Ethio-Germany Initiative Begins Search Innovators for Energy Solution

ADDIS ABABA – The Ethiopian-German Energy Cooperation and Innovation Competition on “Decentralised Energy Solutions in Ethiopia” has been launched this week, according to one of the organizers.

The competition was launched during a high-level virtual event with guests from the German and Ethiopian political and private sector as well as the scientific community on Tuesday.

The initiative – the Innovation Competition on “Decentralised Energy Solutions in Ethiopia – is now opened to Ethiopian students’, researchers’ and entrepreneurs’ business ideas for decentralized electrification approaches.

These approaches should demonstrate unique innovation in terms of feasibility and adaptation, scalability, replicability, affordability and sustainability in Ethiopia, according to the organizers of the competition.

The participants will compete for an award and international recognition, but above all will get the opportunity for contributing to the enhancement and modernization of the energy sector in Ethiopia, said the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in a statement sent to The Monitor.

Energy Cooperation is expected to foster the commercial application of renewable energy technologies in Ethiopia.

“The Ethiopian-German Energy Cooperation will provide a general framework for implementing selected projects in Ethiopia to ensure political dialogue and cooperation between both countries in the energy sector,” says David Otieno, Director GIZ Energy Programme in Ethiopia.

“It aims at improving and developing sustainable energy infrastructure and allowing for modern and efficient energy markets, in particular through the increased use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.”

Ethiopia has abundant renewable energy resources and the potential to generate over 60,000 megawatts (MW) of electric power from hydro, wind, solar and geothermal sources.

Clean energy solutions provide reliable, cost-effective and sustainable energy for essential services, including healthcare, water and food supply, and can help overcome challenges imposed by the current COVID-19 crisis.

To support this effort, the German-Ethiopian Energy Cooperation mobilizes entrepreneurs, students, youth, start-up and researchers to develop an innovative business idea for decentralized energy supply in Ethiopia from Sep 2020 to Mid-2021.

The competition is the first big project conceptualized and implemented by Energy Cooperation, according to GIZ.