Ethiopia’s clean and renewable energy investment in energy production and distribution has won praise as an exemplary initiative for developing countries which helps facilitating and ensuring social justice and sustainable development.
The appreciation came during a forum entitled “Cooperation for Net-Zero and Climate Resilience: Ethiopian and Chinese Perspective” The event took place in the sidelines of the COP 26 session, organized in Glasgow.
Ethiopia’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission Commissioner Professor Fekadu Beyene said on the occasion that Ethiopia’s renewable energy development and provision is increasing with inclusiveness. In addition, Ethiopia’s energy production focuses on clean and green energy production with the goal of building green economy considering the environmental protection and green development strategy of the country.
Professor Fekadu noted that Ethiopia has set a goal of building green economy to become middle income developing country by 2030 and achieving “net-zero emission” by 2050. Hence, the Ethiopia’s energy sector development gives due attention to meet these targets by investing on hydro, wind, solar and geothermal energy sources both on off-grid and grid sources.
During the discussion, Chinese Government Foreign Development Investment and Ethiopia’s clean energy initiative and production were praised their productiveness in achieving social justice by scholars. The scholars, according to Environment Commission of Ethiopia, appreciate Ethiopia’s clean energy investment to support social justice and facilitate sustainable development.
The scholars underlined that for the success of climate action, to realize the 2030s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for the effectiveness of global struggles to end poverty, supporting developing countries efforts and initiatives especially in the green energy investments like Ethiopia is timely global responsibility of developed countries “to walk their talks.”
In connection with the “Decentralized Local Energy Innovation Completion in Ethiopia” by the Ethio-Germany Energy Cooperation, Thorsten Herdan, Energy Policy, Heating and Efficiency Director-General at German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy had a zoom discussion with Ethiopian Journalists on Monday this week.
Briefing the experience of German energy investment and development, Herdan stated that clean energy plays irreplaceable role in facilitating economic development, industrialization, investment and to combat climate change. In addition, in developing countries, clean energy helps to end poverty, to increase access to job opportunities and for sustainable development.
Ethio-German Energy Cooperation was established in November 2019 with a joint declaration between the then Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia (the current Ministry of Water and Energy) and the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy aimed at supporting Ethiopia’s efforts of renewable energy development mainly on the off-grid energy development. With this goal, as part of its program, the Ethio-Germany Energy Cooperation launched a local energy innovation competition on Decentralized energy solutions for Ethiopia in September 2020 where over 40 local innovators presented their proposals and innovative ideas on the energy sector.
The local energy innovation competition is currently on its final phase where ten finalists are competing to supply their energy from off-grid energy sources mainly wind, solar and semi-hydro power sources, if they win the competition. The energy cooperation aimed at supporting the best innovative ideas financially and technologically is to support the innovators to realize their innovative ideas. The final announcement of the innovators is scheduled to be announced in the end of December or early January 2022.
Most ideas and innovations are in wind energy production, expanding solar energy in the rural areas, providing easiest and modern stoves, planting new factory to produce and assemble solar products at home and investing in integrating energy sources in the rural parts of Ethiopia where all of the innovational ideas are planned to produce from off-grid energy sources.
Herdan stated that clean and renewable energy access helps countries to combat climate change, global green gas emission and to minimize impacts that driven from climate change related impacts.
Germany is producing energy from hydropower, wind, solar, and nuclear sources where its energy production from nuclear source is increasing. Ethiopia’s renewable energy source is producing energy from hydro, wind, solar and now a day’s geothermal energy got an attention. The Director-General stated that Germany is working on nuclear-free energy transition. Herdan explained that the Germany nuclear exit was based on a large consensuses in the population and an agreement with the industry.
Sharing and briefing Germany’sclean energy development, the Director- General, Herdan during his discussion with Ethiopian journalists stated that access to energy ensures sustainable development of countries and the economic growth of their people by ensuring social justice, facilitating economic growth.
Herdan praises and appreciates Ethiopia’s green and clean energy investment initiatives and hopes to meet its national electrification program with its ambitious efforts. To keep its fast-growing economic development and the ambitious clean energy development efforts, Herdan argued that, Ethiopia should solve the current internal situation. He assured that Germany is committed to continue its support for the development of Ethiopia’s energy sector especially in experience sharing, technology transfer, financial funds and other cooperation areas in the sector.
Ethiopia signs the Paris Agreement to respond the threats of climate change, Herdan said adding, not only signing the agreement, Ethiopia is struggling and investing its maximum efforts in combating climate change by promoting green energy sources, planned to build green economy and similar efforts in the sector. In the energy sector, Ethiopia has huge potential of hydropower sources, solar energy sources, wind and geothermal sources.
Hence, he said, supporting Ethiopia to exploit its available potential sources of energy helps the country to generate additional energy in the country where tens of millions of people are still living without electrification especially in the rural areas of the country. “Germany is voluntary and committed to continue supporting Ethiopia’s energy development with different modalities,” he added.
“Ethiopia’s efforts in developing clean energy sector are absolutely impressive,” Herdan said adding supporting Ethiopia’s ambitious efforts in the sector would facilitate the country’s journey to development and able to exploit its available development potentials and to diversify its business models. Ethiopia’s practical investments in the sector are on the right way to develop green energy in the country and supporting such practical investments would help the country’s struggle to end poverty.
So far, Germany is working closely with Ethiopia in different development sectors, Herdan said adding to strengthen the cooperation of the two countries in the energy sector, the Ethio-Germany Energy Cooperation has established mainly to focus on the energy sector cooperation of the two countries. Germany is committed to work closely with Ethiopia in experience sharing of its energy sector development, capacity building, supporting locally innovative ideas, technology transfer and financial funds for specific investments.
Especially, the Ethio-Germany Energy Cooperation focuses in developing off-grid energy development in Ethiopia so that to reach the rural and scattered villages to get access to electricity by supporting and promoting different local initiatives and activities.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD NOVEMBEBER 16/2021
