Energy crisis in Bangladesh: Challenges, progress, and prospects for alternative energy resources

Abstract Providing uninterrupted and reliable electricity to all at an affordable price is a major undertaking for the governments of increasingly energy-hungry countries. This study assesses the energy supply-demand gap, progress, and prospects of alternative energy sources in Bangladesh. Several methods, including descriptive, trend, and comparative analyses, were carried out using time-series energy data to determine the current and historical energy status. Results show that between 1990 and 2018, the country experienced an approximate 3.05-fold increase in energy consumption from 12,743 to 38,807 ktoe, and a 3.11-fold increase in energy production from 10,760 to 33,504 ktoe. The shortfall between supply and consumption is approximately 26%, but this can be resolved by addressing energy diversification barriers related to policy, governance through regulatory actions, investment, transmission and distribution, resources optimisation, energy efficiency, conservation, research and education, and regional cooperation.