Public perception and policy implications towards the development of new wind farms in Ethiopia

As part of the global effort in the development and deployment of renewable energy, Ethiopia is aggressively working to increase the share of those energy resources into the energy mix. Ethiopia is known for the use of hydropower generation systems but recently the country is introducing wind energy technologies and developed wind farms that started power generation in 2011. However, the public perception towards this new entrant of power generation system is not well understood. This paper therefore explores the perception of the public living within the wind farms. This is achieved through structured survey and conducting household level discussions with the community. The results showed that generally the public is supportive of such development but critical issues have been raised such as lack of prior consultation with the community by the developers, fairness of land compensation and generally lack of inclusive benefit packages from the wind farm development for the community. With the country planning for new wind farm development, it is crucial to devise comprehensive solutions and consider the recommended policy directions in this paper in order to develop public confidence and ownership for sustainability of the developed power generation systems

Development and manufacturing of solar and wind energy technologies in Ethiopia: Challenges and policy implications

Ethiopia has one of the most ambitious energy expansion programmes but to achieve these goals, policies must be aimed at localizing the development and manufacturing of energy technologies. However, the country is dependent on importing solar and wind energy technologies. The aim of this paper is therefore to explore the challenges of locally developing and manufacturing solar and wind energy technologies, the necessary assets and policy instruments that can facilitate localization of energy technologies. This was achieved through survey questionnaire and interview from different stakeholders. The results show that the region has very limited capability of developing and manufacturing of solar and wind energy technologies because of lack of investment capital, under developed solar and wind supply chain, lack of skilled workforce and others. To overcome these challenges, financial incentives for research and development, solar and wind based power generation, manufacturing are considered as the top policy instruments with other policies included in this paper. Therefore, a proper implementation of the internationally proven policy instruments recommended in this paper are urgently needed in the region in order to achieve one of the sustainable development goals that stipulate facilitation of the implementation of modern, affordable and sustainable energy to the society

Solar home systems in Ethiopia: Sustainability challenges and policy directions

The current energy access in Ethiopia stands at 44%, where 33% is provided through grid connections and 11% through off grid solutions. In order to increase the electricity access, the Ethiopian government has launched National Electrification Program laying out the country's ambition towards universal access by 2025 through a combination of 65% grid-connected and 35% off-grid energy systems such as the solar home systems (SHS). With the government's ambitious plans and increased market diffusion of SHS in the rural communities of Ethiopia, the country requires evidence based comprehensive data on the key challenges of SHS in order to maintain sustainability of the systems. This paper aims to explore the key sustainability challenges associated with the utilization of SHS and provides recommendations to overcome such challenges. This has been achieved through a field questionnaire survey. The study found out that high initial investment cost, lack of local manufacturing, lack of full awareness of the operation, frequent failure of the systems, lack of sufficient maintenance experts, high maintenance and installation costs, lack of spare parts are considered to be the key challenges that are affecting the market diffusion and sustainability of the systems. To overcome these challenges, evidence based policies are recommended

The role of community energy and the challenges in a state-led model of service provision in Ethiopia

Community energy can drive sustainable energy transitions in Africa and beyond. However, the implementation of community energy systems is lagging because of the lack of appropriate governance frameworks. This paper aims to explore the critical challenges related to the governance and development of community energy systems in the context of state-led energy service provisions in Ethiopia and to recommend interventions to facilitate their implementation. The paper presents a systematic review of official energy policies, proclamations, and regulations documents, national and international publications, and a consultation with local energy agencies. The findings indicate huge gaps in energy governance, including technical, financial, and operational challenges. Policymakers, the research community, and operators can take action to overcome these challenges. Strong commitment from all levels of government, international development organisations, and the private sector can make a difference in Ethiopia's community energy development. Dividing responsibilities for planning and implementing community energy is one critical step towards practical community interventions that can accelerate energy access, provide more reliable and affordable energy services, and meet the growing energy demand

The role of off-grid energy systems for sustainable energy transition in Ethiopia

The lack of energy in rural areas of Ethiopia, the second-most populous country in Africa, impedes development, and economic growth. Nonetheless, the nation has been working hard to create a green legacy and use renewable energy. Due to restricted access to national energy supplies, traditional fuels like fuel wood, dung cakes, and agricultural residues are primarily used for cooking and lighting in Ethiopia. Solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal energy are among the many renewable energy sources that exist but are not yet used. Grid and off-grid energy systems can be combined to accomplish this transition. The renewable energy-based off-grid system lowers greenhouse gas emissions, lessens the use of conventional fuels, enhances indoor air quality, and protects the ecosystem. To better understand how off-grid energy systems can support Ethiopia's energy transition, this paper analyzes the country's current energy situation, highlights the role of off-grid solutions, and suggests strategies to increase their adoption and spread. To achieve this, it examines the obligations, advantages, and difficulties associated with putting off-grid energy solutions into practice during Ethiopia's energy transition. The paper addresses the following questions: How can off-grid energy systems contribute to Ethiopia's energy transition? What are the benefits of off-grid solutions? What are the responsibilities, opportunities, and challenges associated with implementing off-grid energy systems in Ethiopia? What is the implication of the national energy policy and regulatory frameworks? How can the adoption and expansion of off-grid energy systems be boosted? The results showed that off-grid energy systems, particularly those far from the national grid, are promising solutions to Ethiopia's energy issues. These systems can facilitate the nation's overall energy transition, enhance access to energy, and promote sustainability. Off-grid energy systems can help achieve several SDGs ((SDG 5, SDG 1, SDG 7, SDGs 3 and 4, and SDG 13). However, because of insufficient funding, ineffective laws and regulations, and low stakeholder commitment, the development of off-grid energy systems is moving more slowly than anticipated. To promote investments in off-grid energy, the government, business community, and international organisations must collaborate to develop off-grid energy systems in Ethiopia. Addressing major obstacles and putting laws, rules, and incentives that benefit the whole off-grid ecosystem from importers to consumers will help hasten the energy transition. To do this rules that enable and guarantee the use of all available implementing agent’s public, private, public-private partnerships, and cooperatives must be established and enforced

Contextualizing entrepreneurship for Africa's post-Covid-19 recovery and growth

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in employment, income generation, food security, empowerment, job creation, and productivity growth in Africa. However, many businesses in Africa are heavily dependent on foreign direct investment and channels both for inputs and markets and lack economic resilience and diversification. Consequently, the complete lockdown and frontier closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a deteriorating impact on its formal and informal economic activities. The purpose of the paper is therefore to examine the challenges and responses of the African economy to COVID-19 and if the contextualized entrepreneurship approach is important in the post-COVID recovery and growth in Africa. The paper used secondary data collected through a systematic and contextual review of the latest publications and reports. The findings show that Africa is challenged with a lack of managerial skills, infrastructure, capital markets, access to finance, and incentives for entrepreneurship. Moreover, a realistic, contextualized, and sustainable trajectory recovery and development plan is critical to tackle the scale and depth of the COVID-19 challenges in Africa. In this regard, this paper provides important recommendations for African-oriented entrepreneurship development pathways and policies. This will have important implications for the post-COVID-19 recovery and the growth of entrepreneurship in Africa

Development of alternative fuel for cement industries: The case of Messebo cement factory in Ethiopia.

The cement industry is struggling with dwindling fossil fuel resources and environmental issues related to climate change. This sector is known for its high energy consumption and generates significant CO2 emissions, accounting for 19% of global thermal energy consumption and 7% of CO2 emissions. For this reason, Cement industries are seeking to replace traditional energy sources with alternative fuels. This study aims to investigate and optimize alternative fuels, evaluating their chemical and physical properties, energy output, production capacity, effect on clinker quality, and impact on combustion flue gas emissions. The study shows that the alternative fuels meet or exceed the minimum international standard of 14 MJ/kg for net calorific value. Therefore, they could replace up to 40% of South African coal in the clinker pre-calcining process. Using alternative fuels such as P. j wood, P. j leaf, P. j charcoal, used tire, and optimized fuels could potentially reduce CO2 emissions by 2%, 9%, 9%, 21%, and 17% respectively. Therefore, policy makers and companies should strongly consider adopting these recommended alternatives

Ethiopia needs peace to accelerate its SDG 7 achievements

Ethiopia has been striving to achieve its SDG 7 targets by heavily investing in the power sector. Large-scale dams have been developed and are currently under construction, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). These developments have supported the expansion of connectivity to millions of people. However, due to political differences between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray regional government, a devastating war broke out in November 2020, and the conflict has since expanded to other regions of Ethiopia. These conflicts have hindered Ethiopia's economic development, derailing achievements of the SDG 7 targets. The negotiated peace settlement that was signed in Pretoria and Nairobi is encouraging and should be sustained. The government must use this opportunity and commit the country's resources to the rehabilitation of damaged critical infrastructure and initiating large-scale projects to promote lasting peace by building confidence in the population. The conflicts of the last two years should be used as a lesson for Ethiopians to resolve political differences through constructive and equitable dialogue across the political spectrum. We need to develop a culture of resolving differences by ourselves through a) strengthening institutions and norms to nurture a political culture of resolving political differences through dialogues; b) developing and strengthening an independent judicial system; c) developing a culture of providing justice for those affected and introducing a true reconciliation process; and d) developing mechanisms to ensure and protect critical infrastructures during conflicts

Fibre geometries and their contribution to the global unidirectional tensile properties of enset fibre-reinforced epoxy composites.

This study investigated the potential forms of enset fibres and their tensile properties. Microscopic images of the fibre cross-section were collected, and image analysis was carried out in MATLAB. As a result, four distinct fibre shapes were identified and their likelihood of occurring as well as- their area contribution to the fibre bundle were determined. These fibres have distinct tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and strain-to-failure values, distinguishing the strongest and weakest fibres. The strength distribution of these fibre shapes does not conform to the Weibull theory. However, it follows the scenario that fibres with the biggest perimeter-to-area ratio provide the weakest values and vice versa. This shows that the tensile properties of fibres are influenced not only by their material properties but also by their geometric shape. As a result, fibres of different shapes contribute differently to the global tensile properties of the fibre-polymer composites