Case Study: The Sunny Side Of Bangladesh

The Sunny side of Bangladesh
A1. Bangladesh has abundant of renewable resources but out of it only solar, hydro and biomass is used extensively than others. The need for electricity is growing day by day and the government plans to provide electricity to all the citizens by the year 2020, whereas only 32% of the total population receives electricity from the national grid (Rahman, 2006). It will be almost impossible to supply electricity to every single house in remote parts of the country because installing or building a national grid is expensive. The most feasible and effective solution to this problem is to install solar PV (photovoltaic) in these remote areas to provide electricity. On an average Bangladesh receives up to 4-6.5KW per meter
Within the first 2.5 tears of the plan a total of 50,000 SHSs were installed in off grid areas and another 20,000 before the target in 2009. Different donors and organizations came forward to support this project some of which are Grameen Shakti, Coast Trust, Rural Electrification Board etc. One such project was taken over in Manikgaj Bazaar and the productivity of the people seemed and proved to have increased. Predominantly the people in rural areas used kerosene to light up their houses and dry cell batteries for radios etc but with the use of solar PV the cost and the expenditures for them decreased which claims that SHS is financially viable and sustainable and it also promotes green rural employment. It helps to provide extra working hours and increase income generation. Some of the other advantages of using of solar PV is that it does not require any billing charge, no fuel cost is added, there is no noise pollution and it can produce electricity for more than 20 years. To achieve one of the major goals of MDGs that is alleviating poverty, can somewhat be achieved if green and alternative and affordable source of
User satisfaction plays a key role in expanding the use of SHS in the long run. In rural areas the main factor that must be given importance is the awareness among people about how using SHS can improve their living standards and how much it can contribute to the environment. The programs associated with SHS should be financially viable and affordable to the rural people so that they can manage to operate, install and maintain the panels when ever required. Technical training should be given to the local people so that minor technical difficulties such as adding water to the batteries, replacing fuses and changing bulbs can be solved by themselves. This will reduce technician calls and reduce liability plus it will make the project sustainable. Different options for solar systems should be available so that the people can chose according to their financial ability. Mechanical parts or accessories of solar systems should be available locally so that the people can buy them whenever required. The best way to make solar energy popular among people is to provide demonstration because this will generate interest and demand among the communities. In addition local ownership along with collective and individual ownership is highly recommended for promoting solar panels in rural areas. Anything that competes with the use of solar energy such as the price of kerosene etc should be checked and monitored by the government. Education and participation of women in various