A WORLD Bank report has stated that over the last 15 years Bangladesh Solar Home Systems programme provided clean energy to around 20 million people in remote areas across the country. The SHS programme is the largest national programme in the world for off-grid electrification. The programme led to SHS becoming a credible electricity source in Bangladesh and, more broadly, to the acceptance of solar photovoltaics (PV) as an electricity generation technology. Thanks to the green technology and Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL) for supporting the off-grid people for the sustainable business model, financing, and support.
SHS were mainly used in rural homes for lighting, mobile phone charging, and powering TV and radio sets. They were also used in about 200,000 rural businesses and religious facilities. The government is committed to driving up renewable energy and has a host of incentives such as tax breaks on offer to drive net-metered solar rooftop installation. Solar home systems (SHS) is critically important to achieving the ‘electricity for all’ vision. It is noted that 99.8 per cent of the country now has access to electricity and the country will be electrified within the ‘Mujib-year’. The World Bank supported the Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL) to implement the programme. Between 2003 and 2018, the project reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 9.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The program helped reduce indoor air pollution by avoiding the consumption of 4.4 billion litres of kerosene.
The sustainable market-driven approach, where clean energy solutions were provided by local entrepreneurs with financing from IDCOL has changed the national electrification map sustainably. Developing countries across the globe, particularly the Asian and African nations can learn from the Bangladesh experience and accelerate off-grid green electricity to the low-income and remote areas. It is however disheartening to note that some local entrepreneurs supplied low-quality solar PV systems under the project. This practice might turn our people away from solar energy and must be stopped.
