The government of Ethiopia has launched tender to install solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) mini-grid sets in 25 different rural villages.
The Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) revealed the statement and said that the African Development Bank has issued the government financing towards the cost of design, supply, installation, commissioning as well as operation and maintenance of the project.
The project includes construction of solar power generation plant, back up diesel generator, battery storage system and carrying out operation and maintenance (O&M) services for a period of three months.
Also Read:Gambia launches tender for 150 MW solar project
Energy state in Ethiopia
Although Ethiopia has huge renewable energy potential it currently has an energy shortfall of 500MW, with over 70% of its energy coming from hydropower. Ethiopia’s energy strategy aims to deploy 300 MW of solar by 2020. The country has around 4.3 GW of installed power generation capacity, of which 3,810 MW is in the form of hydro installations, 324 MW wind, 7 MW geothermal and 143 MW of diesel.
Only 34% of Ethiopia’s population has access to electricity, and the lack of power also affects basic services such as primary schools and health clinics. The development of Ethiopia’s power sectors is led by the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which aims to reshape the country into a middle income state by 2025. The GTP I was established in 2010 and included a goal of quadrupling the country’s energy generation capacity from 2 GW to 8 GW.
The government of Ethiopia considers private investment in its renewable energy sector as critical to the success of its ambitious GTP II. This has encouraged foreign direct investments and is also especially directed towards the development of the country’s young solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sector.
