The government of Bangladesh has approved a $26 million project to provide free solar home systems to 40,000 households in three hilly districts with uncertain prospects of being incorporated into the electricity grid by 2045.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina approved the spending – the second phase of a project to provide free solar panels to households in the three communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts area – recently at a meeting of the nation’s highest decision-making body, the executive committee of the National Economic Council.
Under the latest phase of the program, 2,500 320 Wp community solar systems will be installed at student hostels, orphanages and community centers in addition to the 40,000 home panels, and 42,500 people will receive training in maintenance of the systems.
The previous, $9 million phase of free solar provision in the area saw 10,890 home systems, 2,814 community installations and 5,890 solar-powered cell phone chargers issued between July 2015 and June last year.
