Renewable energy technology in development projects
By Frederick T. Temple
For a foreigner like me, one of the most striking features of
Bangladesh's villages is how dark virtually all of them are at night. Bangladesh
faces an electricity supply crisis, as indicated by low coverage and frequent
loadshedding. Nationwide, only 18 per cent of Bangladeshi have access to
electricity, and the coverage rate in rural areas is only about 10 per cent,
resulting in those dark villages. The quality of supply to those served is
poor.A significant number of the twenty million unelectrified households can
afford electrification, but cannot be economically connected to the national
power supply grid in the near term. The government's objective is to achieve
universal electrification by the year 2020, but given the financial and
institutional constraints, this seems to be an unrealistically ambitious
objective. In order to meet the unsatisfied demand, alternative technologies for
off-grid electrification such as renewable energy and modes of service delivery
through community participation need to be explored. A blend of private-public
joint service delivery modes needs to be developed to expand access to
electricity by harnessing the potential for non-conventional energy in many
rural areas until the national grid system reaches them. A recent market
assessment of the potential for the application of solar photo-voltaic
technology in Bangladesh concluded that half a million rural households could
afford solar home systems as a source of electric power. Ways have to be found
to create an awareness of the potential of solar home systems and disseminate
the information.The government's development strategy and the World Bank's
country assistance strategy for Bangladesh both emphasise the importance of a
comprehensive, integrated approach to reduce poverty in rural areas. Improved
access to rural electrification will be essential to accelerate and broaden
rural economic growth and thus reduce poverty. Power facilitates many productive
and service activities and also makes an important contribution to human
development. Families can work and study longer and more efficiently in
electrified environments, and the substitution of clean electricity for firewood
and kerosene reduces indoor pollution, which is a serious health hazard.The
World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program has financed an
action-research project "Opportunity for Women in Renewable Energy
Technology in Bangladesh", which has been implemented by Prokaushali
Sangsad Ltd (PSL) since 1999. This project relies on community driven
development activities, pursuing poverty reduction and gender equity by
targeting the rural poor and disseminating technologies which can enhance the
quality of their lives. The World Bank encourages community driven modes of
development because they are usually the most effective way to improve local
service delivery and empower the poor, thus strengthening the accountability of
local governance. In this process funds are channelled to communities which are
supported in their development efforts through an effective support system.The
project components include support for women's micro-enterprises which employ
renewable energy technology and capacity building. Today thirty-three rural
women of Char Montaz, a tiny island of 20,000 households of Golachipa upazila in
Patuakhali district, are engaged in a micro-enterprise which constructs and
sells DC lamps. These are efficient florescent lamps which can be operated with
12 or 8 volt direct current batteries. More than five hundred lamps are being
used with small batteries for lighting residences, shops, a mosque and fishing
boats. The project has demonstrated that with proper training, rural women are
capable of assembling electric lamps which meet their needs. Women hold the
title of the manufacturing facility, which is certified by the local government
as a business co-operative. The women's daily household income has increased by
an average of 100 Taka with the manufacturing and sales of two lamps. More
significantly, this activity has enabled women to have a significant role in
improving their lives.The second outcome of the project has been the
establishment of a sales network for low-cost, affordable off-grid lighting
devices in markets in six different islands. The project has enabled women to
master lamp construction, quality control, business development and marketing.
The national rural electrification programme will not serve these remote islands
in the foreseeable future, mainly due to the prohibitive cost of service across
the rivers. Hence, this project has introduced and given access to modern
lighting at an affordable price through decentralised electrification of rural
households.The third prominent feature of the project is the participation of
rural women and the rural entrepreneurs in implementing the project. In rural
Bangladesh electricity is normally supplied by a public utility from the
national grid. In contrast, the project has created a niche in which the private
sector can make a significant contribution to rural development even before
linkage with the national grid. It is the first model of its kind in
Bangladesh.Based on the lessons learned, a draft guideline for the incorporation
of renewable energy technology in different kinds of projects is being
developed. Furthermore, thirty-five women professionals belonging to government
and NGOs were trained. A network of professional women has thus been established
to develop the institutional capacity and disseminate the knowledge gained more
widely.The Opportunity for Women in Renewable Energy Technology Project is an
example of a community-driven project, which in this case is exploring at an
affordable price the possibility of energy service delivery by rural women. By
shifting away from the traditional unskilled farm labour to skilled off-farm
labour-creating employment in rural energy services, the project has elevated
the knowledge base of rural women and developed new opportunities for their
empowerment. Additionally, the project has identified a low-cost solution for
improving the quality of indoor lighting, which also reduces pollution and
health hazards for rural households, by replacing the traditional kerosene lamps
by modern electric lamps. The next challenge is to see how such successful
activities can be scaled up economically and efficiently.The World Bank is very
pleased to support such activities in Bangladesh, which create an enabling
environment for the poor to lift themselves out of poverty by increasing their
access to energy as well as to new technology.The writer is Country Director of
the World Bank. The article is based on a speech he delivered at a seminar on
"Incorporation of Renewable Energy Technology in Development Projects"
held in Dhaka on Nov 18, 2000.
Courtesy: The Independent
