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Figure 13: A SHS near Singair, Bangladesh
they are convinced a SHS will work as we claim, most people do not believe a solar panel can provide them light or energy, for them seeing is believing, meaning the only way they are convinced is by showing them, often repeatedly.” Another talked about a cultural barrier where components and panels produced in Bangladesh and China are seen as less valued than Western or Japanese systems. As they noted: ÎÎ Chinese electronics, and even Bengali technology, are widely believed to be of universally poor quality. It is a challenge trying to get people here to buy a Chinese made system or a domestically manufactured system, people are unwilling to invest so they end up preferring the more expensive American, German, or Japanese systems, that’s how negative the reputation of local technology is. Respondents added that such gaps of awareness exist not only for users but also political leaders. As one put it, “even our political leaders do not know much about renewable energy, we need to educate them alongside households through workshops, television ads, billboards, and training campaigns. Otherwise they will likely remain ignorant about solar energy.”
A second challenge concerns the affordability of SHS for the ultra poor. Even though IDCOL has tried to target use among families most in need, one respondent critiqued that “SHS for all intents and purposes are still for upper and middle class rural houses, or joint families or big families that have enough people and resources to afford the down payment, SHS are still beyond the reach of the poorest in Bangladeshi society.” Others noted that “there are more poor people in Bangladesh than in all of Sub-Saharan Africa, these people cannot even afford a light bulb, how are they supposed to afford a SHS?,” that “SHS is a costly technology, well above what poor Bangladeshi family can make in a year,” and that “SHS are a very expensive item, only the richest people in a poor community can afford it.” Still others argued that SHS sit near the top of an “energy ladder,” with solar lanterns and improved cookstoves in use for poor and ultra poor households but SHS and biogas units in use “only for wealthier families.” This could be why one of the SHS homes we toured near Singair was occupied by a large family of 30 that had many livestock, depicted in Figure 13. As one critic of the IDCOL programme mused, “by my count 40 percent of Bangladeshis in rural areas still cannot afford SHS being subsidised through IDCOL, they