Surge in Solar-Powered Homes : Experience in Off-Grid Rural Bangladesh
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in raising living standards and reducing poverty, particularly in previously lagging regions. Rapid solar home system (SHS) expansion in Bangladesh to some 3 million rural households by early 2014 has drawn t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/10/20286806/surge-solar-powered-homes-experience-off-grid-rural-bangladesh http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20427 |
| Summary: | Bangladesh has made remarkable progress
in raising living standards and reducing poverty,
particularly in previously lagging regions. Rapid solar home
system (SHS) expansion in Bangladesh to some 3 million rural
households by early 2014 has drawn the attention of donors
and governments of other countries. The book s broad aim is
twofold: (a) to assess the welfare impact of SHS on
households, and (b) to evaluate the present institutional
structure and financing mechanisms in place, noting that
households want cheaper systems and good quality service
while suppliers require a reasonable market-based profit to
stay in business. The study entailed an intensive empirical
investigation based on both primary and secondary data. The
primary data consisted mainly of a large-scale, nationally
representative household survey with appropriate geographic
spread. Conducted in 2012 by the Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies (BIDS) and assisted by the World Bank,
the household survey was designed to examine SHS benefits
and costs. The book addresses a number of research issues,
which are grouped according to general and gendered
household impact, program delivery and monitoring of
technical standards, market size and demand, and carbon
emissions reduction. The book also analyzes household uses
of solar-electric energy services. Typically, SHS models are
used for lighting, powering fans and television sets, and
charging mobile devices and other electrical equipment.
Finally, the book evaluates the gender-disaggregated
benefits and women's empowerment from SHS adoption. The
gender analysis included two major research questions: (a)
can the socioeconomic status of rural women be enhanced by
increasing the opportunity to participate in alternative
energy-service delivery, and (b) if SHS brings positive
impacts in terms of social indicators, what additional
efforts can supplement them to bring about a radical shift
in gender roles and responsibilities. The book's
findings show that better household lighting improves
household welfare both directly and indirectly. The book has
eight chapters. Chapter one is introduction. Chapter two
describes the current status of Bangladesh's SHS
expansion program, including salient features of system
operation, as well as program delivery and financing.
Chapter three reviews the role of electrification in rural
development and international experience in using SHS as a
complementary solution in remote off-grid areas. Based on
the survey data findings, chapter four identifies the major
drivers of SHS adoption and system capacity selection at the
household and village level, while chapter five discusses
and estimates the welfare benefits. Chapter six focuses on
SHS market analysis and role of the subsidy, including
consumers' willingness to pay and the potential impact
of subsidy phase-out. Chapter seven turns to the quality of
partner organization (PO) service and other supply-side
issues, along with market constraints to meet future demand.
Finally, chapter eight offers policy perspectives and a way forward. |
|---|