Solar homes to enjoy spl tax benefits

Households installing rooftop solar panels will be designated as ‘green homes’ and offered special tax incentives under a government initiative to accelerate the use of renewable energy, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku has said.

The government also plans to introduce legislation in parliament soon to facilitate rooftop solar installations and ensure households can easily access the proposed benefits, he said.

Speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable discussion at the BISS auditorium in Eskaton, Dhaka, on Saturday, the minister said the government was prioritising renewable energy to tackle the ongoing energy crisis and reduce reliance on imported fuels for electricity generation.

He said the proposed incentives were intended to encourage ordinary households to install solar panels on their rooftops, allowing consumers to contribute directly to the country’s transition towards cleaner energy.

The minister also announced an ambitious target of generating 5,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources, particularly solar power, within the next six months.

The roundtable, titled ‘Rooftop Solar at Household Level: Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward’, brought together energy experts and industry stakeholders to examine the potential of household-level solar power, identify barriers to wider adoption and discuss measures to accelerate its expansion.

Tuku said the proposed legislation and tax incentives would make rooftop solar installations more attractive to households while supporting the government’s broader efforts to diversify the national energy mix.

Bangladesh has been seeking to expand renewable energy generation as its growing dependence on imported gas, coal and petroleum products leaves the power sector increasingly vulnerable to international fuel price fluctuations and supply disruptions.