Poor nations need climate fund, energy expert says

Abu Dhabi: Bangladesh's renowned renewable energy advocate, Dipal Barua, has made a public call for the creation of a climate fund to help poor nations of the world tackle the threat of climate change. The call comes on the eve of the Copenhagen climate change conference.

Barua, the driving force behind expanding renewable energy technologies in Bangladesh, is the managing director of Grameen Shakti, one of the most successful rural-based renewable energy companies.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Barua, who was the first winner of the Abu Dhabi government's Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP), stressed the full potential of renewable energy cannot be realised until it is available to the world's poorest of the poor.

Barua believes this century belongs to Renewable Energy Technology (RET). However, it will not become "real" for the masses unless this technology can reach the most deprived and vulnerable group in the world today — the millions of rural people who suffer most from the energy crisis.

Low interest loans

He said the world has taken tremendous steps forward to realise the full potential of renewable energy. All developed countries have passed policies to promote renewables. Solar PV technology will soon reach grid parity. However, it needs to touch the millions of disadvantaged people around the developing world.

"I strongly advocate the creation of a climate fund for countries like Bangladesh which are worst affected by threats of climate change. The fund will help to transfer technology, best practices, and especially grants and low interest loans to our countries," Barua said.

On how can awards such as Abu Dhabi's ZFEP help make a real difference, Barua said ZFEP can be that platform to promote innovative, practical solutions in the international arena. The prize also gives the opportunity to try out new ideas and scale up successful initiatives.

"I felt overwhelmed by the great honour brought to my country and me. It was a special acknowledgement of the creativity and resilience of our people without whom our programme would not have succeeded. It was the rural people who accepted renewable energy technology in large numbers to use it to improve their lives and take part in income generating activities.

"This prize was a moral boost, which strengthened my resolve to make RET a part of life of the common people, especially rural people. My dream is to reach 75 per cent of Bangladeshis with renewable energy technologies by 2015 and my broader vision is to take our business model to other countries and societies so millions of energy starved people around the world can have better lives," he said.

When asked how ZFEP had helped take his vision forward Barua said his greatest achievement had been developing a sustainable business model to serve the basic energy needs of rural people.

"I always believed in taking development to disadvantaged communities through their women. It is the women who suffer most from both energy and economic poverty.

"Over the years, I have seen that women engineers are very efficient when assembling and repairing electronics. I also saw it was the women who were responsible for the household. That led to the idea of setting up 45 Grameen Technology Centres in rural areas to train nearly 5,000 rural women as solar technicians."

Catalyst

"We have been able to create green jobs for women right in their villages."

Barua said his vision is to create 100,000 Green Energy Entrepreneurs by 2015.

"ZFEP is helping me to realise this dream. With the award money, I am setting up a foundation to provide technical and financial assistance to rural women to start their own RET business. Trained women will act as ambassadors and as a catalyst for change in their communities."

Window of opportunity in aid of rural poor

Dipal Barua is the founding managing director of Grameen Shakti and deputy managing director of Grameen Bank.

He has over 30 years' experience in microcredit and over 13 years' experience in developing renewable energy solutions for rural people. Under his leadership, Grameen Shakti has become one of the largest and fastest growing rural renewable energy companies in the world, benefiting over two million rural people in Bangladesh.

He has successfully innovated financial packages, developed local capacity and linked RET with income generation and women-friendly job creation.

He holds a Master's degree in Economics with Honours from Chittagong University. He has received many prestigious awards including the Ashden Outstanding Achievement Award 2008. He is the author of a book on Grameen Bank, The Poor Always Pay Back.

Would such a fund be successful in addressing the energy crisis? What do you think can be done by developing countries to tackle the issue of climate change? What role should the developed world be playing?