14 Postal mail processing centres save 62pc on electricity bills thru solar power

Fourteen Mail Processing Centres (MPCs) of the postal department have saved around Tk 13 lakh in electricity bills by using solar power.

Without the solar power systems, the electricity bills of the centres would have amounted to around Tk 20.86 lakh.

However, by meeting their own electricity needs and supplying surplus power to the national grid, the centres have reduced their bills to Tk 7.94 lakh through net metering, saving around 62 percent of the potential expenditure.

According to the Directorate of Posts, the savings were made between 2023 and October this year.

At a time when the government is emphasising the expansion of solar power use across all government offices, the experience of these 14 postal centres has emerged as a practical example of renewable energy use in public facilities.

Director General of the Directorate of Posts Kazi Asadul Islam told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) that solar power use is not merely a means of saving electricity but also an important step towards building a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

He also said, "Through net metering, surplus electricity can be fed into the national grid, enabling government facilities to become part of a more energy-efficient system."

Kazi Asadul Islam said the experience of the 14 centres had demonstrated that solar power in government facilities was effective not only for the environment but also for saving public funds.

The director general further said a government institution was now generating its own electricity while supplying surplus power to the national grid.

He said this initiative could serve as a model for other government offices as well.

The Directorate of Posts said a total of 86,141 units of electricity had been generated by the solar panels installed at the 14 MPCs during the period.

Of the total generation, 37,417 units were directly used to meet the centres' own electricity requirements.

The Directorate said the remaining 48,724 units were supplied to the national grid through the net metering system.

This means the centres consumed around 43 percent of the solar electricity they generated, while the remaining 57 percent was fed into the national grid.

The centres equipped with solar power systems are Tejgaon, Chattogram, Noakhali, Habiganj, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Ishwardi, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Barishal, Jashore, Khulna, Kushtia and Gopalganj MPCs.

The buildings of these centres were constructed at a cost of Tk 78.50 crore under the Mail Processing and Logistics Service Centre Construction Project.

The centres were also made fully operational by installing 35 types of modern furniture and necessary equipment.

Solar panels with net metering facilities are among the key components of this infrastructure development.

The Directorate said the systems had been installed to reduce dependence on electricity from the national grid, increase the use of renewable energy and save electricity costs in the long term.

A new development project titled "Sustainable Support for the Mail Processing and Logistics Service Centre Construction Project" has also been undertaken to further enhance the capacity of the centres.

According to the Directorate's calculations, without the solar power systems, the 14 centres would have had to draw a total of 139,097 units of electricity from the national grid.

At Tk 15 per unit, the bill would have amounted to Tk 20,86,455.

However, after generating solar electricity and supplying surplus power to the grid, the actual amount of electricity payable by the centres, following net metering adjustments, stood at 52,956 units.

The corresponding electricity bill amounted to Tk 7,94,340. As a result, the centres saved Tk 12,92,115 in electricity costs, equivalent to 61.93 percent of the potential expenditure without solar power systems.

Based on the same rate, around Tk 5.61 lakh was adjusted against the electricity bill through the centres' direct use of solar power, while around Tk 7.31 lakh was adjusted for electricity supplied to the national grid.

On average, each centre saved around Tk 92,000.

The initiative has also brought environmental benefits. Most of the electricity supplied to the country's national grid is generated from fossil fuels.

According to the international data platform Low Carbon Power, an average of around 582 grams of carbon dioxide was emitted for every unit of electricity generated for the country's grid between April 2025 and March 2026.

Based on this rate, the solar electricity generated by the 14 MPCs has avoided carbon emissions by an estimated 50 tonnes.

However, solar power generation depends on weather conditions, and output declines during rainy days and periods of dense fog.

During such times, the centres have to rely on electricity from the national grid to keep their operations running.

According to the Directorate, the centres received a total of 101,680 units of electricity from the national grid during the period.

Additional Director General (Planning) of the Directorate Khan Hasan Mohammad Iqbal Masud told BSS that solar power generation was weather-dependent, requiring the centres to draw electricity from the national grid on rainy and foggy days.

Nevertheless, he said, the centres' electricity costs had declined significantly as they were able to supply a substantial portion of their generated electricity to the grid.

He added that regular maintenance would help increase the savings further in the long run.

According to the Directorate, solar power operations at the centres were initially scheduled to begin in July 2022.

However, as the technology was new in the country, clearances had to be obtained from various government agencies after the panels were installed and made operational.

It was not possible to obtain these clearances before installation.

At the same time, as the net metering system was also new to the Power Division, additional time was required to establish procedures for electricity accounting and financial adjustments with the national grid.

For these reasons, solar power operations at the centres began in phases from 2023.

Director General Kazi Asadul Islam said the introduction of the new technology initially required some time to complete the clearance and financial adjustment procedures.

"Now the groundwork has been completed. By utilising this experience, it will be possible to introduce solar power systems at other facilities of the postal department more quickly and in a more planned manner in the future," he said.

The government has recently taken various initiatives to save energy and expand the use of renewable energy in the country.

On August 3, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed the phased installation of solar power systems at important government buildings.

Under the initiative, plans were taken to expand solar power use at various government facilities, including Bangabhaban, the Prime Minister's Office, the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the Planning Commission and the Finance Division building.

Subsequently, following the decision taken on August 10, the Cabinet Division issued instructions to ensure maximum use of solar power for official activities at important government offices.

According to government data, the installed capacity of rooftop solar power systems in the country stood at 418.1 megawatts as of June this year.

The initiative is also progressing at organisations under the Posts and Telecommunications Division.

Recently, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam inaugurated a one-megawatt rooftop solar power plant at Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited in Khulna.

On the occasion, he urged government institutions to utilise unused rooftops and other suitable spaces for solar power generation.

Source: BSS