a b s t r a c tSolar home systems (SHS) are seen as an attractive option for off-grid electrification in rural areas in developing countries. The combined effect of declining photovoltaic module costs and success in microfinance has resulted in increased SHS installations in emerging economies in Asia such as Bangladesh. Majority of the SHS components are now manufactured locally with the exception of PV cells. Considering the role of component quality in SHS performance, technical quality of four key SHS components: solar panel, battery, charge controller and lamp circuit (inverter) from market-leading manufacturers were evaluated in this study in laboratory settings, against national and international standards. All of the tested components met some evaluation criteria in their respective categories but none met all. Key performance failures were found to be related to inverter efficiency, reverse polarity protection in charge controllers and battery capacity, which are critical for optimum performance of the system. Findings in this study point towards an ineffective regulatory mechanism for quality assurance and the protection of consumer rights, which needs to be rectified for maintaining public confidence and sustaining the growth of SHS based off-grid electrification.
The looming energy crisis, heightened by the continuing depletion of fossil fuels, accentuates the need for deployment of renewable energy resources in Bangladesh, now more than ever before. Though hydrocarbon resources in the country are limited, the substantial availability of renewable energy sources in the form of solar, biomass, hydropower and wind energy offers opportunities of sustainable energy based development. Motivated by this auspice, the government of Bangladesh and different non-government organizations have been working towards the dissemination of renewable energy based technologies throughout the country. Though this diffusion of renewable energy sources is yet to assume extensive commercial dimensions and widespread implementations, the advancement has been significant in recent years. With the objective of reviewing this progress, this paper presents a comprehensive study of the contemporary renewable energy scenario in Bangladesh in terms of distribution, research and infrastructural development in the country. In addition to this, installed capacity has been calculated to assess the relative contributions of the five renewable energy sectors of Bangladesh.
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