In 1991, fewer than 15 percent of people in Bangladesh had access to electricity. Thirty years later, almost everyone did. Access spread through a mix of national grid expansion, and especially through off-grid solar home systems sold to rural households, which could power lights and phones where cables did not yet reach. Small loans and local dealers helped families pay for panels in installments. The grid still had to be extended to remote areas, and access is not the same as reliable supply, but the basic goal of reaching every home was largely achieved. Bangladesh is often cited as an example of how decentralised solar can leapfrog the step of building a full network, which matters for many poor countries.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.