International Journal of Energy, Information and Communications Vol.8, Issue 3 (2017), pp.1-30 http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijeic.2017.8.3.01 ISSN: 2093-9655 IJEIC Copyright ⓒ 2017 SERSC Electrification in Rural Bangladesh Using Solar Home System: Progress, Problems and Prospect Jaber Al Rashid 1* , Ataur Rahman 2 and Dr. A.K.M Abdul Malek Azad 3 1 Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BRAC University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh 2 Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BRAC University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh 3 Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BRAC University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh 1 jaberalrashid78@yahoo.com, 2 ataur_rahman_shoheb@yahoo.com, 3 a.azad@ieee.org Abstract Electrification is one of the most crucial factors to ensure economic growth and industrialization in Bangladesh. Being in a developing country, people from various districts of Bangladesh have been experiencing a severe electricity crisis due to the increasing daily demand for power, which outweighs the supply of on-grid electricity. This poor energy situation is evident by the fact that only slightly more than half of the total Bangladeshi population has been able to access on-grid electricity while two-thirds of rural households have been living without. Consequently, the shortage of energy hampers socio-economic development and lowers living standards of people. Since, non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels and natural gas, the primary sources of energy production in Bangladesh, are limited, usage of renewable energy technology (RET) such as solar energy efficiently can satisfy the rising energy demand and in turn improve the existing energy shortage situation. Adopting the Solar Home System (SHS) has enabled access to electricity in households in off-grid rural areas of Bangladesh where the possibility of extending on-grid electricity is less likely in the foreseeable future. This review research paper depicts the progress of SHS in rural areas over the last one and a half decades (1996-2014) and the socio-economic as well as the environmental benefits to SHS households. This paper also presents the prospects of SHS in rural areas of Bangladesh as well as aims to explain some of the challenges which SHS has been experiencing that can hinder significant progress of SHS installations in rural households. Detailed survey results and analysis have been provided in this review paper which indicates noticeable increments in the number of SHSs installed in various rural villages in Bangladesh and the improvements in the livelihoods of SHS adopted households. Keywords: Solar Home System (SHS), Socio-economic, Renewable Energy Technology (RET) 1. Introduction Bangladesh has been facing a severe power crisis for over a decade [1]. Despite the fact that the demand for power has been rising day by day, the production and supply of electricity has been lagging behind, slowing down the sustainable economic growth of the country [2]. Currently, the demand for power is 6000 MW whereas the generation of electricity is only 4300 MW. Hence, the power supply is short by 1700 MW, inducing severe disruption in all sectors of life including * Corresponding Author