First Zayed Future Energy Prize Winner 2009
Founder & Chairman, Bright Green Energy Foundation (BGEF)
Chief Adviser, Bangladesh Solar & Renewable Energy Association (BSREA)
Council Member, Bangladesh Energy Society (BES)
Councilor, World Future Council (WFC)
Ambassador, Global 100% RE
Former Honorary Board Member, Sustainable Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA)
Former Member, Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG), Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Founding Managing Director, Grameen Shakti, Bangladesh.
Co-Founder & Former Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Grameen Bank, Bangladesh.
Dipal Chandra Barua, Founder & Chairman, Bright Green Energy Foundation (BGEF) is a bright
innovator and a passionate and proactive entrepreneur. Mr. Barua is the pioneer of Solar Energy in
Bangladesh. He is the Former Deputy Managing Director (DMD) & Co-Founder of Grameen Bank in
Bangladesh. Mr. Barua played a very active and participatory role to conceptualize the whole
process on a daily basis from day one, which resulted in the initiation of Grameen Bank project in the
later part of 1976 from his own village Jobra in Chittagong district. From then Mr. Barua started his
creative work as a co-founder of Grameen Bank and dedicated 35 years for building Grameen bank.
As a Co-Founder of Grameen Bank, he occupied the number two position as the Deputy Managing
Director (DMD) of Grameen Bank till December 2009. He designed and implemented Grameen II,
heralding exponential growth and profitability of Grameen Bank.
In 1996, Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua successfully started expanding the renewable energy technology in
rural Bangladesh as the Founding Managing Director of Grameen Shakti. He has designed a
monthly instalment based financial model at the price of kerosene which has made the Solar Home
System affordable for the rural people of Bangladesh and by following the path Bangladesh has
already installed over 6.5 million Solar Home System in the rural areas of Bangladesh which is the
largest solar program in the world. He has shown that Solar PV technology can be successfully
implemented on a mass scale to provide rural people with climate friendly energy, light, income and
health. As a result, a new sector has been developed with numerous employment opportunities
which is an amazing example for the rest of the world. For his innovation and commitment to
alternative energy Mr. Barua was awarded the First Zayed Future Energy Prize 2009 from Abu
Dhabi, UAE as the first winner of the Prize since its introduction by Abu Dhabi Government, UAE.
With 26 years of successful leadership, hard work and efficient effort and for his exceptional work in
the field of renewable energy expansion, Mr. Barua has also received different national and
international awards including Energy Globe Award (Austria) 2002, European Solar Prize (Germany)
2003 and 2006, Ashden Award (UK) 2006, Ashden Outstanding Achievement Award 2008, Tech
Museum Award (USA) 2007, Right Livelihood Award (Sweden) 2007, Energy Globe Award (Brussels)
2008, Mowlana Abdul Hamid Khan Vashani award and IDCOL Solar Prize in 2008 from Bangladesh.
Mr. Barua is actively involved in research publication and advocacy to develop and disseminate best
practices in the international arena for pro-poor finance and energy policy. He is the co-author of
the book titled “The Poor Always Pay Back- the story of Grameen II”, which explains and analyses
the development of Grameen Bank from Classic to Generalized System, published from USA and
translated in French and Chinese languages. He has also received “The Gandhi Peace Prize Award-
2000” from H.E. Honorable President, Republic of India, Mr. R.K. Narayanan on March 16, 2001, New
Delhi, India on behalf of Grameen Bank.
He has wide experience in providing advice and consultancy to develop renewable energy
technology programs all over the world. He has been selected as a Lead Author by IPCC on Financing
& Investment and also as a member of strategic advisory board by IRENA at the initial stage. He was
the Board member of Solar for All, a new initiative to expand solar energy to the rural people. He
was also the Jury member of the Design Contest, initiated by Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy
(ISE), Germany and Canopus Foundation.
Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua is a member of Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) of Green Climate
Fund (GCF) from 2014. The Fund will contribute to the achievement of the ultimate objective of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the context of sustainable
development, the Fund will promote the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient
development pathways by providing support to developing countries to limit or reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions.
He is also Councilor of World Future Council (WFC), Hamburg, Germany. He became Ambassador of
the Global 100% RE Campaign – the first international initiative that advocates and inspires change
for 100% renewable energy (RE).
He is the Founding President of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA). In
July 2017 Mr. Dipal C. Barua has become a member of Sustainable Renewable Energy Development
Authority (SREDA).
Mr. Barua is also the Member of the Steering Committee by Asian Development Bank (ADB) for
selecting New Energy Leaders for Asia Pacific region. The New Energy Leaders program brings young
clean energy entrepreneurs and innovators from across Asia. It aims to showcase and promote the
next generation of entrepreneurs that are shaping the future of the clean energy sector in Asia and
Pacific region.
He was as Energy Evaluation Ambassador for Asia Pacific (EEAP).
His article was published in a Magazine of UK namely fDi Intelligence, A publication from the
Financial Times in October/November 2021 edition.
He was the Key-note Speaker on the South Asia Regional Resilience Hub, COP26, Nov 4, 2021.
He is also the Council Member of the Bangladesh Energy Society (BES).
His vision is to transform Bangladesh into the First Solar Nation in the world by reaching 75 million
energy starved people with renewable energy by 2050, a source of hope for 1 billion energy starved