Bangladesh has made remarkable progressin raising living standards and reducing poverty,particularly in previously lagging regions. Rapid solar homesystem (SHS) expansion in Bangladesh to some 3 million ruralhouseholds by early 2014 has drawn the attention of donorsand governments of other countries. The book s broad aim istwofold: (a) to assess the welfare impact of SHS onhouseholds, and (b) to evaluate the present institutionalstructure and financing mechanisms in place, noting thathouseholds want cheaper systems and good quality servicewhile suppliers require a reasonable market-based profit tostay in business. The study entailed an intensive empiricalinvestigation based on both primary and secondary data. Theprimary data consisted mainly of a large-scale, nationallyrepresentative household survey with appropriate geographicspread. Conducted in 2012 by the Bangladesh Institute ofDevelopment Studies (BIDS) and assisted by the World Bank,the household survey was designed to examine SHS benefitsand costs. The book addresses a number of research issues,which are grouped according to general and genderedhousehold impact, program delivery and monitoring oftechnical standards, market size and demand, and carbonemissions reduction. The book also analyzes household usesof solar-electric energy services. Typically, SHS models areused for lighting, powering fans and television sets, andcharging mobile devices and other electrical equipment.Finally, the book evaluates the gender-disaggregatedbenefits and women's empowerment from SHS adoption. Thegender analysis included two major research questions: (a)can the socioeconomic status of rural women be enhanced byincreasing the opportunity to participate in alternativeenergy-service delivery, and (b) if SHS brings positiveimpacts in terms of social indicators, what additionalefforts can supplement them to bring about a radical shiftin gender roles and responsibilities. The book'sfindings show that better household lighting improveshousehold welfare both directly and indirectly. The book haseight chapters. Chapter one is introduction. Chapter twodescribes the current status of Bangladesh's SHSexpansion program, including salient features of systemoperation, as well as program delivery and financing.Chapter three reviews the role of electrification in ruraldevelopment and international experience in using SHS as acomplementary solution in remote off-grid areas. Based onthe survey data findings, chapter four identifies the majordrivers of SHS adoption and system capacity selection at thehousehold and village level, while chapter five discussesand estimates the welfare benefits. Chapter six focuses onSHS market analysis and role of the subsidy, includingconsumers' willingness to pay and the potential impactof subsidy phase-out. Chapter seven turns to the quality ofpartner organization (PO) service and other supply-sideissues, along with market constraints to meet future demand.Finally, chapter eight offers policy perspectives and a way forward.
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