Publication: Living in the Light: The Bangladesh Solar Home Systems Story
Date
2021-03-24
ISSN
Published
2021-03-24
Author(s)
Abstract
The Bangladesh Solar Home Systems (SHS)
Program is the largest national program in the world for
off-grid electrification. Begun in 2003, SHS installations
under the Program ended in 2018. It is the longest,
continuously operating off-grid electrification program in
the world. The SHS Program was led and implemented by the
Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL). Over a
15-year period beginning in 2003, over 4.1 million SHS were
sold and supported using a competitive business model that
offered consumers a choice of quality SHS, made affordable
with financing. About 14 percent of the Bangladesh
population (2011 Census), about 20 million people, obtained
electricity services through the SHS Program. The SHS
Program enabled one-quarter of the unelectrified rural
population in 2003 to obtain electricity services far sooner
than would have been possible with grid electricity. SHS
were mainly used in rural homes for lighting, mobile phone
charging, and powering TVs and radios. They were also used
in about 200,000 rural businesses and religious facilities.
The program 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. Building on the credibility gained, SHS
distribution to the poorest households under other
government programs and commercial SHS sales picked up in
later years along with IDCOL-financed sales. While the
Bangladesh SHS Program will continue to 2021, this report
covers the program from 2003 to 2018, describes its benefits
and costs, and discusses how the program adapted to
inevitable changes and risks over the 15-year period. It
draws lessons that can help guide the development and
implementation of other sustainable off-grid electrification programs.
Citation
“Cabraal, Anil; Ward, William A.; Bogach, V. Susan; Jain, Amit. 2021. Living in the Light : The Bangladesh Solar Home Systems Story. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35311 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”