Can communities be engaged in deploying off-grid energy systems in Ethiopia and Mozambique?

Community energy offers a framework to develop local technology implementation and management skills to create close relationships between communities and their infrastructure. However, current legislative and governance frameworks in Ethiopia and Mozambique constrain the possibility of engaging communities in deploying off-grid energy systems.

Are off-grid renewables viable in Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, the alignment of other development goals such as health with energy has enabled the development of off-grid renewables. In both cases, however, modern renewables such as wind and solar remain marginal, reaching negligible segments of the total population.

Does Ethiopia have a hybrid energy system?

Ethiopia possesses an abundance of small-scale wind, solar, and hydropower resources that are suitable for electrifying rural areas 17, 18. It is plausible that a hybrid energy system, by virtue of its enhanced dependability, provides superior energy service in comparison to any individual stand-alone supply system (e.g., solar, wind) 19.

What if Ethiopia's energy landscape is shaped by centralised state provision?

If Ethiopia’s energy landscape is shaped by centralised state provision and uncoordinated, smaller scale efforts to provide renewable energy where it is needed, the energy transition remains in the government’s grip and dominated by large-scale hydropower production.

Does Ethiopia have a wind power system?

Ethiopia has connected 33% of its population to the national grid and 11% with off-grid solutions—mostly mini-grids and solar PV systems. Since 2012, wind farms have been installed to compensate for the shortfalls of hydroelectric power in the dry season, but wind energy remains marginal in the national energy mix [ 63 ].

Is the energy landscape changing in Addis Ababa?

That said, recent studies have also shown that the energy landscape for cooking can rapidly change in some places. For instance, in Addis Ababa, the ownership of electric cooking has increased quickly over the past 5 years, meaning that biomass use is also rapidly decreasing [ 85 ].