3.2MWp rooftop solar plant opens in Narayanganj

Originally posted in The Financial Express on 12 April 2022

The country’s largest rooftop solar power plant, set up on a textile mills’ buildings in Narayanganj, was inaugurated on Monday

The country’s largest rooftop solar power plant under the opex model, a 3.2-megawatt peak (MWp) array, was inaugurated in Narayanganj on Monday.

The facility has been established on a textile mill’s buildings in Bhulta, on the outskirts of Dhaka city.

Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) chairman Mohammad Alauddin inaugurated it on rooftops of multiple buildings of Robintex Group.

Joules Power Ltd (JPL), the country’s first utility-scale solar power plant owner at Teknaf, funded over Tk 190.61 million to install the ‘JPL-Robintex Rooftop Solar Power Plant’.

The factory owner will buy electricity from the plant for a period of 20 years. The plant will also remain connected to the grid under the net-metering policy.

Under the opex model, an investor sets up a power plant on the land/rooftop of a factory owner who buys electricity from the plant at least 20 per cent cheaper than the grid power price.

“Opex model adds value to the off-takers as they are purchasing power from JPL at a rate which is at least 20 per cent cheaper than the grid line,” says JPL managing director Nuher Latif Khan.

“By executing a project under the opex model, the factory owner saves on investment and ensures the highest returns from the solar plant in terms of efficiency,” he adds.