Innovation and distribution of Solar Home Systems in Bangladesh

Since 2003, over 4.1 million Solar Home Systems (SHSs) have been installed in Bangladesh, contributing to a rise in energy access in rural Bangladesh from 26% to 68.9% and saving about 200,000 tons of emissions every year. However, there are large regional discrepancies in SHS uptake hitherto overlooked by academic research. Using Rogers's Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) theory as the theoretical framework, this paper explores how different levels of literacy, wealth and cosmopolitanism impact SHS installations at the district-level in Bangladesh. Whilst it has been argued in previous research that education, financial means and regional inter- and intra-connectivity are important factors in SHS distribution, this paper concludes that, at a district-level, this is overshadowed by the influence of Participating Organisations (POs) who distribute the SHSs. This paper finds that POs are effective mobilizers of consumer demand, advocating closer public-private partnerships in the deployment of clean energy solutions. The research also finds that large districts where grid expansions may be more costly are positively associated with SHS uptake suggesting that SHSs are a viable alternative to grid electricity in rural areas.