Left, A tubewell powered by a solar panel is marketed by Ifada Electronics, and a waterproof solar bulb is innovated by Sinoware Technology. Both inventions are on display at the Green Expo and Summit organised by ExpoNet Exhibition at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: Star

A local company took a major step in the use of renewable energy technology by using solar energy to lift underground water through tubewells.
The system developed by Ifada Electronics and Solar Power can lift water even from 800 feet underground without manual operations, except for flipping a switch.  
A 150watt power generating solar panel is enough to run the system, which costs Tk 25,000, according to Md Sanaullah, an official of Ifada.
The system is on display along with other solar products at a three-day green technology exhibition that began at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka yesterday.
Millions of rural households still rely on extracting underground water through manually pumped tubewells, requiring a lot of physical energy.
“Our system will lift underground water automatically,” he said.
Also at the fair, the Chinese company Sinoware Technology is displaying a waterproof solar bulb, in addition to other solar products.
“The waterproof bulb is our innovation, as it can be lit even under water,” said Tommy Huang, manager of the company. Apart from Ifada and Sinoware, some 75 companies from 10 countries, including Bangladesh, are participating in the exhibition to display their solar energy-run products, eco-industrial products and latest green technology and services.
Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated the event, Green Expo and Summit, organised by ExpoNet Exhibition. The expo aims to create opportunities for cross-border trade relations, dissemination of technology and knowledge about products, business innovations and better supply chain management.
High population growth and rural-urban migration intensify the problems of urbanisation which the government is working to make sustainable, Hossain said.
“As the most populous country and limited land space have put tremendous stains on the urban ecosystem, any future urban development programmes will consider proper land-use planning,” he said. “Housing could be eco-friendly, models of which are available locally.”
Hossain urged manufacturers of glass and glass products, brick, cement, ceramic, iron and steel to use 'green concept' considering climate-change vulnerability and ecological changes.
Although the gap between demand and supply of electricity has fallen, it still stands at 1,500MW, which can be further reduced by using renewable energy, Dilder Ahmed Taufiq, senior adviser of Sustainable Energy for Development, German Development Cooperation, said in his keynote paper. “Given its geographic location in the tropics, Bangladesh enjoys abundant solar radiation, the average being 4.5-6 kWh per day,” he said.
Over 2.7 million of solar home systems have been installed in Bangladesh to get electricity to off-grid areas, he said.