Renewable Energy Fest 2026 opens at BUET in Dhaka, bringing together policymakers, youth and businesses to promote clean energy, investment and a just transition in Bangladesh.
DHAKA, October 26: The three-day Renewable Energy Fest 2026 began at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the capital on Monday, bringing together youth groups, women's organisations, workers, civil society representatives and climate activists to promote a sustainable and inclusive energy transition.
Organised jointly by ActionAid Bangladesh, BUET, the Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETnet-BD) and BUET's Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), the festival is being held at the BUET Central Playground for the second time under the theme “A Just, Inclusive and Green Energy Transition”.
The festival aims to promote renewable energy based on indigenous resources, strengthen energy security and develop an action-oriented roadmap for a fair transition away from fossil fuels.
More than 200 people took part in a rally from the Central Shaheed Minar to the festival venue before a press conference announcing the event. A flash mob featuring 30 performers, organised by Surjodoy Youth Society, followed the rally to raise public awareness about renewable energy.
Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, moderated the press conference.
“Climate change demands that the entire world move away from fossil fuels and shift focus toward innovation, discovery, and renewable energy as alternative sources of energy supply,” she said.
Bangladesh is at a critical juncture where inclusive renewable energy planning, concrete action and appropriate budgetary commitments are essential, Kabir said, stressing the need to put farmers, women and marginalised communities at the centre of the transition.
Professor Dr M A A Shoukat Choudhury, director of BUET's IESD, said energy was essential to everyday life and civilisational development.
While Bangladesh would remain dependent on fossil fuels for some time, the country needed to build its renewable energy capacity to safeguard future energy security, he said.
In a written statement, Md Abul Kalam Azad, manager of ActionAid Bangladesh's Just Energy Transition Team and member secretary of JETnet-BD, said the festival could help shape an equity-based policy and investment agenda.
He said the event was expected to serve as a national and regional platform for translating innovation into implementation through investment and partnerships, while producing a clear post-festival action plan.
Nazmul Hasan, managing director of Hithium Energy Storage Technology BD Ltd, highlighted the need for stronger oversight to ensure the quality of solar energy components.
Anwar Hossain, executive director of The Earth Society, and Sanjida Sultana, additional executive director of Karmojibi Nari and Dhaka divisional coordinator of JETnet-BD, also addressed the press conference.
The festival is designed to connect policymakers, businesses, investors, researchers and communities to accelerate renewable energy development.
On Tuesday, October 27, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, MP, is scheduled to inaugurate the Innovation and Technology Fair.
Tobias Biermann, first counsellor and head of section for Green Economy and Public Sector Investments at the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh; Jacob de Leon, second secretary for development at the Australian High Commission; and Farah Kabir are also expected to attend the inauguration.
Representatives from the European Union, Indonesia, Australia and Pakistan are expected to participate.
The Innovation Fair will feature 20 stalls, while the Technology Fair will showcase renewable energy technologies and services through nine stalls. Domestic innovators and companies will demonstrate solutions aimed at advancing the country's green energy transition.
The Innovation-to-Impact Marketplace will connect startups and young entrepreneurs with investors and banks to present their business models, with seed funding expected for the most promising innovations.
Oxfam Bangladesh will also organise a dialogue on industrial decarbonisation.
Several plenary and parallel dialogue sessions will examine Bangladesh's energy transition from national and regional perspectives.
Topics will include energy policy and governance, renewable energy financing and investment, technology and infrastructure, and social and environmental safeguards.
Experts from South and Southeast Asia will share experiences from their countries, with discussions focusing on lessons relevant to Bangladesh's transition pathway.
Speakers expected on the final day include Shafiqul Alam, lead analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis; Engineer Md Mujibur Rahman, director of renewable energy development at the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA); M Zakir Hossain Khan, co-founder and managing director of Change Initiative; Tanzina Dilshad, programme manager at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh; and Md Sabur Hossain, additional secretary and chairman of the Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council (BEPRC).
The festival will also recognise innovators, young leaders and partner organisations for their contributions to renewable energy development.
The Youth and People Hub remains a key attraction, offering dialogues, workshops, cultural activities, networking opportunities and community programmes.
The hub aims to create opportunities for citizens, policymakers and private-sector representatives to exchange ideas and contribute to an inclusive energy transition.
The festival will conclude with puppet shows and cultural performances. Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed, chairman of the University Grants Commission, is expected to attend the closing ceremony as a special guest.
Other co-organisers include BEPRC, the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), Greenery Energy Solution Limited, IEEFA, Oxfam in Bangladesh and The Earth Society.
The organisers said the overarching goal was to bring government policymakers, researchers, businesses, investors, civil society and development partners onto a common platform and develop a practical plan to advance renewable energy and a just energy transition in Bangladesh.
