The Government of Bangladesh is working to provide more energy to its people, in order to accelerate economic growth, poverty reduction and social development. German development cooperation is supporting these efforts through the work of GIZ. Renewable energy and energy efficiency is a priority area of Bangladeshi-German development cooperation.

One of the world's most successful solar energy programmes is that being run in Bangladesh by the Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL). In a co-financing arrangement with the Netherlands DGIS, GIZ is helping IDCOL to develop the market for smaller solar home systems among very poor Bangladeshis.

At the same time, GIZ has been working with private-sector enterprises and NGOs to introduce biogas plants at poultry and dairy farms, slaughterhouses, dormitories, and municipalities and to promote biogas-based power generation.

Since Bangladesh's reliance on biomass for fuel will continue for several decades to come, GIZ has been backing the efforts by its Bangladeshi partners to expand the use of improved cooking stoves, which burn 50% less biomass and eliminate toxic flue gases. GIZ also worked with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and Modern Erection Ltd. to develop an improved rice parboiling system with similar biomass savings and health benefits that is now being promoted all over the country.

Reducing systemic losses of electricity is a priority of the Bangladesh Government. GIZ is supporting a demonstration project to replace incandescent light bulbs with energy saving lamps, and to swap the magnetic ballasts of fluorescent tubes for electronic ballasts. The results illustrate just how much electricity can be saved through such simple and low-cost measures.