Renewable energy: filling the gaps for powering last mile access

Abstract

While ICT has become an emerging instrument to last mile connectivity, the lack of availability of reliable power is still considered as the major barrier for remote rural communities to utilize the opportunity for their benefit. In a developing country like Bangladesh where energy needs are escalating, a real opportunity exists for the application renewable energy in the off-grid rural areas in providing access to quality life and economic improvement. It gives fewer environmental problems than any other means of generating electricity, making power available anywhere, thus leapfrogging the present prohibitively expensive process of extending electrical grid everywhere.

This paper identifies the critical issues and challenges currently faced by the off-grid rural communities and how renewable energy can bridge the gap by providing reliable and decentralized energy services and converting them to information society with increased economic opportunities. It also describes experience gained so far through recent initiatives in the filed of renewable energy development in Bangladesh.

Biography
Mr. Islam has had the opportunity to work in the field of energy and ICT since 1990 in both, government and international bodies. He played a key role in institutional capacity development of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in ICT and GIS. He was the Project Manager for sustainable rural energy project being implemented by LGED. He has proven experience of formulation and successful implementation of number of pilot projects demonstrating diversified community applications of renewable energy technologies in off-grid rural Bangladesh. He has been serving in UNDP since 2001 and currently dealing with Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) where ICT is perceived as the key instrument for forecasting and disseminating disaster information to the far-flung communities.

Md. Tarik-ul-Islam
Senior Programme Officer
UNDP, Bangladesh
Email: tarik.islam@undp.org

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