In Bangladesh a number of domestic solar energy systems are in use in houses around the country. The use of solar energy on this scale is highly potential and advantageous as more than 60% of areas in the country do not have access to main grid electricity. The World Bank is backing a program of making solar energy available to wider population in Bangladesh, as part of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project (REREDP), which subsidizes solar energy systems.
A typical ‘solar home system’ can power two to eight ‘low energy’ lights, plus a socket for TV, radio or battery recharging, and a Mobile telephone charging unit, too. Each system consists of a Solar panel mounted on the house roof. Depending on its size, this provides between 40W and 135W of electricity in full sunlight (the most common being 50W).
Grameen Shakti is the largest organization installing rural based solar home system (SHS) in Bangladesh. Other companies working on similar solar energy based SHS are Rural Services Foundation (RSF), BRAC, CMES (Centre for Mass Education in science), Hilfulfujal and so on. The model of micro finance based SHS is now being copied in other parts of the world as a successful business model.
Rahimafrooz a major supplier of high quality solar batteries and other solar components for the program; Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd (RRE) has been the pioneer in installing solar powered centralized systems, water pumps for irrigation and pure drinking water, water heaters, street lights, and solar-powered telecom solutions to various organizations. They are working closely with pertinent government organizations in installing solar powered medical refrigerator that provides emergency live saving medicines in the off-grid rural areas.
A company named Digital Technology is doing research and development of solar PV products like solar billboard lighting, mini grid system for irrigation etc.
In Bangladesh, all supplier has involved with mono-crystalline solar and poly-crystalline solar, but no one deal with thin film solar system; due to lack of appropriate solar charge controller for solar home system (SHS). Thin film solar system is cheapest than other solar system, that why I have involved to design and implementation a thin film solar charge controller to do popular as Solar Home System (SHS) in Bangladesh.
