Performance of Solar Home Systems in Rural Bangladesh
Raiyan Kabir2009, … (ICDRET), 2009 1st …
Sign up for access to the world's latest research
checkGet notified about relevant papers
checkSave papers to use in your research
checkJoin the discussion with peers
checkTrack your impact
Abstract
Solar Home System based rural electrification has seen dramatic progress since the start of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (RREDP), which is financed by Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) since 2003. Recently a technical audit was done for the Solar Home Systems. This paper illustrates the findings of the technical audit during the field visits to four different areas of Bangladesh. The study has revealed some technical shortcomings of the SHS packages sold in Bangladesh. These include incompatible component combinations, faulty installation, lack of quality control of component parts and lack of adequate quality standards and quality enforcement. The paper also proposes some simple solutions to address these issues so that the SHS industry will enjoy continued success in Bangladesh.
Related papers
Technical appraisal of Solar Home System equipments in Bangladesh
… (ICDRET), 2009 1st …, 2009
The sustainability of the SHS project dependents on the technical performance of the system. The technical performance of the SHS depends on the technical quality of the component parts of the SHS. Commonly used Solar Home System equipments were tested in the lab during a technical audit of SHS of IDCOL'S (Infrastructure Development Company Limited) Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (RREDP). Solar
Technical appraisal of solar home systems in Bangladesh: A field investigation
2011
Solar Home System (SHS) based rural electrification has experienced a considerable growth in Bangladesh since the start of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (REREDP) in 2003. The initial target of 50,000 SHS installations in off-grid areas was achieved within 2.5 years, 3 years ahead of schedule. After achieving a revised target of 200,000 SHSs, ahead of schedule in early 2009, a new target of 1 million SHS installations by 2012 was set. The installation of about 0.5 million systems by March 2010 indicates that the current target may well be achieved before the deadline. The size of the SHS market and its impact on the regeneration of the rural economy make it necessary to investigate the quality and reliability of the installed SHSs, if the continued success of the initiative is to be maintained. This paper reports on the findings from a field-based technical appraisal of SHS installations in Bangladesh. Sixty geographically dispersed installation sites were visited. Physical characteristics of the SHSs and their system components were tested to ascertain compliance with and deviations from the approved specifications. Despite the overwhelming success of the REREDP project, the study revealed various shortcomings. Notable among these are: incompatible and sub-optimal component configurations, faulty installations and a lack of effective quality assurance mechanism. The findings are contextualized and the ways to address the identified shortcomings are discussed.
Marketing and financing of solar home systems in Bangladesh: Assessment of success
2009
The commercial success of solar home systems in Bangladesh depends on the extent to which it can fulfill the needs of the end users, which will motivate users to invest money in SHS systems. This paper has explored the factors that can make SHS commercially viable in Bangladesh, and how far the SHS industry in the country has come to being commercially viable. The customers in Bangladesh have found that the SHS have satisfactory technical performance, an adequate financing infrastructure and good after sales support. The commercial distributors of SHS units also show increasing annual sales across Bangladesh, despite declining subsidies and rising prices of SHS.
A Study of Solar Home System in Bangladesh: Current Status, Future Prospect and Constraints
IEEE Conference Publication
Power is one of the most important factors in developing the economy and the standard of living of a country. Like the rest of the countries of the world, in Bangladesh the demand for power is increasing day by day. To fulfill our future power demands, Solar Home System (SHS) seems to be the only feasible form of renewable energy despite the cloudy climate in Bangladesh. The objective of the study was to observe the present conditions of the SHS, the degree of satisfaction experienced by the users of SHS, finding the prospects and constraints as well as contributing in the field of solar energy through presenting and highlighting important principles of solar energy. Our study revealed the users’ satisfaction level to be not that encouraging due to low back-up time, high cost and increased interest rate. If these hindrances are overcome then this would show positive proliferation in the energy sector of Bangladesh.
Solar Home System in Bangladesh: Prospects, Challenges and Constraints
— Solar energy is one of the most popular form of renewable energy. The use of solar panel is increasing rapidly all over the world. Fortunately, the location of Bangladesh is quite suitable for harnessing solar energy. However, large area is still uncovered either by grid electricity or by electricity generated from renewable sources. In the off grid areas of Bangladesh, solar home system (SHS) is getting popular day by day due to its declining price and due to favourable financial packages offered through Infrastructure Development Company Ltd. (ID-COL).Around 50,000 SHS are being installed every month under IDCOL program only.[1]. Already IDCOL has achieved a target of installing two million SHS by March 2013. With the gradual increase of per capita income and GDP growth, people are more inclined to lead a better life by having electricity in their homes at a higher price than that of grid electricity. However, there are some challenges that need to be mitigated to make the SHS viable and cost effective in future. In this paper, a study has been made to assess the challenges faced by the SHS users in a remote village in the district of Madaripur, Bangladesh. The objective of the study was to observe the present condition of the SHS and the degree of satisfaction enjoyed by the customers of SHS. It has been found that the satisfaction level of the people is not that encouraging due to low back up time (highest for three hours) in the evening and also high cost involved in the replacement of batteries. The paper focuses the problems faced by the SHS users and suggests some alternative solutions to provide electricity to the users for a longer period of time throughout day & night. The socio economic benefit that can be derived by providing electricity for a longer period of time is immense. The major constraint of SHS has been highlighted first and then min grid/ micro-grid type generation system has been proposed to provide un-interruptible electricity at a lesser cost.
Benefit derived by the Solar Home System (SHS) using Beneficiaries of "Renewable Energy Development in Remote off Grid and Char Areas in Bangladesh Project"
Background: There are many chars and remote areas in Bangladesh where electricity facilities have not reached. Where, they have no choice but to provide oil for the hurricane. They need to take alternative measures of electricity. Although there are many types of energy sources, the use of solar energy is the most convenient and its production process is much easier and more efficient. The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent of benefit of the beneficiaries through solar home systems (SHSs) at the Gangachara upazila of Rangpur district under "Renewable Energy Development in Remote off Grid and Char Areas in Bangladesh Project". Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey method was used to collect primary data from the period of July 2020 to August 2020. A total of 12600 PDBF beneficiaries of Gangachara upazila using SHS were constituted the population of the study. The sample size of this study was 273. A reserve list of 27 (about 10 % of the sample) was prepared for this study. All charts and diagrams were prepared using the software such as MS Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Results: The research reveals that solar electrification provided direct and indirect benefits to the users of the system, with many implications of a permanent nature. A correlation coefficient between benefit derived by using of SHS and receiving training and problem faced (0.809 and-0.295 respectively) were significantly correlated (P<0.01).It resulted in less pollution, higher quality light and more hours of light in the evening, as well as less work for cleaning kerosene lamps. Conclusion: Solar electrification provide to the overall comfort and satisfaction of the consumers. Government and the private sector should take more initiatives to disseminate SHSs and develop infrastructure to solve our power crisis problem.
Social Impacts of Solar Home Systems in Rural Areas: A Case Study in Bangladesh
Energies
As an alternative source of off-grid electric power, solar home systems (SHS) stand out above all other options (e.g., wind, hydro, geo-thermal, tidal systems) because of their wide-scale potential at latitudes less than 45 • north or south of the Equator where daily solar irradiance is more constant throughout the year and where the bulk of the Third World's population live. A questionnaire-based survey study was carried out in a rural area of Bangladesh to ascertain the impacts of SHSs on the lives of the rural population. The installation of an SHS was found to improve the comfort and living standard of rural dwellers. Easier access to TV, radio, cellphone, and the Internet helped the rural population become part of a more global culture. More attractive down-payment and installment package options will allow poor target groups to adopt this system. The standard of SHS components and after-sales service should be improved to ensure sustainably and popularity among the mass population for at least 10 years at minimal cost to the consumer. Our findings can also help policymakers adopt more SHS-friendly policies to further the interests of inhabitants of rural areas that are not connected to the grid.
The role of Solar Home System (SHS) in socio-economic development of rural Bangladesh
2015
This research is an attempt to measure the impacts of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) and their role in socio-economic development of rural Bangladesh. After a brief review of previous research works on SHS’s importance, benefits and prospect, the study mainly focuses on the issues of SHS’s impacts on socio-economic development. In this context, the literature of SHS related works is reviewed and afterwards, the methods and findings of an impact assessment study of SHSs in rural Bangladesh are described in detail. The study is based on data from a survey of 90 households from three villages in Goffargoaw Upazilla of Mymensign district. From the research findings, some recommendations for SHS dissemination programmes in Bangladesh are made. The research concludes with the following major findings: • Introduction of micro-financing increases the SHS dissemination programme in remote rural areas of Bangladesh. • The utilisation of SHS in rural area of Bangladesh exhibits clear positive impac...
Government initiatives for solar home systems for rural electrification in India: Outlook and Challenges
2020
Rural electrification has been the cornerstone of the government’s policies. India, being one of the fastest growing economy, realised that the rapid increase in electricity demands will need cleaner energy solution. India has been ranked 3rd for solar energy development in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index due to its geographical location, average temperature and policy environment (EY, 2019). Innovative off-grid solar technologies like solar home systems have found a huge market in the country since 2000s. Backed by strong policy support, solar home systems have been widely adopted by rural people for their basic lighting and electricity needs. This paper attempts to look at the initiatives taken by the government to increase the adoption of solar home systems for rural electrification and its challenges.
Related topics
Related papers
Solar Home Systems in Bangladesh
Confronting Climate Change in Bangladesh, 2019
Access to electricity is an important part of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative under the United Nations. Globally about 1.2 billion of people are deprived of electricity, mostly concentrated in rural areas of developing countries including Bangladesh. About two-thirds of the rural population in Bangladesh are yet to enjoy this basic utility. Grid-based electricity is challenging for various reasons including technical, and commercial issues. Development partners including the World Bank started a formal approach for promoting renewable energy and more than 3 million solar home systems have been installed in the off-grid areas of Bangladesh. By replacing kerosene, solar energy has not only facilitated people with an option of a much greater quantity of far-higher quality of lighting, at a lower cost, it has reduced the safety and health risks associated with kerosene, particularly among women and young children. However, considering that only about 10% of people in off-grid areas have adopted solar systems to date, the remaining potential for carbon emission reduction and adaptation is large. In Bangladesh, solar systems are a proven renewable energy technology in dealing with climate change and enhancing socioeconomic development. However, there are some remaining technical, commercial and attitudinal constraints which need to be addressed to ensure sustainable development.
Economic Viability and Socio-Environmental Impacts of Solar Home Systems for Off-Grid Rural Electrification in Bangladesh
Energies, 2020
This study conducted a questionnaire-led survey to explore the financial feasibility and socio-environmental impacts of stand-alone solar home systems (SHS) through stratified random sampling. Based on the above consideration, fifteen cases of studies of various watt peak (Wp) capacities have been investigated to evaluate the economic viability of solar home systems. The results revealed that most of the cases have positive net present value (NPV) and low payback periods, with an internal rate of return (IRR) value ranging from 16% to 131%, which signifies a high rate of investment exchange. Solar home systems are economically profitable for micro-enterprises and households with low-income generation activities as opposed to the households using it only for lighting. The study found that solar home systems with a capacity above 30 Wp are the most economically viable option, which can also avoid 6.15 to 7.34 tonnes of CO 2 emissions during the 20 years of life-cycle, while providing different applications including lighting, recreation, information, health, and economic benefits.
A Remarkable Cost-Effective Solar Home System in Rural Area of Bangladesh
Current Alternative Energy, 2018
Background: Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world. The total population is about one hundred sixty five million and most of the people are living in village or rural areas. A large number of families have no electricity connection for different causes in rural areas. The target of the government of Bangladesh is confirming under the electric coverage for all the people by 2021. Method: Providing this access to electricity, the grid lines are presently overloaded and load shedding is a very common practice for the people of Bangladesh, especially for rural area. Rural electrification plans should be individual generation systems. Result: One of the best solutions is solar home systems (SHS). This system is well-known, very effective and a vast number of rural families are using this SHS program in Bangladesh. For huge load shedding, people who are already under electric coverage also feel and understand the necessity of SHS. The main difficulty of the SHS program is high primary installation cost on the basis of the ability of users; generally, they are very poor and with low-income people. In this paper, we explain that the SHS programs become economically affordable for rural people of Bangladesh by using the castoff battery from electric transport which is available and popular in rural area. Conclusion: Also, I have shown the total cost for a complete SHS became only 5635 Taka (1 USD = 82 Taka) or 69 USD and the yearly cost of an economy family in rural area is only 3.4 USD.
Current Financial Schemes of Solar Home System Projects in Bangladesh and Users‟ Opinion
In this study, a baseline survey was carried out to clarify current situation of renewable energy in Bangladesh. All the information has been collected by inventory survey for 120 Solar Home System (SHS) users and private sectors including NGOs which are working on PV or Biogas. 14 villages of 6 districts (Pabna, Natore, Bogra, Sirajgonj, Barisal& Jhalkathi) have been covered through-out the whole study. Financial support of this survey has been provided by Nippon Koei, Japan & JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) provided all kinds of technical support. The study represents a real time reflection of the general people opinion on the payment scheme of PV systems provided to them.
Evaluation of Solar Home System (SHS) implementation in Harirampur subdistrict
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
This paper is to assess the current trend, implementation and future possibilities of solar home systems (SHS) at the non-electricity provided study area in Bangladesh. The study also suggests an applicable plan to solve the problems and assure the proper availability and using compatibility of SHS to the poor and helpless rural people. The study area of the research is Lechraganj Char Union, Harirampur subdistrict of Manikganj district in Bangladesh. The trends and implementation strategies of solar home system (SHS) would be available in the Section 3.1 and Section 3.2; the future possibilities described in the Section 4. One of the major rational of this research is to provide a sample plan of SHS implementations, future propagation process, prospects and issues to be solved can be useful for the whole non grid zones of the country Bangladesh. This could bring more country progress by renewable technology and the lower order citizens of the country by the supply of electricity and also future analysis of SHS. The primary data sources to shape the paper were-personal field observation, field documentation, taking photographs, qualitative household survey, household questionnaire survey, indepth interview, FGD etc. Secondary data sources were from different books, articles, journals, magazines, newspaper, Government and NGO Organizations, unpublished reports and thesis etc. Various cartographic techniques as like-Produced tables, flow charts, pie-diagrams, graphs, histograms were used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of implementation of SHS in Harirampur Subdistrict. Proper direction by the government authority and NGOs can improve the current condition and support the off grid citizens of Bangladesh for the penetrating them under the coverage of SHS technology.Further assessment on the implementation of SHS, quality of SHS devices, environmental impacts of SHS, detailed economic advantages can be done for the proper expansion of SHS.
Photovoltaic Based Solar Home Systems Current State of Dissemination in Rural Areas ofBangladesh and Future Prospect
2013
Currently only 53 percent of total population in Bangladesh has access to electricity and per capita generation being 265 kWh is very low compared to some other developing countries. This shortage of energy hinders the growth of the country’s overall economy. However, Bangladesh has a good potential for harnessing renewable energy resources, solar and biomass in particular. Steps are taken to harness renewable sources of energy to make the country less dependent on the traditional fossil fuels. This paper presents current power generation scenario in Bangladesh, assesses the availability of solar irradiation and potential for power generation using solar PV panels. This paper also investigates into the current status of dissemination of PV based solar home systems (SHSs) in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Currently approximately 94 MW of power is generated from around 2 million SHSs already installed. Average growth rate of SHSs from 2003 up to December 2012 is around 58% which is am...
Financial viability and eco-efficiency of the solar home systems (SHS) in Bangladesh
Fuel and Energy Abstracts, 2011
To analyze financial viability as well as eco-efficiency of the solar home systems in Bangladesh six case studies are carried out in some selected villages of Chhatak upazila in Bangladesh where NGOs like Grameen Shakti and BRAC are delivering and servicing solar home systems. Financial viability of the SHS is measured by comparing prior expenditure (before implementing SHS) for kerosene, automobile battery and other conventional sources. Eco-efficiency refers to an estimator that seeks to maximize the effectiveness of financial viability while counting their costs on the environment. The financial viability and eco-efficiency for six different cases of SHS are calculated and compared. This provides information about the relative performance of the product in six different situations. Solar electrification results a number of income generating new green employments for the rural community in Bangladesh. Although financial viability of SHS is sensitive to kerosene subsidy, this study reveals that the SHS is financially more attractable when it is used for small income generating activities other than used only for lighting purpose. However, almost in all cases this technology is indispensable for improving environmental standard and eco-efficiency of the rural community.
Tackling weaknesses in the Solar Home System (SHS) market in Bangladesh
In the last decade, the Solar Home System (SHS) market in Bangladesh has been rapidly expanding. Presently the market reflects enormous potential but at the same time, prone to various weaknesses and risks. In this paper, we address the already identified (in the literature) weaknesses and risks in terms of advancing solutions to tackle them. Namely, we examine weaknesses associated with quality, sense of ownership and funding. The analysis does not include an empirical approach but rather employs supportive evidence to justify the advanced solution proposals.
Determinants of user satisfaction with solar home systems in rural Bangladesh
Energy, 2013
The objective of this research is to analyze the characteristics of households installing solar photovoltaic (systems or solar home systems) SHS in Bangladesh where rural electrification, improvement of rural livelihoods, and sustainable development constitute the primary development agenda. This article attempts to quantitatively determine the factors that affect user satisfaction with SHS, so that improving user satisfaction can contribute to expanding the coverage of SHS in the long run. The research evaluates the determinants of user satisfaction and households' perceptions of the benefits of SHS, including the quality of SHS equipment and reduction in energy costs. The econometric analysis reveals that previous poor experience of the frequency of battery repairs and replacement in SHS negatively influences the satisfaction of households with SHS. The research also suggests user satisfaction improves in the households that achieve lower dependence on kerosene. Moreover, the users who receive the benefits of SHS, especially those resulting from an increase in children's study time, show a higher level of satisfaction with SHS. A key message from the findings is that the benefits of a SHS lifestyle as well as the quality of SHS equipment play a significant role in improving user satisfaction with SHS in rural Bangladesh.
The Benefits of Solar Home Systems: An Analysis from Bangladesh
Policy Research Working Papers, 2013
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.