Assessing the benefits of clean energy policies in Bangladesh

Work under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Catalyzing Clean Energy in Bangladesh (CCEB) program has shown that clean energy can provide Bangladesh with not only cost-effective greenhouse gas mitigation, but also affordable electricity, and the same could hold true for countries in similar circumstances. The analysis was based on modeling using detailed plant-level data from the Bangladesh power sector. The model is deployed at the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) as part of a suite of tools to help analyze the economic effects (e.g. power prices, fuel demand, and jobs) of various power system development scenarios.

This case study summarizes the Resources to Advance LEDS Implementation (RALI) project’s modeling efforts and quantifies the potential job impacts associated with two different clean energy scenarios, as well as the health benefits derived from cleaner air. Taken together, these benefits to people and the economy demonstrate unambiguously that clean energy alternatives should be the preferred choice over continued reliance on conventional electricity sources, and should be considered when making long-term planning decisions regarding energy generation.