Restoring balance: Bangladesh's rural energy realities

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest countries. Nearly 80 percent of the nation's 140 million people reside in rural area.Low-lying areas are vulnerable to severe flooding, while other regions are prone to drought, erosion, and soil salinity. Such an unfavorable agricultural landscape is pushing many of the rural poor to the brink. Bangladesh is also one of the world's lowest energy producers. Total annual energy supply is only about 150 liters of oil equivalent per capita.It uses little modern energy. Despite its successful rural electrification program, close to two-thirds of households remain without electricity and, with the exception of kerosene, commercial fuels are beyond reach for many.Collected mainly from the local environment as recently as two decades ago, bio-fuels are fast becoming a marketed commodity as access to local biomass continues to shrink. This study, the first to concentrate on Bangladesh's energy systems and their effects on the lives of rural people.