This knowledge note is the second ofthree case studies that concerns scaling up access toelectricity in Africa, Bangladesh, and Rwanda. Since itsinception in 2003, Bangladesh's solar home systemprogram has installed about three million electrificationsystems in rural households, two-thirds of them in the lastthree years. The program is the most dynamic off-gridelectrification program in the world, benefitting more than15 million people and contributing about 130 MW in renewableenergy generation capacity. The case study for Bangladesh isinteresting, because off-grid electrification is crucial toreaching universal access. Achieving universal access tomodern energy services is one of the three complementaryobjectives of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL)initiative. Bangladesh's rural electrification programwas initiated in 1977 with the creation of the RuralElectrification Board (REB). Yet, it was estimated that atthe prevailing pace of grid electrification, Bangladesh wasgoing to take 50 years to reach universal access. By 2002,it had become apparent that an off-grid approach was neededto complement efforts to extend the grid. When the WorldBank's first RERED project was being designed in 2002,a two-pronged approach was adopted to promote the use ofsolar home systems in rural areas, thereby leveraging thecountry's renewable energy potential, while continuingto help the REB and rural cooperatives improve theiroperational and financial performance. The program s finaldesign is a good example of how international experience andlocal know-how can come together to yield an innovativedesign that suits the country's circumstances. Theproject's design was flexible (with a range ofsubsidies and system sizes, for example), allowing for quickadaptation to evolving technology and market conditions, andto consumer feedback.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
