Five largest partner organisations (POs) of state-owned IDCOL, who played a vital role in expanding the solar home system (SHS), are now seeking the government’s intervention to resolve the loan write-off issue. Otherwise, they say, they will be deprived of the benefit and face huge losses. Official sources said IDCOL recently forwarded a proposal to the Bangladesh Bank seeking a write-off approval of Tk 306.41 crore default loans for its 39 POs. Its 44 POs have about Tk 1,400 crore in default loans. Also read: Is solar power the solution to Bangladesh's growing energy ... They said these loans, provided by IDCOL, became default because of the government’s fast grid power expansion programme. “Grid electricity expanded to the off-grid areas that discouraged SHS consumers to pay back the loans they received from POs. Such unpaid loans finally made the POs defaulters in paying back the IDCOL,” said a top official of a firm involved in the renewable energy programme.  IDCOL had distributed the loan after receiving funds from different donor agencies, including the World Bank.    Read Govt rooftops can generate 2,000 MW of solar power, say experts According to World Bank’s latest data, an estimated $1,094.93 million was invested in the HSH project to provide electricity to about 20 million people — which means about $266 per household. Of the investment, 63 percent came from the World Bank, 14 percent from the Asian Development Bank and 12 percent from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The entire fund was distributed by IDCOL as a soft loan which resulted in saving Bangladesh $1,852 million while providing clean energy since 2003, says a recent World Bank survey. Also read: Rooftop solar power: 'Net metering can ensure cheaper ... It said the project helped households gain $745 million, partner organisations $310 million and the IDCOL $379 million while the government's net benefit was $474 million, said the donor agency. Solar industry insiders said the SHS programme was launched by IDCOL in 2003. In the last 18 years, over 5.5 million solar home systems were installed. They said that there was a tripartite partnership to the financial model under which IDCOL provided about 70 percent of the total cost of installing the SHS as soft loans to the POs, while the remaining 30 percent was invested by the POs and the customers themselves. Read Green energy's share of power generation lagging far behind conventional sources

Some of the largest partner organisations (POs) involved in the government’s solar home system (SHS) programme in off-grid areas, have decried what they describe as "an unfair policy" for waiving loans on the part of state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited.

Power Division has finally asked all the power distribution entities to directly purchase electricity from solar mini-grid operators to save their investment. 

Partners of Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL)want  to install solar system at all the hospitals including 18,000 community clinics, 100,000 solar-powered irrigation pumps and1 million solar street lights in rural areas across the country.

The Infrastructure Development Company Limited, or IDCOL, a non-bank financial institution under the Ministry of Finance, has won the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) award in the “Multilateral/International Organisation” category for financing a series of solar mini-grid projects that have brought the dream of universal access to electricity in Bangladesh closer to reality, indeed very close now.

The Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) has finalised a draft policy guideline for purchasing idle electricity from solar power plants now being used for running irrigation pumps.