Bangladesh doubled rural PV installations in the last six months

About 300,000 small-scale panels providing 45 to 75 Watt were installed in the first two quarters of 2010. The target is the electrification of one million homes with PV systems by 2012

In the first six months of 2010, Bangladesh more than doubled the number of homes that are equipped with small-scale photovoltaic systems, which have grown to 500,000 from the approximately 200,000 at the end of 2009.

When making this announcement, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources specified that it’s the fastest growth in the world as regards the use of photovoltaic energy for homes.

The Popular Republic of Bangladesh aims at installing solar household systems onto one million homes by 2012.

PV systems used in rural home in Bangladesh provide between 45 and 75 Watt of electricity. In this country, the latter is sufficient to power a few low energy lights, a small television socket, a radio and a telephone charging unit.

The installation cost of each panel ranges between 200 and 300 dollars. This limited amount is nevertheless a relevant expense by the standards of one of the poorest countries in the world, whose average annual pro capita income is 370 dollars.

(July 2010)