Solar power brings light to Bangladesh villages

With state-owned and private sector fossil-fuel power plants only capable of delivering up to 3,800 megawatts of electricity a day against a demand of 5,500 megawatts, solar energy systems offer some relief to millions of villagers in Bangladesh."Life has become much easier now," said Kulsum Begum, a mother of four whose husband and son work abroad and who lives in Pritomoddi, some 60 km (40 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka.Begum installed a 40-watt solar system on the roof of her house. The system powers four light bulbs, one television and also recharges her lifeline: the mobile phone."Whenever I need something, I call my husband or son on the cell phone. I am so happy now," she said.The solar energy systems offered to Bangladesh villagers are heavily subsidized by the World Bank and run by the state-owned Infrastructure and Development Company Limited (IDCOL).Prices of a solar system span from 9,500 taka ($135) to 68,000 taka ($970) depending on capacity but the villagers usually pay in installments. Prices are also set to fall after the government lifted import duties on solar panels last month.Grameen Shakti, a non-profit organization linked to the Nobel Prize winning micro credit agency Grameen Bank, works with the World Bank and IDCOL to spread the technology throughout the impoverished country."Right now 2.5 million people are benefiting from solar energy and we have a plan to reach 10 million people by the end of 2012," said Dipal Chandra Barua, Managing Director of Grameen Shakti.Since June, Grameen Shakti has installed more than 250,000 solar home systems, accounting for some 66 per cent of the total of solar-powered households. Barua said around 10,000 new solar home systems are being fitted every month.