<innovation_line@...> wrote:
>
> Bad news in a very good story in the renewable energy sector in
> Bangladesh: A specific proposal Its time to separate the lost souls
> from the engieering sector of Bangladesh and recycle. Send them to
the
> village to replace some of the cows for our farmers, if possible.
With
> two years of such community service, they will have hopefully regain
> their souls and will be ready serve their profession again. There
are
> some encouraging projects and movement in the policy level that is
going
> on in the energy sector of Bangladesh. It should however be pointed
out
> that things takes time to change, specifically in the energy
sector. So,
> its important to distinguish our everyday misery with electricity
and
> what should we expect in few years time. Its not possible to go
> through all the issues here, however, we would like to point out an
> important aspect of the problem and two implications. With the
> eminent success in this long neglected topic, the main culprits
(read:
> senior engineers e.g. chief engineers and policy making members in
> different power bodies such as PDB, REB, DESA, etc) are also sensing
> this. Its not surprising that they will sense the change in the
wind,
> they are also worried that their channels of earning money may
vanish
> soon. So it seems that they are doing two things: 1. They are
changing
> their talking points, they are starting two championing all the good
> things that could be done in the power sector and those of which
they
> have so far suppressed. You may ask whats wrong with that? They
could
> not support all the good ideas so far since there was not any
> environment. Now that things are changing in the policy level with
> governments active support for good changes, these engineers and
members
> of the different policy making boards are also getting on board,
that
> should be seen as a good thing - why should we incriminate them with
> reference to the past mistakes. To answer that we would point out
that
> the mistakes shouldn't go unrecognized and unaccounted for. Mistakes
> should be punished. Punishment can be creative in the sense that
they do
> not have to go to jail, but unless its not identified, what prevents
> that they won't do the same again? 2. But more important thing
is who
> will make sure that these technical and policy making leaderships
(who
> have presided over the biggest mess of our time), who makes sure
that
> they are not going to subotaging the whole thing? Off course they
are
> smart enough to reach on top, they will find their way to slow down
the
> progress and/or kill the whole thing. History of past 17 months
tells
> that for any person who are informed. You are not convinced? Let us
tell
> you two things to prove our point: (I). There is a talk in the
policy
> level about how to encourage the consumers to buy energy-saving
bulbs
> which has the potential to save about 500 MW electricity in the
grid.
> One proposal that are being talked about in the policy making level
to
> tie this encouragement project with the system loss of power. What
they
> are saying is people will not change to energy-saving bulbs because
many
> consumers are stealing the electricity and hence already paying
less.
> Their contention is that since consumers are already paying less,
they
> will not be motivated to change from conventional bulb to energy-
saving
> bulb. So, they are saying you have to stop the stealing (reduce
system
> loss) in order to make the energy-saving bulb adoption. So one of
the
> prescription is to tie this project with the billing of REB/DESA/
PDB and
> somehow achieve the goal in a very non-market and dubious way. On
the
> face of it, this may seem very intelligent. However, we would like
to
> point out that this is just another ploy to slow down the progress
> and/or kill the initiative. They are trying to tie the two problems
> (which are independently very complex) together and suggesting a
policy
> that is prescribing that you can not achieve the second goal
> (energy-saving bulb adoption) unless you achieve the first goal
(reduce
> system loss). Sounds great. We can solve the both problem, isn't
it?
> Think again! What they are actually might be trying is this: They
know
> how to kill any project that aims to reduce system loss. Its not
just
> possible given the economic framework. So, when they suggest the
policy
> they know that the first goal will not be achieve, so the second
goal
> will not also be achieved. However, what is the alternative that
we
> are suggesting? Its very plain. You have two problem and they are
> independently complex enough. Do not tie them together. Use a
market
> based mechanism to reduce the entry-cost of the consumers by either
> subsidizing the consumers or help reducing the production cost of
the
> energy-saving bulb. This will make sure the majority of the
consumers
> will switch to energy-saving bulb. A specific proposal will be to
> separate 1000 crore taka (a certain percentage of the installation
cost
> for a 500 MW power-plant) and use that money to encourage consumers
to
> switch. Government could employ agencies to replace any functioning
> traditional bulbs with a energy-saving bulb for free. Just make a
> program like OMS for a short period of time. That will create
awareness.
> Do it in all the areas where local government elections are
scheduled
> for next month. This will be a good project to see whether the
> candidates uses their time to demonstrate what kind of public office
> holder they will be. Once an awareness campaign is done
successfully,
> make those bulb available in the regular stores for the same price
of
> the traditional bulbs. Ban those bulbs, if you can. Force the local
> manufacturers or importers to switch, give them one time cash
incetives.
> That solves one problem - the second problem (energy-saving bulb
> adotpion). Majority of the consumers will switch. However, this
will
> also help solve the first problem, too (reduce system loss). How? As
> those dishonest consumers (who are stealing now with the help of
crooked
> engineers) will notice that electricity bills are going down. So,
there
> will be less incentive for stealing. And probably that is the big
fear
> of those cheif engineers and members of the policy making bodies
(public
> jodi valo hoye jai, tahle tu oder aar khana thakbe na). (II).
With
> certain kind of euphemism with the good success story in the
renewable
> energy in Bangladesh, the country is going in the right direction
with
> or without the help of the government policy-makers. This progress
is
> happening mostly in the private sectors and with the leadership
role of
> certain NGOs. While the culprits in the government agencies are
trying
> their best to kill or slow down the progress with instruments that
are
> within their reach, they are also ploying to kill the euphemism in
the
> market place. Want an example? Allow us to give one. They will often
> tell you that Bangladesh can't fully depend on the renewables, they
will
> give one example of Germany since they have the most advanced
policy in
> this renewable sector. So, the example that they cite is this:
Even
> Germany has a target to achieve 22% of renewable energy in the
grid. So,
> the implication is that we should not aim higher than that. But what
> they do not tell you is this: Germany's 22% is much higher than our
> total demand. What can you conclude from that? Any school going boy
will
> say that if Germany can aim to achieve 22% dependency on renewable
> energy, then we can achieve 100% dependency, isn't it? However,
those
> who understand the nature of load in the enegy grid, they will tell
you,
> theoretically we should not be aiming for 100%, but nothing
prevents one
> to aim for a renewable dependency of 85% in Bangladesh, given the
> current state of energy consumption. Off course, over time, as we
> develop, we may have to to reduce that load to about 50%. In other
> words, 50% renewable dependency is a very realistic, achievable and
> theoretically possible goal for Bangladesh to pursue. Now the
> quesiton is whether Dr. Tamim has the materials to understand that
and
> off course, whether he has the will-power to do what it takes to
remove
> the criminals from the policy making bodies in PDB, REB, DESA,
etc.
> Only time will answer that question. If you thought some of the
ideas
> are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you
have
> an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please
forward it
> to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of
the
> electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the
> suggestions and give due diligence.
>
> Thanks for your time,
> Innovation Line
>
> =======================================================
> Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different
internet
> based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members
of new
> generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify
yourself as
> someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column,
> please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for
> publishing the article as Creative Commons contents.
>
> Dear readers, also, if you thought the article was important enough
so
> it should come under attention of the head of the government please
> forward the message to them. Email address for the Chief Advisor:
> feeedback@... <mailto:feeedback@...> _ or at
> http://www.cao.gov.bd/feedback/comments.php
> <http://www.cao.gov.bd/feedback/comments.php> .
>
> The more of you forward it to them, the less will be the need to go
back
> to street agitation. Use ICT to practice democracy. Also send to
your
> favourtie TV channel:
> Channel i: http://www.channel-i-tv.com/contact.html
> <http://www.channel-i-tv.com/contact.html>
> ATN Bangla: mtplive@... <mailto:mtplive@...> _
> NTV: info@... <mailto:info@...> _
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> BTV: info@... <mailto:info@...> _
> ======================================================
>
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