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Projects BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), founded in 1972 with the objective of "Alleviation of Poverty and Empowerment of the Poor," has grown to be Bangladesh's largest development organization. Its wide range of programs and projects in areas including education, healthcare, agriculture, sericulture, research, crafts, technology, commercial rural enterprises, printing, publishing, dairy, and microcredit banking are dispersed throughout the country. Over 50,000 out of Bangladesh's 86,000 villages have BRAC projects, employing nearly 25,000 full-time and 35,000 part-time workers. In 1999, BRAC's annual budget was US$ 131 million, 39%of which came from donors and the other 61% from BRAC's own income. The percentage of self-reliance has been increasing over the years, projecting 75% for 2000.
In December 1997, BRAC Solar Energy Program was launched in collaboration with Prof. Sajed Kamal. The program has progressed impressively. A brief overview of the energy scenario both worldwide and in Bangladesh may help to appreciate more fully the significance and urgency of the program. The Global Energy Scenario The energy scenario is worsening throughout the world. Nonrenewable
energy resources are being rapidly depleted, with consequent economic
and environmental damages. It is estimated that all the known reserves
of oil, natural gas and uranium will be depleted within 50 years and
coal within 250 years. These took millions of years to accumulate. In
one year, U.S. automobiles burn more petroleum that the Alaskan oil field
accumulated in 100,000 years. Their usage is also accelerating such consequences
as global warming, acid rain, nuclear contamination, weapons proliferation,
accidents and energy wars. Each of these comes with an ever-costlier
price tag. A most critical lesson of this scenario is that energy usage,
environmental destruction, and economic costs are intertwined. Energy
is the key factor in industrial development and, as of now, the amount
of energy to be expected from renewable sources is insignificant compared
with what is needed to make a transition to a sustainable path. Consequently,
entrenched in the nonrenewable energy path, the global industrial economy
is headed for a collapse. Rising fuel prices and their worldwide effects-from
crippling economies down to individual consumers' pockets-are symptoms
of this crisis. The Bangladesh Energy Scenario The energy crisis is worsening in Bangladesh. The fuel import bill is over 70% of the country's total export earnings. The only sizable fossil fuel reserve is natural gas (10.42 trillion cft.) which is likely to be exhausted by 2010. A speculated additional reserve will stretch gas supply for a few more years for internal consumption. But multinational gas exploring and extracting corporations are pressuring the country to export its gas, while their exploration is also causing critical environmental destruction. Hydroelectric contributes only 2% of the total energy supply. Diesel generators are widely used. But they have a short and costly life cycle, requiring frequent maintenance and costly parts. They depend on ever-costlier nonrenewable fuels which also cause pollution-of air, water and noise. In short, while the demand for energy is multiplying in Bangladesh, a growing scarcity of firewood and cooking gas, rising costs, inadequate and unreliable electricity supply, and pollution have reached a crisis which is impossible to solve by relying on nonrenewables or manipulating the power supply. Renewable Energy Prospects in Bangladesh Bangladesh is richly endowed with renewable energy sources. Sunlight is abundant year-round in this semi-tropical region. Even during the monsoon season with long daylight hours, solar radiation is as good as the annual average. In addition to ample light and heat, the hundred-plus miles long coastal area and hilly sections provide ample wind for wind turbines; waterways of varied forms and speed provide ample wave and gravity driven water flow for ecologically balanced hydroelectric generators; and the lush vegetation provides ample photosynthesis and biomass for fuel for a variety of purposes. The potential of these renewable sources through technological means remains practically untapped. Since the 1980s, mostly through international collaboration, numerous renewable energy technology projects and ventures have been implemented at the NGO, private, commercial, academic and governmental levels. These are promising signs, but a more massive expansion of such efforts is urgently needed to solve the country's energy crisis and launch its economy towards a sustainable and prosperous future. The BRAC Solar Energy Program for Sustainable Development The program has progressed both internally (program planning, staff development, management, product assessment, cost analysis, infrastructure development, etc.) and externally (public education, project implementation, capacity building, training local expertise in technology use, monitoring and reporting skills, documentation, evaluation, collaboration, raising public awareness and social acceptance, etc.). For exposure and training, the program staff members visited Lotus Energy in Nepal and TATA BP Solar India in Bangalore. An integrated and multipurpose program spread across the country in a wide variety of settings, the projects utilize several renewable energy technologies. The diverse settings include households, BRAC and other NGO offices, training centers, schools, health clinics, cyclone shelters, weather monitoring stations, government rest houses, and income generating centers such as grocery shops, restaurants, carpentry workshops, tailoring shops, cloth dyeing and printing shops, and leather workshops. By the end of 2000, the program has installed more than 500 PV systems, 1000 biogas plants, 10 wind turbines, and 260 Hot Box cookers. It has installed 2 PV-utility interactive systems and 6 PV-wind turbine hybrid systems-pioneering such applications in Bangladesh. BRAC has collaborated with the Institute of Fuel Research and Development of Bangladesh (the national science laboratory) in disseminating the biogas plants. Projects with solar thermal systems, micro-hydroelectric generators, biogas electricity and solar dryers are to be implemented. The BRAC program builds upon and, in turn, re-validates, many of the advantages with renewable energy technologies. One of these is the cost-advantage. Over 70% of the land area in Bangladesh is beyond the reach of power lines. PV-which converts sunlight directly into electricity-offers the least-cost alternative for electricity generation for such a setting. Compared to kerosene-the most commonly used fuel in rural areas-PV lighting is at least seven times cheaper than kerosene lighting, while providing significantly more and superior quality lighting. Kerosene is also both polluting and hazardous. Over the life of the system, PV is also cost-effective compared to other alternatives, such as diesel generators and dry cell batteries. Each of the technologies utilized in the program has been assessed for its cost-advantage and appropriateness. The economic barrier against widespread dissemination of renewable energy technologies, therefore, is not the price of a system. Rather, it's the up-front cost of the system. It's like needing to pay for twenty or more years-the system's life-of electricity or cooking fuel all at the same time. However, the barrier can be removed through a financing mechanism or a microcredit system which can spread the cost over time by matching the installment amount with the customer's ability to pay. BRAC's existing microcredit infrastructure offers a special advantage here. Along with Grameen Bank and Proshikha, BRAC is a leading microcredit institution in the country. Annually BRAC disburses over US$ 200 million, with a repayment rate of 98.4%. The solar energy program is successfully adapting to BRAC's microcredit network, and extending it as well. Towards a Sustainable Energy Future The BRAC Solar Energy Program is on the verge of a massive expansion. Two major expansion projects are One Lac (hundred thousand) Solar Electrification Program and 50,000 Biogas Plant Program. The primary goal of the first program is to provide cost-effective and environmentally responsive electricity through PV systems for diverse needs and applications. For the second, biogas technology is especially appropriate for Bangladesh, where agriculture, cattle raising, dairy, poultry farming and fishing are a way of life for the majority of people. Besides generating cooking and lighting fuel, residues from biogas plants also provide extremely high quality organic fertilizer and fish feed. The BRAC Solar Energy Program will continue to utilize various technologies and build upon its foundation of education, action, research and innovation towards sustainable energy solutions. It benefits from the lessons of its own experience as well as from lessons around the world. In turn, complementing BRAC's admirable legacy and accomplishments over the years, there is every reason to hope that it can also provide a valuable model in sustainable development for Bangladesh and the world in the urgently needed transition to the renewable energy path. The sustainability of the global economy depends on such a transition. |
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