40 kWp
integrate sustainable transport solutions into their business WZPDCL 1 21 kWp
operations. Ricardo-AEA Limited, UK and Infrastructure DPDC 1 20 kWp
Development Company Limited (IDCOL), Bangladesh has
DESCO 1 16 kWp
conducted a demand and needs assessment survey among the
Micro, Small and Medium-size Enterprises (MSMEs) in BMDA 1 15 kWp
Bangladesh. 30 per cent of the responding companies own at IDCOL 1 14.4 kWp
least one EV and 56 per cent of the companies expressed their Total 14 282.4 kWp
intent to develop an in-house fleet of EV in near future [12].

Although the EV market in Bangladesh is still virtually non-

existent, but the EVs are sure to gain more foot in the local
Table 3 gives the presently installed and running solar
charging stations and their aimed target of power generation
and reduction of CO2 emission. However, there are some
ongoing solar charging station projects at different stage of
development. These charging stations are being installed by
REB. They are about to install seven more solar charging
stations.
These stations will be located at Gopalganj PBS, Natore PBS-
1, Comilla PBS-2, Khulna PBS, Sylhet PBS, Rajshahi PBS
and Coxbazar PBS. Among these seven stations two are
under construction, tending is in process for one, and
administrative process is in progress for four of them. The
cumulative output of these seven stations is estimated to be
Figure 6: Solar Charge Stations Own Percentage
147 kWp or even higher [10].

Table 2: Currently Operational Solar Charging Stations with their target and achievement.

CO2
Expected Expected
Emission CO2 Emission
Energy Energy
Agency SID Capacity Cost Completion time Reduction Reduction till
Generation Generation
During Today
in Lifetime till Today
Lifetime
336 21 kWp 49.48 April, 2017 458 MWh 110 MWh 217 tCO2 52 tCO2
337 21 kWp 45.69 April, 2017 458 MWh 110 MWh 217 tCO2 52 tCO2
338 21 kWp 43.85 April, 2017 458 MWh 110 MWh 217 tCO2 52 tCO2
BREB 286 30 kWp 76.93 March, 2017 654 MWh 162 MWh 309 tCO2 76 tCO2
287 21 kWp 44.64 March, 2017 458 MWh 113 MWh 217 tCO2 54 tCO2
288 21 kWp 49.30 March, 2017 458 MWh 113 MWh 217 tCO2 54 tCO2
188 21 kWp 51.70 October, 2016 458 MWh 122 MWh 217 tCO2 58 tCO2
335 20 kWp N/A December, 2016 436 MWh 113 MWh 206 tCO2 53 tCO2
BPDB
185 20 kWp N/A October, 2016 436 MWh 117 MWh 206 tCO2 55 tCO2
DPDC 462 20 kWp N/A February, 2019 436 MWh 63 MWh 206 tCO2 30 tCO2
DESCO 164 16 kWp N/A September, 2016 349 MWh 94 MWh 165 tCO2 45 tCO2
BMDA 3245 15 kWp N/A April, 2017 327 MWh 79 MWh 155 tCO2 37 tCO2
WZPDCL 281 21 kWp N/A March, 2017 458 MWh 113 MWh 217 tCO2 54 tCO2
IDCOL 1949 14.4 kWp N/A June, 2016 314 MWh 90 MWh 148 tCO2 43 tCO2

1) Decade-wise Solar Charging Station Targets from

2021 to 2041

In this section, three scenarios of solar PV targets from 2021

to 2041 are presented, namely business as usual or BAU,
medium, and high solar PV deployment scenario. The
scenarios will aim for different levels of RE share in the
generation mix. In several important policy documents, GOB
has fixed a target of supplying 10% of the total power demand
from RE sources by 2020.

The most recent policy document titled Revisiting PSMP

2016 has adopted a similar path and extended it until 2041. Figure 7: 3D Model of a Solar EV Charging Station.
According to BAU projection RE generation capacity to be
The mid-case deployment is developed based on the
10% of total by 2041 translating into nearly 7,950 MW,
assumption that the sector will receive both international
which is close to 8,000 MW. Out of this 8000 MW solar
support and government patronage in the coming decades. By
charging stations will occupy only 31 MW.
2041, the renewable is set to cover nearly 31% of total
generation capacity in this scenario translating into 25,000 to find their own buyers to sell electricity at a mutually
MW. Out of this 25000 MW solar charging stations will negotiated tariff. There is no mention of a preset or regulated
occupy only 51 MW. The high solar PV deployment scenario tariff. Given the global trend of electric vehicles and about to
has been developed assuming aggressive attitude of the flourish electric vehicle charging station sector, a regulated
government and reliable international financial support. price model for different charging schemes and charging
Under this scenario, nearly 50% of installed power capacity period should be included in the policy.
will be covered by solar PVs, which will be 40,000 MW. Out
of this 40000 MW solar charging stations will occupy only 3) Considerable Administrative Overheads
101 MW. The three-development case scenario and the solar
charging station fate is tabulated in Table I. At present, an independent solar PV project developer needs
to organize more than 30 permits and acquiring such permits
Table 3: Solar Charging Station Projected Target is quite a challenging task in Bangladesh. Therefore, such
challenges and obstacles need to be converted into
Solar PV Until 2021- 2031- transparent and quantifiable cost components.
Cumulative
Development 2020 2030 2041
Scenario MW MW MW MW 4) Too Long a Lock in Period
BAU 1 10 20 31 The lock in period for the investor (The lead partner) and
Medium operating partner is for at least up to the 6th year of operation
1 20 30 51
Deployment of the plant. This hinders many developers from being
High interested to invest in Bangladesh. Many of the developers or
1 30 70 101
Deployment investors are interested to develop the project and they want
to sell it to potential buyers after the CoD.

5) Stringent Qualification Criteria For The Developer

The operations and maintenance of solar PV projects is easy

Figure 8: Solar Charging Station Projected Target
III. IMPENDING BARRIERS OF SOLAR CHARGING STATION
IMPLEMENTATION IN BANGLADESH.
A. Policy and regulations
1) Inadequate and Unharmonious Policy Framework
Bangladesh is yet to formulate policies and regulations to
address various aspects of the solar energy sector
development; a standalone dedicated policy for solar electric
vehicle charging station is very urgent. Solar Electric Vehicle
Charging Station demands a dedicated policy and regulatory
framework. Moreover, a review of the existing policies
reveals a sort of incongruity among them. A clear-cut, firm
and stimulating policy and regulatory framework is of
foremost importance for any sector to develop and thrive.
2) Regulated Tariff/Incentive
There is still an absence of regulated tariff structure for all
solar projects in Bangladesh. According to “Renewable
Energy Policy-2008”, private investors are allowed to use any
fuel including renewable ones for renewable power projects
for instance solar electric vehicle charging station and are free
and many solar PV projects worldwide are observed to be
unmanned. The requirement of operating experience is
hindering local investors from developing large scale solar
PV projects. It takes time to select and appoint an operating
partner and negotiate terms with them (the operating partner
needs to hold at least 20% of equity share holding), as so far
none of the local business entities has experience of operating
solar PV projects. This fact is equally applicable for solar
charging stations. According to SREDA there are 14 running
solar charging stations but there are several private owned
solar charging stations that are nowhere to be found in any
database.
6) Solar PV Waste Disposable Policy
Currently, there is no policy addressing the waste disposal
arrangements after the project life of solar PV power plants
in Bangladesh. Given the state of rapid progression of the
sector, it is imperative to formulate an appropriate regulation
addressing this issue.
Solar PV modules are complex pieces of technology that
become big, bulky sheets of electronic waste at the end of
their lives. Solar panels contain toxic materials like lead that
can leach out as they break down, landfilling also creates new
environmental hazards-and right now, most of the world
including Bangladesh doesn’t have a plan for dealing with
that. But we’ll need to develop effective disposal policy,
because the solar e-waste glut is coming.
By 2050, the International Renewable Energy Agency
projects that up to 78 million metric tons of solar panels will
have reached the end of their life, and that the world will be
generating about 6 million metric tons of new solar e-waste
annually. While the latter number is a small fraction of the
total e-waste humanity produces each year, standard
electronics recycling methods don’t cut it for solar panels.
Recovering the most valuable materials from one, including
silver and silicon, requires bespoke recycling solutions. And
if we fail to develop those solutions along with policies that
support their widespread adoption, disaster will occur.
B. Land and Weather Related Barriers
1) Land Related Barriers
If Bangladesh is to embrace the EV trend and achieve its CO2
emission target, the upcoming solar charging stations must be
sufficiently large enough to serve the huge crowd. As a result,
these projects may or will require vast stretches of land.
Being agriculture dominated economy; GOB understandably
preserves agricultural lands from being used for solar PV
project development. As a result, there are very little non-
agricultural lands that lie mostly in the northeastern part of
the country, in the riverbanks and islands, sand bars and in
coastal regions. Acquiring land to install solar charging
station may be easy but for urban and semi-urban areas where
the users on EVs is most likely to be maximum is not going
difficult and costly. Again, these areas are far away from the
national grid facilities or limited by the grid capacity. So,
operating a solar charging station with additional grid support
for 24/7 availability may not be possible in all areas.
Very often it is found that the ownership of suitable lands for
solar PV projects is distributed among several hundred
individuals. The legal acquisition of land from several
hundred owners requires a considerable amount of time.
Moreover, it has also been found very often that the transfer
of lands through deeds was not properly conducted in the
past, which also delays the project implementation period and
thus incurs cost. Until the ownerships of the lands are not
clear the project financial closure cannot be achieved. A solar
charging station no matter how big will not cover a very vast
area like a solar power plant does. So not all land related
problems are not implied to solar charging stations.
2) Challenges Weather & Climatic Conditions
Very often, Bangladesh experiences cyclones in the southern
region due to its geographical location. This creates the need
for special precaution in the form of mounting structure
design and the assembly, thus increasing the project cost.
Solar irradiation is moderate in Bangladesh, about 4.5 kWh
(GHI) per m2 per day. This average value is also not available
all through the year. During the long monsoon, the generation
is highly variable due to the frequent overcast sky. Dust
accumulation on the solar panels is much higher in
Bangladesh compared to other countries, which results in
higher O&M cost for the plants. Therefore, a higher
maintenance cost needs to be allocated in the project O&M
budget, which also increases the cost of electricity from solar
PV projects. During the monsoon, most of the country’s land
is inundated and it is difficult to work in the rainy season,
which also delays project implementation time and thus
increases cost.
C. Financing and Business Models
1) Absence of Capacity Payment
Unlike the conventional IPP projects, capacity payment is
absent in the solar IPP project. So, the financial model needs
to be adjusted to cover the risks. Solar plants usually operate
at 17–19% plant utilization factor. So, without capacity
payments, all O&M, returns and debt services needs to be
covered from the sale of electricity from solar PV Power.
2) Risk Investment
The credit rating of Bangladesh is BB- (Standard & Poor’s).
It is not very encouraging for foreign investors. So, if the
return is not high enough the foreign investors are not
encouraged to invest. The lack of project realization related
information, knowledge and guidance relating to policy and
regulatory compliance obligations for solar PV projects
forces the developers to take risks.
D. Non-Licensed Vehicle
There are no rules for registering EV in BRTA. But there
should be a legal framework for promoting sustainable
environment through energy efficient method of EV use. The
rules and regulations for EV licensing should be designed by
technical and some other means as like motorized vehicle. As
the electric vehicle is unlicensed vehicle as per government
indication, it acts as an obstacle for EV penetration in
Bangladesh. At first, EV i.e., Auto-rickshaw, Electric bike,
Electric bi-cycle, Electric tricycle needs registration in the
national website. When it is completed then the total number
of charging station required in different corners of
Bangladesh can be calculated easily. Charging rate of EV
should be selected according to the energy consumption.
E. Technological Feasibility
1) Additional Grid Support
One of the main problems of the adoption of PV power
sources is the lack of a stable and continuous electrical power
production. The PV power sources suffer from an intermittent
and stochastic nature that caused by the continuous variations
in the solar isolation levels as well as the ambient temperature
values. Additionally, the day-night cycles highly impact the
ability of using PV sources in standalone configurations.
Additional grid support is a much necessary option for the
effectiveness of a solar charging station. The additional grid
support will provide the necessary boost to a solar charging
station to overcome its weakness of nature itself [16] [17].
The dependance on the main grid as a stable source can
compensate the RES fluctuations.

Figure 9: Using AC Grid to compensate the fluctuations in solar
2) Hybrid Topology for effective operational hours
As the solar can provide power only at daytime and is absent
in cloudy & foggy days, thus hybrid system (such as solar,
biogas or solar, wind or solar, municipal waste) is mandatory
for sustainable production of electricity for EV charging [18].
Figure 10: Hybrid topology for Solar Charging Station
Several works have analyzed the design of EV charging
stations based on hybrid sources including the storage
system. All aspects of the Solar EV charging such as
topologies of power converters, charging mechanisms as well
as the control and optimization of on-grid, off-grid modes and
hybrid systems are summarized in [19-20]
3) Effective Charging Scheme
There are three levels commonly used to describe the
charging power of EVSE: Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast
Charging. This simplest form of charging uses a 120V AC
connection, while level 2 requires a 208/240V AC power
connection, and finally sometimes referred to as Level 3, DC
fast charging equipment delivers high power directly into an
EV’s battery system, enabling rapid charging. Typically, an
80% charge can be provided in 30 minutes or less for many
all-electric vehicles. Some of the fast-charging systems
presently available incorporate negative pulse fast charging
algorithms that claim to have great benefits to batteries
including reduced recharge time, lower temperature rise, full
recharge capabilities, as well as shorter equalization times
The claims of the Negative Pulse Charger are often criticized
as myths but there is also some practical evidence proving its
claims [21]. The intelligent negative pulse current charger is
designed to meet charger requirements of power battery on
the electric vehicle. This assists in reducing battery internal
impedance while charging. The battery gassing amount is
only 15%-20% of traditional chargers. Temperature raises of
battery while charging is also greatly lowered.
IDCOL’s Solar powered battery charging station R & D site
at Chuadanga use this technology and claimed that using this
device will increase the lifetime of the batteries of EV by a
significant factor and it is 22% more efficient than
conventional chargers used [22].
4) Smart Card Billing System
With a post billing system, the project owner would need to
rely on the charging station operational staff where there is a
moderate possibility of inconsistencies between the actual
money collection and the billing, due to a lack of monitoring
of the operations. In such situation the project owner will
have to face extra pressure when repaying the loan
instalments [22].
Therefore, Solar E Technology has developed a prepaid
metering system and has installed a smart meter in each
charging terminal that could implement the prepayment
system through IC card meter management. Users would
recharge their IC cards and then insert them into the meter to
start charging their vehicle. Thus, the measuring of kWh,
billing, battery charging operation and data storage would be
managed by smart meters. Cloud based software can be
developed if we want to control and manage files, multi-
tariffs, parameters, and data storage and data analysis.
5) Other Technological Aspects
 Vehicle to Grid (V2G)
 Route Search: Range and Location
 Technical Standards Related Challenges
 Remote Data Management System
 Advanced Charging Control Architectures
IV. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Motivations to put adequate emphasis on the installation of
solar-powered charging stations are manifold. Apart from
adding extra solar capacity, solar charging stations have the
potential to greatly reduce the burden on the national grid
imposed by the large number of battery-driven electric
vehicles, thus diversifying the demand. Keeping an eye on the
global development, it can be safely stated that solar charging
stations are likely to capture more attention in the future with
the commercialization of electric vehicles.
A. Developing a favorable policy framework
For any well-defined national energy target to be met, a
strong legal, policy, and regulatory framework is required.
Obviously, the first step will be to create a goal that will
generate and convey a critical high-end priority signal to all
stakeholders and actors in the industry. In Bangladesh a
couple of very important steps have already been
implemented that are in favor of a sustainable solar EVCS,
and they are:
 Establishment of SREDA
  Relevant policy and regulatory documents that are
already serving as basic guideline like ‘Renewable
Energy Policy 2008’, ‘Net Metering Guidelines-
2018’, ‘Power System Master Plan 2016’, ‘Policy
Guidelines for Commercial IPP 2008’
 Formation of a financial organization such as
IDCOL within the scope of the Ministry of Finance
with a priority on RE programs.
Our suggestion is to set up a dedicated agency for solar
charging station industry under SREDA, that will speed up
the establishment of solar charging stations and related
activities. This agency shall be responsible for:
 Site selection and land acquisition: This
organization with or without support from the
governments will select the site, and acquire and
develop the land for setting up the solar charging
stations . For private entrepreneurs, there will be
provisions for long-term lease ensuring dispute
free acquisition of land . The selection of sites
shall be with higher solar irradiation, easy access
to mass population and should not create
additional traffic jam. Other facilities to be
provided are approved land with necessary
permissions,Telecommunication facilities and
centralized weather monitoring station.
 Financial models: This organization will be
responsible for estimating the total cost of the
project and then formulating a recovery model to
ensure the sustainability of the solar charging
stations. It shall also be allowed to put in its own
equity, raise loans, create small corpus for working
capital and invest in the operation and maintenance
of the stations, activities related to marketing and
publicity.
B. Net Metering Provisions and Tarrif incentives
Solar-powered charging stations with net metering can be
prioritized to achieve net zero scenario. At present only three
phase consumers are eligible for net metering. Our
recommendation is Solar Charging stations are to be included
in NEM policy. In case of a holiday or low crowd, the excess
energy will be added to the grid which will do savings in
battery energy storage system.
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G), uses a two-way charging port
connected to the home or charging station that can either draw
or supply power between a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or
plug-in hybrid vehicle and the electricity grid, depending on
where it’s needed most. Although V2G in Bangladesh will
take a long time to come. Allowing charging stations with
NEM privileges the first step to the implementation smart
grid can be started. It should be noted that DPDC is currently
building a localized smart grid in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has
introduced a new tariff category for charging stations –setting
energy charge of 7.70 Tk./KWh along with an additional
demand charge of 40 Tk./KW/month. However, to promote
the adoption of solar EVCS, the tariff is recommended to be
lower since solar charging stations are only going to use them
in case of bad weather or storage system maintenance
scenario.
C. Role of BRTA: Licensing and modification of Existing
EVs
To ensure the roadworthiness of registered cars, particularly
electric or environmentally friendly vehicles, revise the
existing Motor Vehicle Act and other related legislation
covering safety, quality, and emission restrictions. While
upgrading the inspection facilities owned by BRTA,
strengthen the vehicle inspection system so that fitness tests
can correctly verify if safety, quality, and emission levels
comply with the required criteria. BRTA Should also be
responsible for mandating the modification of existing three-
wheelers. IDCOL suggest that certain modification on the
existing EVs can extend their lifetime by 25% [22].
D. Competition with AC Charging Stations
As discussed earlier the era of EV in Bangladesh is
commencing. Bangladesh has simply no choice but to accept
it and develop the necessary infrastructure to cope with the
situation. To meet the demand of these EVs, manufacturing
companies are sure to install charging stations. Besides to
meet the demands of the govt. owned EVs (Public Transport)
GOB will also install charging stations.
Our recommendation is to follow the “PSMP-2016” strictly
which mandates that 10% of all power should come from RE.
Adhering to that fact 10% of all the charging stations should
be solar EV charging stations. This should apply for both
govt.-initiated projects and to the other agencies who are
building charging stations. Besides to compete with the AC
EV charging stations, the solar EVCSs are needed to be
equipped properly so that they may not fall behind the race.
E. Ensuring a Safe Financial Landscape
It should be realized that the envisioned target must be met
by merging the effort of both public and private sector. Since
the entry of private power producers in FY 1998-90, the net
energy generation capacity has increased more than 4 times.
The private sector surpassed the public sector in net
generation around 2010 and has successfully sustained the
trend till now.
The same trend is desired in the solar charging station sector
as well and to achieve that a secured investment environment
is of utmost importance. Since, the solar market is still in the
developing phase in Bangladesh, the private investors
understandably foresee higher risks to invest into such
projects. In addition to existing benefits, Other financial
incentives, such as introducing innovative business models,
lowering interest rate, regulated NEM tariff/green certificates
for small to medium scale investors, provision for capacity
payments, etc. can be considered for creating a safe financial
environment in the long run. Although present policy
suggesting that the income tax to be waived for 15 years, our
recommendation is to extend this period to the payback
period of the project.

Multiple international donor institutions can be approached
for funding, including the UNFCCC's Green Climate Fund,
the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the World
Bank's Climate Investment Fund, among others. UNDP,
ADB, GIZ, USAID, JICA, KOICA, and other development
partners are already playing critical roles in boosting RE
throughout the country. They can undoubtedly play an
important role in the financing of solar charging stations.
F. Solar Waste Disposal Policy
Each solar appliance has a labelled lifetime. After that
lifetime, the appliances need to be disposed in proper ways,
i.e., in ways that will be safe for the environment. Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle or, in short, the 3Rs can be handled in a better
way if the processes are made technically and financially
viable. The average lifetime of solar module is around 20-−30
years, and of inverters is around 10−15 years. Charge
controllers, batteries and related appliances have similar a
lifetime. An exit plan for those solar products needs to be
under planning before the lifetime ends. This can avoid
environmental pollution.
V. CONCLUSION
Solar powered battery charging station is an innovative and
environmentally sustainable alternative to meet the on-going
energy crises and to support the existing 1.24 million easy
bikes in Bangladesh. To make it as an effective and mandatory
option for EV a proper policy should be made soon. This paper
presented some important recommendations for upcoming EV
charging station policy giving importance on financial
benefits for investors and tariff incentives for the users. Net
metering provisions was also highlighted. Technical and
economical feasibilities also discussed in the paper. Solar
charging station should be and will be a very effective and
economical solution for rural easy-bike charging without
affecting and disturbing the national grid. Even sometime it
can contribute to the national grid. Government should give
necessary attention on it and thus a green and clean
environment can be built in future. By ensuring the prospects
of EV charging station we can solve our energy and gas crisis;
and ensure a green environment for the future generations.
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