Energising Development (EnDev)
Project description
Title: Energising Development (EnDev)
Commissioned by: EnDev is funded by the governments of the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland
Country: Bangladesh
Lead executing agency: Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA)
Overall term: 2009 to 2020
Context
Despite rapid urbanisation and economic growth in recent years, the majority of the population of Bangladesh lives in rural areas, and many households rely on biomass for most of their energy needs. The traditional biomass cookstoves used by most rural households for cooking burn fuel inefficiently and cause indoor air pollution, leading to illnesses and premature deaths.
By early 2020, Bangladesh has achieved a 95 per cent electrification rate, and the government plans to reach 100 per cent by early 2021. For remote regions, mini-grids such as mostly solar diesel hybrid systems and solar home systems (SHS) are also counted as electricity access. However, the quality of electricity access still remains poor for a large segment of the population, due to frequent outages, voltage and frequency fluctuations, and planned power cuts in high demand periods.
Objective
The promotion of the productive use of solar energy and clean cooking technologies has been improved.
Approach
Under the clean cooking technology component, EnDev supports capacity development for the management of the Bangladesh Bondhu Foundation (BBF). This non-profit NGO was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from EnDev’s activities in the country, and has since become Bangladesh’s largest Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) organisation, promoting cement-based stoves with a chimney known as “Bondhu Chula”. BBF works with around 5,000 small and medium-sized local enterprises producing and selling Bondhu Chula across Bangladesh, while BBF remains responsible for marketing, monitoring, and further product development. EnDev continues to support capacity development for the management of BBF, business development activities, training of “Bondhu Chula doctors” to repair the stoves, and the diversification of the organisation.
EnDev supported the establishment of the Household Energy Platform (HEP) programme and continues to work with HEP to enhance coordination among stakeholders in the clean cooking sector. EnDev supports HEP for the development of standards for improved cookstoves sector in Bangladesh. Based on initial piloting experience, EnDev supports initiatives through Practical Action (PA) and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) to further develop the capacity of small and medium enterprises to produce and market briquettes made from biomass waste as alternative fuels for cooking in ICS.
On the solar side, EnDev currently supports an innovation fund project on decentralised, smart prosumer to prosumer grids using the surplus energy produced in existing solar home system clusters. This swarm electrification approach stimulates indigenous growth through solar based e-rickshaw charging points in rural areas as a priority productive use. The project aims at building a modified cooperative model for e-rickshaw charging, nurturing village-based economies in solar Peer-to-Peer grids.
Results
The improved cookstoves component has facilitated access to about 2.6 million stoves, reaching more than 5.4 million people. Studies show that 95 per cent of the users of improved cookstoves with chimneys reported a significant reduction of smoke in their kitchens and reduction in eye infections and respiratory diseases compared to using traditional stoves. On an average, one stove saves around 500 kilogrammes of wood per year.
EnDev Bangladesh disseminated more than 480,000 SHS and 80,000 solar lanterns to target groups, including school children and Rohingya refugees. The solar energy component has reached more than 2.7 million people in total. Illnesses resulting from indoor air pollution or kerosene related accidents have decreased significantly, particularly among women and school children.