Vegetable farming under solar panels is going on in Sirajganj, an initiative may surprise many, but this innovative approach seems to have bright prospects in the country’s agriculture sector.
The 6.55 MW Solar Power Plant in Sirajganj is being utilised for vegetable cultivation. Various kinds of vegetables such as cucumber, spinach and sweet pumpkin have been grown beneath the solar panels covering 22 acres of idle land of the plant under a pilot project.
Such initiative is likely to be taken involving another mega solar power project ‘Sirajganj 68 MW Solar Park’ being implemented on 214 acres of land adjacent to the 6.55 MW Solar Power Plant.
The project officials also plan to rear ducks, cultivate fish and vegetables in the idle areas of the solar park. The plant is expected to start commercial operation on 20 June this year.
Md. Tanbir Rahman, the project director, told the Daily Bangladesh Post that all the projects should have multiple benefits as per the directives of the Prime Minister.
Following the PM’s directives, the solar power projects are being used for vegetable cultivation and fish farming. Preparations are afoot to bring 18-acre canal of 68 MW Solar Park for fish farming, he added.
The 6.55 MW power plant located at Soydabad in Sirajganj went into operation in 2022. The plant is close to Bangabandhu Bridge on west bank of the Jamuna River. It has 22,650 solar panels.
Chief Engineer of the project Shafiqul Islam said that vegetables are being grown without under these panels, which will significantly impact the country's agricultural sector.
Project officials are also exploring other types of vegetables that can be cultivated under the solar panels, he said adding a senior secretary of the Power Department has recently inspected the pilot project and expressed satisfaction at the initiative of vegetable cultivation.
Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department Babul Kumar Sutradhar also praised the initiative. He noted that such projects in many developed countries save agricultural land and boost agricultural production alongside generating renewable energy.
Former CEO of North West Power Generation Company Ltd Engr AM Khurshedul Alam is the brain child of vegetable cultivation under solar panels. He is now Managing Director of Bangladesh-China Renewable Energy Company Limited (BCRECL). The BCRECL is implementing the new 68 MW solar power park project.
