Launched in December 1997, BRAC Solar Energy Programme for Sustainable Development was registered under BRAC Foundation, to work on the Renewable Energy Sector. BRAC recognised the need of the poor rural people of light and power, and also realised the crisis and impending shortage of natural gas facing Bangladesh with the import bill over 70% of the country's total export earnings. The only sizable fossil fuel reserve of natural gas is likely to be exhausted by year 2010. BRAC also recognised a viable solution to this crisis in Bangladesh's virtually untapped renewable energy. An integrated and multi purpose programme, its projects spread across the country in a wide variety of settings, including households, BRAC and other NGO offices, training centres, schools, health clinics, cyclone shelters, a weather monitoring station, a government rest house and income generating centres such as carpentry, tailoring shops, cloth dyeing and printing shops, leather workshops, restaurants and grocery shops. The
programme has the following objectives:

· To change the living and social status of rural people
· To conserve the environment
· Self Dependency
· To meet the demand of the electricity in rural and remote and off-grid areas
· To increase the working hour as well as the education hour
· To change the economy of the society by pursuing modern approach through TV, Radio, etc.
· To develop awareness about Photo Voltaic (PV) technology.

In the year 2004, BRAC Foundation installed 4,840 Solar Home Systems. It has received refinancing from IDCOL amounting to Tk 49,149,122 and a grant of Tk 21,246,717.

Download the Memorandum & Articles of BRAC Foundation [MS Word Document - 110KB]