Bangladesh rooftop solar capacity nears 1 GW as distributed renewable push accelerates

Bangladesh is rapidly expanding its distributed renewable energy (DRE) sector, with rooftop solar installations projected to approach 1 GW. A joint press briefing organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and partners highlighted the need to scale DRE to improve energy security and climate resilience. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reported that rooftop solar capacity is already about 667 MW across 239 sites, far exceeding the government’s official figure of 418 MW, and could be close to 1 GW when smaller installations are included. The analysis noted a 500 MW pipeline of projects and identified policy obstacles, such as a duty increase from 1 % to 17 % for industrial rooftop solar and delays in net‑metering approvals. IEEFA recommends a full duty waiver and faster net‑metering processes to help Bangladesh meet its target of 5.5 GW of new rooftop solar capacity by 2030, part of a broader goal of 10.45 GW renewable energy by 2030.