19/02/2026
Energy Solutions Hidden on Unused Rooftops: Call for National Priority on Rooftop Solar
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Rangamati, February 19, 2026, Thursday:
Civil society and community representatives have called for an immediate declaration of rooftop solar technology as a national priority to ensure sustainable energy security, environmental protection, and a revolutionary transformation of the power sector in Bangladesh. During a massive mobilization program held today in front of the Rangamati District Administration office, speakers emphasized that achieving renewable energy targets is impossible without the active support and direct participation of local government institutions. The event was organized through the joint initiative of Zabarang Kalyan Samity, Forum on Ecology and Development (FED-Rangamati), CLEAN, BWGED, and local community platforms. Local journalists, youth representatives, women leaders, and environmental activists participated in the human chain to express their solidarity for this energy transition.
In the keynote speech, Shishir Chakma, a member of FED-Rangamati and a poet, stated that the country’s power sector has long prioritized expensive and import-dependent fossil fuels, which has now become a massive burden on the national economy. He argued that while rooftop solar is a clean, accessible, and extremely low-cost solution, it is not receiving the proper priority at the policy-making level.
Poet Ananda Jyoti Chakma added that rooftop solar is not merely a technology for electricity generation, but an opportunity to establish "energy democracy" for the common people. He suggested that if the vast unused rooftops of Union Parishad buildings, schools, hospitals, and rural markets were brought under solar power, a large-scale energy revolution could begin at the local level.
Benzin Chakma, the District Coordinator for Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), noted that a huge amount of rooftop space in both rural and urban areas is currently going to waste. By installing solar panels in a planned manner, the pressure of load-shedding on the national grid would decrease, and a significant amount of foreign currency would be saved by reducing the dependency on imported fossil fuels for power generation.
Mathura Bikash Tripura, Executive Director of Zabarang Kalyan Samity, further highlighted that this energy transition would not only protect the environment but also create a massive job market by producing skilled technicians and entrepreneurs at the local level. He emphasized that community-based solar systems could be the primary medium for ensuring an affordable and fair energy future, especially for women and low-income families.
Following the program, participants submitted a memorandum to the Rangamati District Commissioner and Municipal Administrator outlining five major demands. These demands include ensuring specific policy and financial allocations for local government institutions to expand rooftop solar; making solar power systems mandatory for every government and autonomous building; guaranteeing easy-term loans, government subsidies, and technical support for the general public; ensuring the empowerment of women and marginalized communities in the energy transition process; and adopting a renewable energy roadmap for local implementation instead of environment-destroying fossil fuel-based mega-projects.
Presiding over the event, Muzibul Haque Bulbul, Chairperson of FED-Rangamati, stated in his closing remarks that the people have high expectations of the new government. He argued that development plans will only be sustainable if they are adopted by involving local government and the public. He called for a revolution on building rooftops to ensure that solar power is used nationwide, which would save the country from spending precious foreign currency. He expressed his view that if Bangladesh continues to neglect rooftop solar, the country will once again sink into a cycle of expensive and environmentally hazardous energy crises.
The human chain, moderated by development worker Purna Chakma, also featured speeches from Nuku Chakma, General Secretary of FED-Rangamati; members Mukul Kanti Tripura and Engineer Ganga Bijay Chakma; and Binodan Tripura, Program Director of Zabarang Kalyan Samity.
It is noteworthy that the "One Million Rooftop Solar, One Million Jobs- SUNRISE" project is being implemented in the Rangamati Hill District by Zabarang Kalyan Samity with the support of CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network). FED-Rangamati is actively working on this initiative as a local civil society movement, with BWGED and other local networks serving as partners in this nationwide movement.
