Powering a three-room house with a diesel generator costs around $38 a month in Bangladesh, but thanks to new solar equipment, people in Bangladesh can have clean electricity for only $17 a month via a pay-as-you-go program. In rural Bangladesh, those savings can make a big difference in life quality. Since 2003, a government-backed energy group has installed solar panels in 3.95 million off-grid homes, reaching 18 million people. That total is expected to climb as the price of solar technology continues to decline.