INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH T.F.Karim et al., Vol.7, No.3, 2017 Electricity Access Improvement Using Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: A Case of Urban Poor Area of Dhaka, Bangladesh Tahia Fahrin Karim * , M.S. Hossain Lipu **,*** ‡, Md. Sultan Mahmud **** * Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh ** Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia *** Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh **** UNESCO Madanjeet Singh School of Green Energy Technology, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry 605014, India (tahia.karim@aiub.edu, lipu@siswa.ukm.edu.my, sultanmahmud199091@yahoo.com) ‡ Corresponding Author; M.S. Hossain Lipu, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia, lipu@siswa.ukm.edu.my Received: 12.02.2017 Accepted:23.03.2017 Abstract- Dhaka is one of the thickly populated cities in the world. The city is occupied by the influx of urban poor migrating to the city from rural areas in sufficient number annually. The slum dwellers are deprived by the government in terms of receiving access to authorized, reliable and affordable electricity services. The approach to provide legal electricity services as well as issues and challenges related to electricity access in the urban poor areas of Dhaka have not been well addressed yet. Moreover, there is no wide and effective policy specifically on electricity for low-income people as well as for the urban slum areas. Additionally, there are no effective steps for promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. Therefore, renewable energy could be the promising choice to enhance the electricity access in slum areas of Dhaka. The goal of this research is to assess the present status of electricity access and identify the issues and challenges in an urban poor area of Dhaka. The research also evaluates the effectiveness of renewable energy and energy efficiency to improve electricity access. Based on a survey conducted in an urban poor area named Korail situated in Dhaka, the available resources like solar energy and solid waste are identified. The research shows that 17.2 MW power can be produced from solar PV against the demand of 2.6 MW. Besides, solid waste is capable of generating 1.44 MW and 1.14 MW by using the thermochemical and biochemical method respectively. Furthermore, 6.8 GWh electricity can be saved by replacing all the incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps which will reduce the demand during the peak hours. Keywords Energy access, solar energy, solid waste, energy efficiency, urban poor 1. Introduction Electricity is one of the fundamental elements which is needed to decline poverty rate and boost the economic growth and social mobility of a country. A quarter of world’s population is suffering from lack of access to clean and cost- effective energy services, such as efficient lighting and pollution free cooking facilities [1]. The absence of electricity hinders the development of society, country’s health, education standard as well as the productive economic activities [2]. Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is one of the fastest rising cities in the world, accommodates 13 million people, including different service holders, workers and slum dwellers. The city is expected to shelter more than 20 million by 2025 [3]. There has been an excessive arrival of low- income people from the rural areas to urban areas since the independence of the country. Each year, about 300,000 to 400,000 people travel to Dhaka city from villages for earning money. They capture government lands, the edge of the roads as well as abandoned lands and buildings. There has