The present power situation in Bangladesh has many dimensions. However, it is too simplistically and widely seen as a case of generating less power compared to the ever rising demand.
There is certainly a compulsive requirement to look at it without a mind-set. For example, the dilapidated transmission systems frustrate efficient distribution of power . Even after additional generation of power, users cannot have the benefits of the same in some cases as worn out transmission lines fail to supply the additionally available power efficiently to them ; the lines are found frequently getting disabled by accidents.
It is not fair when certain quarters only look at what more things could not be done for the power sector yet. But they do not look at the great achievements already made. For example, the government and privately owned power plants today are regularly producing in the neighborhood 12,000 mw of electricity when this amount used to be a paltry 3,200 mw when the incumbent government took over. This more than quadrupledproduction of power certainly helped mightily to keep the country’s economy going strongly. Indeed, Bangladesh today is marked out among developing countries for scoring such success in higher power production in such a short time even though large scale investments in power production call for huge investments and other technical abilities that the present government could mobilize.
However, one may be astounded to know how much of power is simply wasted every day from keeping light bulbs switched on carelessly as the users have underhand deals with meter readers to pay fixed amounts in bills no matter how much power they consume.
Shopping malls remain lighted up long beyond authorized hours and even the publicly operated street lights can be seen burning in the day time because someone has had no time to switch them off from a central control point.Easy bikes that run on power suck up freely hundreds of megawatts of power from the lines for charging their batteries. There is no regulation in the matter. Unauthorized and temporary connections are taken from power supply lines and there seem to be hardly control over such thievery.
In sum, only from stopping such lack of care and stealing, nearly one fourth of the current effective demand for electricity in the country can be met.
Approximately 60% of our country’s daily electric power consumption is used to run electric motors. The digital intelligent motor controllers (IMCs) when installed with an induction motor provides optimal power management and results in energy savings up to 40%. An IMC also can increase a motor’s life by decreasing its operating temperature. It is estimated that with the application of IMCs, we can save up to 720 MW electricity daily.
Consumers in Bangladesh still are largely hooked to incandescent bulbs (IBs). But the compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can give the same illumination as that of an IB with 80% less energy. Moreover, the life span of CFLs are 10 times higher than IBs..
In Bangladesh, auxiliary consumption of the power plants is about 6 to 7% of total generation. By proper energy auditing, energy management and installation of the latest energy efficient devices, auxiliary power consumption in the power plants can be reduced significantly.
Not only the government, the private sector is expected to work in tandem with the government to realize goals in power conservation.
