Fishermen consider solar power as cost-effective

Bangladesh is a land full of rivers and canals. People here depend a lot on boats for their daily life and work, especially for fishing and travel. For many years, boats have run on diesel or petrol, but this has made costs go up a lot and caused serious pollution in the air and water.

Now, solar power is becoming a good solution. In places like Hatiya in Noakhali, many fishermen are switching to solar-powered boats. 

A solar boat has panels fixed on the roof. These panels take in sunlight and turn it into electricity. The electricity gets stored in batteries, and then it powers the boat's motor. This means there is no need for diesel or petrol anymore. About 250 to 300 boats or trawlers there run on solar energy.

Fishermen find this very helpful. It saves money on fuel in the long run because sunlight is free. The boats do not make smoke or loud noise, so the river stays cleaner and quieter. There is less pollution, which is good for the environment and for people's health. Maintenance is also simple.

Still, there are some challenges. The boats depend on sunlight, so they do not work well on cloudy days or after dark when batteries run low. The first setup with panels and batteries costs a lot of money. If a battery breaks, fishermen may need to travel 8 to 10 kilometers to Ochkhali to buy a new one, which can cost Tk25,000 to Tk30,000. Also, solar boats move slower than diesel ones, and it gets hard to operate them when the battery is empty.

A fisherman, Md. Nizam Uddin from Suryamukhi Ghat in Hatiya, has three solar boats. He said they work great during sunny days with almost zero fuel cost, though they help a lot even if limited on cloudy days or at night. This is very helpful for our livelihood, he continued.

The president of the Aska Bazar Fisheries Traders Association, Mohammad Ala Uddin, added that even though the starting cost is higher, solar power is safe and friendly to the environment. He noted that many diesel boats have caught fire from generators and got destroyed, but solar boats avoid such risks.

Overall, fishermen see solar power as a smart, cost-effective choice for the future despite the difficulties, because it saves money over time and keeps the environment cleaner.