Is solar power an emergency solution to electricity access? Findings from the largest Rohingya refugee camps

Abstract

Globally, the solar home system (SHS) has proven to be a sustainable solution for providing basic access to electricity to the energy poor in developing countries, and has been well covered in the literature. However, the role of solar photovoltaic (PV) during emergencies such as war or natural disaster has rarely been discussed, and is the focus of this study. In particular, how solar PV could act as an emergency source of energy to ensure basic access to electricity for the Rohingya refugees is explored in this study. The Rohingyas have experienced racial and religious oppression in Myanmar for decades. Consequently, a significant number of Rohingya have escaped to Bangladesh and stayed in refugee camps. Ninety households in six Rohingya camps in Ukhia and Teknaf, Bangladesh, were surveyed. Results show that solar PV acted as an emergency source of energy for the Rohingyas in the camps and on their way to Bangladesh. They charged their cell phones using solar energy and were able to communicate with their relatives to find safe routes to Bangladesh from Myanmar. Cell phone charging and ensuring safety at night along with other benefits were found to be the significant drivers or enablers for adopting SHSs in the camps. The average satisfaction level of using SHS was found to be 6.84 on a scale of 1–10. Overall, the Rohingyas were found satisfied with the SHS as the 25th and 75th percentiles varied between 6 and 8. One of the crucial reasons for this satisfaction level is that they received very basic energy support (e.g., for charging cell phones, light in the jungle at night) from the system during a highly critical emergency situation.