Solar Calculator Bangladesh 2026

Cheap Grid Power Makes Bangladeshi Solar a Longer Game

Bangladesh subsidises residential electricity through slab tariffs: lifeline users pay around Tk 5.26 per kWh, typical middle slabs sit near Tk 6-9, and only heavy users reach the Tk 12-14 range. BERC has been raising rates as subsidies are wound back, so verify the current slabs with BPDB or your distributor (DESCO, DPDC, NESCO and others) before modelling. Cheap grid power means rooftop solar here rarely delivers the two-year paybacks seen in Nigeria or Kenya; it is a solid but slower investment that rewards accurate sizing. Map your usage in the load calculator first, then test scenarios in the savings calculator.

Net Metering via SREDA: Real, but Commercial-First

Bangladesh has one of the region's more complete frameworks. The SREDA net-metering guideline (updated in 2025) lets consumers install rooftop systems up to their sanctioned load, run a bi-directional meter, roll surplus credits forward month to month, and receive quarterly cash settlement of leftover credits at the bulk generation rate - a reduced rate well below retail. In practice adoption has been dominated by factories and commercial buildings, where garment exporters chase green certification and big daytime loads absorb the generation. For homes it works too, but note:

• You must own the premises or hold formal permission, have an active connection and no unpaid bills.
• Surplus settles near bulk rates (around Tk 7 per kWh), so oversizing far beyond your daytime use pays poorly.
• Government buildings and many new connections face rooftop-solar requirements, which keeps installer capacity growing.

A Worked Dhaka Example

A 5 kW on-grid system at roughly Tk 95 per watt costs about Tk 475,000 - no battery needed, since the grid acts as storage under net metering. At about 4.2 sun-hours per kW per day it produces near 7,700 kWh a year. A household offsetting upper-slab units near Tk 9 and settling surplus at Tk 7 sees roughly Tk 60,000-65,000 of annual value: a simple payback around seven to eight years, shortening every time tariffs rise. Households whose real goal is backup through load-shedding should instead price an IPS-style battery setup in the battery bank calculator and sanity-check it in the battery payback calculator.

Caveats Worth Respecting

Monsoon months cut output by a third or more, so use annual averages rather than sunny-day maths. Dust and humidity punish unwashed panels. Slab tariffs cut both ways: if solar drops you into a cheaper slab, each further kWh saves less. And any business running diesel backup should run the diesel vs solar comparison - that is where Bangladeshi solar pays back fastest. Confirm guideline details with SREDA and current tariffs with BPDB before you commit.

Solar calculators for other countries

Localized subsidy and tariff math for more markets:

Frequently asked questions

Under the SREDA guideline, a bi-directional meter nets your imports against rooftop exports each month, surplus credits roll forward, and every quarter the utility pays out remaining credits in cash at the bulk generation rate - well below retail. System capacity is limited to your sanctioned load, and you need an active connection with no arrears.

It depends on your slab. Lifeline users near Tk 5.26 per kWh face long paybacks, while upper-slab households and commercial users paying Tk 9-13 can reach seven to eight years - and every BERC tariff increase shortens that. Businesses displacing diesel backup see the strongest returns of all.

Factories and offices pay higher tariffs, use power in the daytime when panels produce, have large flat roofs, and garment exporters gain green-certification value. Homes qualify too, but lower subsidised rates and smaller roofs make the maths slower, so residential uptake has lagged.

Output can drop by a third or more from June to September under heavy cloud, then recover through the dry winter. Annual averages of roughly 4-4.5 kWh per kW per day already include this, but budget for regular panel cleaning - dust and humidity noticeably reduce yield in Bangladeshi cities.