GRANTEE
Dwip Unnayan Songstha (Island Development Association)
Dwip Unnayan Songstha (Island Development Association) is a Bangladeshi nonprofit rooted in island and coastal communities, supporting low-income households through livelihoods, microfinance, and disaster resilience work. DUS strives to bring about positive change in the quality of life and climate resilience of low-income communities in rural Bangladesh.
Focus & Impact
Fishing is an essential livelihood on coastal and riverine islands, but limited access to energy prevents economic growth. The fishing economy is constrained by the isolated location of remote islands and absence of reliable and affordable electricity, cold storage, and direct market access. Fishermen must sell quickly to visiting traders, who set prices with little or no competition. Spoiled catch and price-taking keep incomes low, especially during seasonal fishing bans.
Putting distributed power to work for local entrepreneurs. The project will build a solar-powered Fishermen Community Energy Centre providing cold storage, an ice maker, a fish-drying facility, and a grading area, while supplying power to nearby homes and businesses through a local tariff model. A digital sales platform will link fishermen to new buyers, and training and microfinance for women will support entrepreneurship.
A community-run model positioned for scale. A committee including fishermen and women will help govern the center. Designed to sustain its operations and upkeep through affordable user fees, the center will test a model for financially viable productive-use electrification that could be adapted and replicated in other remote, underserved communities.
Project Funded
Energy Corps is funding DUS and technical partner Pathway2050 to build and launch a PV-powered Fishermen Community Energy Centre (FCEC) over two years, beginning in December 2026. The center is expected to serve 1,500 low-income fishing households, and to provide electricity to 50 FCEC member households through a rechargeable battery service. By helping fishing families preserve, sell, and earn more from their catch, the project advances economic growth, food security, and environmental resilience.
ENERGY CORPS + DUS: WHY IT MATTERS
DUS and Pathway2050 are demonstrating how new energy resources can strengthen the economy of a remote, climate-vulnerable fishing island, delivering benefits beyond electricity provision. By providing solar energy alongside livelihood support, market access, and climate readiness, the partnership aims to move coastal communities toward energy prosperity and offer a model for other coastal islands.
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