Over 3.5m solar home systems light up rural areas

The Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development II (RERED II) Project is continuing to supply electricity to rural and remote areas of Bangladesh through sources of renewable energy. The project has installed more than 3.5 million solar home systems (SHS) in rural Bangladesh, said a press communiqué by the World Bank (WB) yesterday.
Implemented by the government-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Bangladesh’s SHS programme can be showcased as a successful example of public-private partnership.
The project is also replacing diesel-run irrigation pumps with solar pumps. So far, the project has installed around 140 solar-powered irrigation pumps and approved financing for 300 other pumps.
The solar irrigation pumps are reducing the irrigation costs of farmers. By shifting to solar power, these irrigation pumps are also helping the country save foreign exchange for importing diesel and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) has provided matching grant support worth USD 10 million for the solar irrigation pumps.
The RERED II project is also supporting renewable energy-based mini-grids in remote rural areas for electricity supplies. Three mini-grids, with a combined capacity of 382kWp, are currently operational, while five more—with a combined capacity of 652kWp—are under construction. The mini-grids are expected to enhance economic activities in the rural areas. In addition to financing from the World Bank, the project has mobilised grant support from the Global Partnership for Output Based Aid (GPOBA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the mini-grid schemes.
More than 28 million households in Bangladesh still rely on traditional biomass fuels for cooking. With support from the RERED II project, IDCOL has embarked on an improved cooking stoves programme, which will benefit rural women and children, who are exposed to indoor air pollution from the traditional stoves. Already, 41 NGOs have started distributing the improved cooking stoves.
The World Bank board approved USD 155 million in 2012 and an additional financing of USD 78.4 million in 2014. The project builds on the success of the earlier RERED project.

 

 

Over 3.5m solar home systems light up rural areas

The Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development II (RERED II) Project is continuing to supply electricity to rural and remote areas of Bangladesh through sources of renewable energy. The project has installed more than 3.5 million solar home systems (SHS) in rural Bangladesh, said a press communiqu by the World Bank (WB) yesterday. Implemented by the government-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Bangladeshs SHS programme can be showcased as a successful example of public-private partnership. The project is also replacing diesel-run irrigation pumps with solar pumps. So far, the project has installed around 140 solar-powered irrigation pumps and approved financing for 300 other pumps. The solar irrigation pumps are reducing the irrigation costs of farmers. By shifting to solar power, these irrigation pumps are also helping the country save foreign exchange for importing diesel and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) has provided matching grant support worth USD 10 million for the solar irrigation pumps. The RERED II project is also supporting renewable energy-based mini-grids in remote rural areas for electricity supplies. Three mini-grids, with a combined capacity of 382kWp, are currently operational, while five morewith a combined capacity of 652kWpare under construction. The mini-grids are expected to enhance economic activities in the rural areas. In addition to financing from the World Bank, the project has mobilised grant support from the Global Partnership for Output Based Aid (GPOBA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the mini-grid schemes. More than 28 million households in Bangladesh still rely on traditional biomass fuels for cooking. With support from the RERED II project, IDCOL has embarked on an improved cooking stoves programme, which will benefit rural women and children, who are exposed to indoor air pollution from the traditional stoves. Already, 41 NGOs have started distributing the improved cooking stoves. The World Bank board approved USD 155 million in 2012 and an additional financing of USD 78.4 million in 2014. The project builds on the success of the earlier RERED project.