A Successful Pioneer Model for taking Renewable Energy especially solar energy to the rural people of Bangladesh.

Position: Founding Managing Director 1996 -2009

Has successfully transformed Grameen Shakti into one of the largest and fastest growing rural based renewable energy companies in the world with over 5000 staff and 800 rural based offices, all over Bangladesh.  

When he started promoting Solar Home Systems to the rural people in 1996, most people thought it was a utopian dream- an unachievable target. There were many challenges such as very high costs, no technology expertise, unavailability and inexpensive solar accessories. Now after 17 years, we have a thriving Solar Home System sector with growing demand and increasing efficiency at lesser costs.  

Mr. Barua is the driving force in popularizing Solar Home Systems in Bangladesh and making Bangladesh an international role model in promoting Solar PV technology to the rural people.        

He designed and implemented many innovative concepts which have become key elements of any successful rural based renewable energy programs:    

• Developing a Financial Mechanism which reduced the cost of a Solar Home System to monthly kerosene cost: He reduced the cost of owning a Solar System by introducing installment-based payment system where each installment was equal to monthly cost for kerosene. This helped to popularize Solar Home Systems among the rural people.
• Structuring a unique marketing package to popularize Solar Home Systems: The package includes three years free after sales service, easy availability of spare parts, post warranty annual maintenance agreement, buy back system which allows a client to return his system if his area is connected to the grid electricity etc. promotional gifts such as umbrellas and clocks for clients.   
• Focusing on Strong After Sales Service: He has shown that efficient and effective after sales service at the grassroots level is a key element for a successful solar program. He initiated   monthly visits to client homes, training of local technicians and users to develop a strong after sales service. 
• Training Staff as Social Engineers: He believed that staffs should be a part of the rural community and should develop a one to one relationship with the clients. Thus, he advocated and implemented formal, informal meetings with local leaders, fast response to clients’ problems, scholarship programs for school children, training of women and local youth as technicians etc. 
• Local manufacturing of Solar Accessories: Under his leadership, Grameen Shakti gained the capacity to assemble all solar accessories except for solar panels and batteries. This reduced cost and ensured availability of spare parts for local clients. He also took the initiative to take assembling and repair of solar accessories to the rural areas through Grameen Technology Centers.
• Micro-Utility Model: He designed a special program to reach people who could not afford a system individually. Under the micro- utility model, a Solar System is shared by a group of people. This model has become popular among rural shopkeepers.
• Women as Implementer of Change: He designed and developed Grameen Technology Centers-an innovative model to create Green Energy Women Entrepreneurs. Around 46 Grameen Technology Centers (GTC) has been set up in the rural areas to train 3000 young women to become solar technicians to assemble, promote as well as repair Solar Home Systems and other renewables. Many of these women who come from poor, disadvantaged families, are assembling and repairing solar accessories such as mobile chargers, inverters and charge controllers etc. in their homes and thus contributing toward their family income, especially meeting the education and health needs of the children Through this innovative program, initiated at the end of 2005, he is contributing towards women empowerment, poverty reduction as well as expansion of environment friendly technologies. He has set up a Scholarship Fund with his Zayed Future Energy Prize award money to expand and create 100,000 Green Energy Women Entrepreneurs by 2020.
• First Market based Biogas Model in Bangladesh: He was one of the first to advocate that biogas technology could be promoted in Bangladesh through long term credit and linking the technology with income generation and cost savings. He advocated that a farmer or a rural household would construct a biogas plant because it served his/their interest, not because of subsidy. He also promoted the concept of marketing and use of organic fertilizers among rural farmers. He has also pioneered the concept of providing livestock to biogas plant owners and giving them the opportunity to pay back GS through in-kind payments such as slurry, livestock etc. In this way he has linked biogas plants with organic fertilizers and live-stock business to develop a sustainable program. This concept was piloted in the Chilmari District among the poor people. 
• Grassroots Entrepreneur Development – Let many flowers bloom: He has pioneered the concept of Grassroot level Green Entrepreneurs for scaling up renewable energy technologies in Bangladesh. He has motivated many women technicians trained by Green Technology Centers to set up small businesses at their homes to assemble solar accessories as well as market solar and other renewables in their communities. He has also advocated the same for Improved Cooking Stove technicians.    
• Popularizing Improved Cooking Stoves Bangladesh: He played a leading role in promoting Improved Cooking Stoves in Bangladesh because he passionately believed that this would protect our mothers and sisters from premature death. He developed the financial and technical package for fast scaling up of improved stoves in Bangladesh. This includes designing of low-cost efficient stoves, 3 to 6 months credit, training of local technicians and especially local manufacturing of stove accessories. Currently over 9,00,000 Improved Stoves have been constructed all over Bangladesh.

Expanding into Urban Areas:  He took the initiative in promoting Solar PV technology in the urban areas. He developed various financial and technical packages for urban areas to meet their diverse needs. He successfully implemented one of the first Urban Solar Energy System in Nandos, a posh South-African restaurant chain in Gulshan, Dhaka.