Ethiopia is one of the nations in Africa in which energy resources are underutilized. The country has significantly met its energy demands from traditional resources. More specifically, the nation has been profoundly dependent on the burning of biomass to produce energy. Biomass is plant or animal material that includes wood, energy crops, and waste from forests, yards, or farms. This has had major consequences for the environment.
The use of traditional fuels as the main source of energy by rural households, which comprise the vast majority of Ethiopia’s population, is an area of concern. Deforestation, land degradation, decreases in agricultural productivity, and increased greenhouse gas emissions have resulted from these patterns of unsustainable fuel consumption, and are further exacerbated by Ethiopia’s growing population’s increased energy demands.
Ashebir Dingeto and Desta Kalbessa in their academic article entitled “Ethiopia renewable energy potentials and current state” stated the national energy consumption has estimated around 40,000 Gigawatt Hours (GWh), in which about 92 per cent are consumed by domestic appliances, 4 per cent by the transport sector and 3 per cent by industry.
According to them, the energy supply thereby is covered by bio-energy which accounts for about 90 per cent of final energy consumption. While the transport sector is predominantly run by imported petroleum; which accounts for about 4.5 per cent and modern energy contributes only about 6 per cent of the overall energy consumption.
Ethiopia has abundant renewable energy resources and has the potential to generate over 60,000 megawatts (MW) of electric power from hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal sources while electricity access remains extremely low. According to the 2019 Ethiopia country report, in Ethiopia, only around 45 per cent of the country’s population has access to electricity. From this urban population has 97 per cent while the rural area is at about 31 per cent access to electricity.
Despite Ethiopia’s energy potential, the country is experiencing energy shortages and load shedding as it struggles to serve a population of over 110 million people and meet growing electricity demand that is forecast to grow by approximately 30 per cent per year.
Taking these facts into account, nowadays, Ethiopia’s total installed capacity of electric generation is about 4.5 GW (2019) mainly generated by hydro (90 per cent) and followed by wind energy (7.6 per cent).
According to Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia has been discharging its global responsibility by implementing renewable energy through its green economy policy. Because the nation’s renewable energy initiative has been emulated from its green economy strategy.
Moreover, Ethiopia’s green development strategy encompasses four basic points. These are harmonious agricultural development and land management coordination, forestry development and protection within their biodiversity spheres, and using appropriate, improved, and selected modern technology products for industrial development, transpiration services, and construction sectors. More importantly, the strategy gives due to concern for the development of environmentally friendly renewable energy resources.
Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy Minister Engineer Habitamu Itefa (PhD) said that apart from the previous attempts, recently Ethiopia has made various structural changes to benefit from the potential the country has in renewable energy. Because the country has planned to work vigorously for renewable energy development. Therefore, the government is ready to open a room for private sectors participation in energy development projects in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has indeed been utilized maximum efforts to mitigate climate change. The country also updated its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the Climate Action plan on July 1, 2021. The validation of the plan has taken place in the presence of multi-stakeholders that would contribute to its implementation. The plan will end up in 2030 and was said to encompass ambitious targets to achieve.
According to Ethiopian Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Commission Commissioner prof. Fekadu Beyene, the plan intends to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 68.8 per cent by 2030. Besides, the updated NDC has incorporated targets that aim to meet 40 Adaptation interventions which the previous plan didn’t.
Ethiopia has given due attention to renewable energy production which has both economic and environmental benefits. Haramaya University Economics lecturer Firzer Tilahun told the Ethiopian press agency that using renewable energy has both environmental and economic benefits.
Moreover, “it is important to understand that the renewable energy potential for a viable solution by expanding investment, preventing economic fluctuations and reducing the cost of living, expanding energy expenditures, and sustaining the private sector is a viable solution. That is why there is a focus on the power supply and alternative energy sources in Ethiopia”, he said.
Ethiopia, to further consolidate and answer the existing energy demand of the nation, has prepared 10 years’ Road Maps. The Road Map aims to ensure equitable access to electricity, improve the living standards of citizens, and accelerate overall social and economic development.
According to the 10-year roadmap, the country wants to develop energy resources from renewable energy including hydropower, wind, geothermal and solar energy. Accordingly, the current energy production capacity will increase from less than 5,000 megawatts to 20,000 megawatts. For this, work is underway to generate 1,700 megawatts from solar power, 14,000 from hydropower, 900 from steam, and 2,000 megawatts from wind. So far, there are promising initiatives in the country, especially in the field of solar energy.
According to Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga, apart from economic and environmental benefits, Ethiopia’s enrichment of renewable energy is aimed at creating regional ties. He further explained that “we are doing this not because we are self-sufficient in energy supply, but because we understand that sharing our resources with our neighbours is very important for regional integration,” he added.
In short, Ethiopia has taken a leading position in green energy development due to its green development policy. Indeed, developing renewable energy for a country like Ethiopia is a necessity since it must stop land degradation that threatens millions of the nation’s citizens with poverty. It is also an opportunity because it motivates to use the country’s huge renewable energy potential in the development of the economy. That is why Ethiopia has developed its Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy to transform it by 2025 from its present list development country (LDC) status with agriculture as its main economic sector and annual per capita greenhouse gas emission of 1.8 tons to a lower-middle-income status with industry as its main economic sector and with zero net carbon emission. These efforts and the commitments, therefore, need not only appreciation but also further support from international communities.
BY EPHREM ANDRAGCHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD NOVEMBER 7/2021
