Renewable Energy in Ethiopia 13 Months of Sunshine for a sustainable Development

Stefan Heimann

Stefan Heimann, Addis Ababa 2007, Berlin 2009 post stefanheimann.eu www.stefanheimann.eu

Table of contents
1. 2. 3.
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

Introduction ..................................................................................... 3 Background..................................................................................... 4 Potentials ........................................................................................ 7

Solar .................................................................................................... 7 Biomass............................................................................................... 9 Hydro................................................................................................. 10 Wind .................................................................................................. 11 Geothermal........................................................................................ 13 Energy efficiency ............................................................................... 14

4. 5.

Conclusion and Outlook................................................................ 17 Sources......................................................................................... 20

1.

Introduction

13 Months of Sunshine is the slogan of the Ethiopian Tourism Commission. The slogan refers to the Ethiopian calendar and with this to the unique Ethiopian culture. And it also gives a first hint on the potentials for renewable energy sources in this country on the horn of Africa: In fact, the tropical sun in Ethiopia is strong! But, just like most of such saying, this slogan is exaggerated: At least two of the 13 Ethiopian months do not have much sunshine because of the rainy seasons. In these seasons masses of water sweep down from the Ethiopian highlands and can be used for hydro power generation. And solar radiation and water power are only two energetic resources among several others like the hot springs in the enormous African Rift Valley or the wind power resource in the mountains. The honoured reader might already guess, that the potentials for renewable energy in Ethiopia is considerable. Go beyond guessing: The following report provides an overview about the Ethiopian energy supply system and the potentials for the various renewable energy sources. The collection of the information for this report was done during the stay of the author in Addis Ababa from September to November 2007. Additional internet recherch and the summarising is done in 2008 and 2009 in Berlin. The goal of this work is to provide basic information for all professional as well as non-professional readers who are interested to learn about energy related aspects of this dynamic African country.

2.

Background

The present situation of energy use in Ethiopia differs fundamentally from the situation in an industrialised country like Germany. In Ethiopia still approximately 7080% of the primary energy share are taken from biomass. But the biomass, basically wood which is processed to charcoal, is neither cultivated in a sustainable way nor is it used efficiently. Deforestation and with it soil erosion, loose of farm yield potential and desertification are the consequences. And up till now the gap between biomass demand and supply is increasing constantly.

Cutover forests around Addis Ababa

Beside the energetic use of biomass, basically human and animal power are used for mechanical activities like farming and producing. Further, about 80-90% of the electric power is generated from hydropower, but only about 7-20% of the 80 Mio. Ethiopians have access to electricity. Especially in rural Ethiopia the people very often do not have any electricity and rely to kerosene fuel-based lighting. Kerosene's emissions are extremely hazardous for health. If people in rural areas have access to electricity, then it comes very often from diesel generators. In 2006, the energy consumption per capita was assessed on about 32.94 kWh, which is extremely low compared to most other countries in the world. In the same year, more that 80% of the energy in Ethiopia was used in the household sector and 50% of all biomass fuel

is used only for baking Injera, the traditional Ethiopian flat bread, which is eaten up to three times a day. This unusual large share of the household sector is due to the lack of industries in Ethiopia. Just like in most other countries in the world, the total energy consumption in Ethiopia is increasing. The annual rate of growth for the use of electric energy amounts up to 10 %. It is planed to expand the national grid and with it to increase the share of the people who have access to electricity. But the goal to offer electricity to all Ethiopians is still very far away. Electric power supply is in Ethiopia completely in the hands of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), a state-owned monopoly company. The EEPCO is responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electricity nation wide. With it, the EEPCO also operates the main grid, the so called Inter Connected System (ICS), which is fed by 8 hydro, 13 diesel generators (some for stand-by use only) and one geothermal power plant, which is frequently out of order.

A hydro power turbine is the logo of the EEPCO

Beside the ICS, a large number of towns and villages remain within the SelfContained System (SCS), which consists of three small hydro power plants and seven isolated diesel generating units. A share of the electric power generated in the Ethiopian power plants is exported to Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti and, if ambitious plans are believable, in the future some energy from Ethiopia will be even conducted to Yemen across the Red Sea. So on the one hand Ethiopia is rich of energy. But on the other hand Ethiopia heavily depends on imports of fossil energy sources and

especially on oil because the country does not have many accessible fossil resources.

Big-city traffic in Addis Ababa

And though fossil fuels account only for 5% of the primary energy consume, they cost nearly 50% of the export earnings of this developing country. Therefore it seems to be recommendable to extend a sustainable use of renewable energy sources in case the required potentials are really given in Ethiopia.

3.

Potentials

As already mentioned, some potentials for a successful use of renewable energy in Ethiopia are pretty obvious: The sun is strong (and burns the skin especially of us white Ferenijs), a lot of water runs down from the highlands and several hot springs can be found easily in the giant African Rift Valley. Beside these potentials, there are also further reasons for a decentralised energy supply. These reasons refer to the distribution of the Ethiopian population and to the infrastructure conditions of the country: Since only about 10-20% of the Ethiopian population live in cities, a majority of the Ethiopians still stay in Tukuls, the traditional round straw huts which are arranged to very small villages. Ethiopia has with 1.1 million km2 approximately twice the size of the biggest EU-country France and has only low standards of infrastructure. In addition to this, the mountainous landscape of this huge country makes it difficult and expensive to connect all households to the main grid. Due to these reasons, decentral solutions for energy supply are in many cases suggested. But these solutions should be designed in a way, which allows a connection to the main grid - if this becomes possible in the future. Today, a lot of diesel generators are in use in rural areas. But as these generators require expensive and not environment-friendly fossil fuels, alternative energy sources with good potentials are desired. Time for a closer look ... 3.1 Solar

Energy from the sun offers probably the best potential for a decentral insertion in Ethiopia. Solar radiation can be used for example to run water pumping systems for villages, to operate lighting systems for households, to heat water for cooking, to dry straw, to use telecommunication systems and even to refrigerate for example medicine in health centres. An assessment study indicated in 2002, that the average daily solar radiation reaching the ground for Ethiopia as a whole is 5.2 kWh/m2.

Solar radiation in Ethiopia

The strength of the solar radiation in Ethiopia is expected to be the highest category of the world. Therefore the radiation can qualify to be the sole resource of energy for the country. So sun energy can bring an important contribution to a sustainable and decentral energy mix for Ethiopia. But many solar energy technologies are still rather expensive - especially for a poor country like Ethiopia. Hence the use of photovoltaic systems are only worth to generate electricity for island net systems which cannot join the main grid.

Solar panels at Addis Ababa University

In contrast to the expensive PV systems, solar thermal system are already affordable today. For example concentrator cookers, the so called Solar Cookers, can provide enough energy for cooking, which is the basic energy need of Ethiopia's population. But as these cookers require direct sun light, cooking is only possible when the sun is shining. 3.2 Biomass

Just like centuries ago, the energetic use of biomass is very common in Ethiopia. But since the population is rising rapidly, the traditional use of this energy source leads to serious ecological problems like deforestation and, with it, to soil erosion. Today, modern biomass technologies can contribute to a sustainable and environmentfriendly energy supply in Ethiopia but the biomass needs to be used efficiently and also the reaping of the plants has to be organised in a way that allows regeneration. Since this is not the case, only a few plant species are able to regenerate fast enough before getting cut down again. Therefore today already a large share of Ethiopias fast shrinking forests consist of Eucaliptus trees. These trees were imported from Australia by Emperor Menelik only about 100 years ago. It is a fast growing plant, that is why it is used to cover Ethiopias huge biomass demand.

Eucaliptus trees in the Ethiopian highland

But this monoculture of a foreign type of tree leads to several problems as acidity of the soil. Beside the Eucaliptus trees, cow dung is still a common source for biomass energy. Like in other countries in the equatorial belt, the export orientated cultivation of energy plants for bio fuels is booming in Ethiopia. Because of its mild and sunny climate, Ethiopia has a great potential for growing especially sugarcane. But the excessive cultivation and export of this profitable energy plants have also caused several problems like the threat of nature reserves. 3.3 Hydro

Hydro energy is in the focus of the governmental actions for energy supply in Ethiopia: Up to 90% of the electrical energy comes from water power plants. The reasons for this are to be find in the climatic and geographic conditions of the country: Ethiopia has a comparatively mild and rainy climate. Especially during the main rainy season in July and August, a lot of rain falls on the Ethiopian highlands. And this water flows down to the low lands and to the African Rift Valley water which can be easily used for generating electricity. Beside this, one of the worlds biggest rivers springs in Ethiopia: The beautiful Blue Nile arises close to the huge Tana Lake in the north west of the country. A big hydro power plant is operating with this stream. This plant is deactivate on weekends so that tourists can enjoy the impressive Nile Falls.

The Nile Falls and the Nile hydro power plant

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Today, an Ethiopian and Chinese joint venture company builds the 10th hydroelectric power plant in the country. It is designed to generate 300 MW of electric power from its three turbines. Further, Ethiopia and the Nile abutting states Egypt and Sudan build a new huge dam at the Blue Nile. From a political point of view, this is a historical step: Back in the 90ties Egypt, whose water supply depends heavily on the water which the Nile brings from Ethiopia, threatens Ethiopia with military attacks in case Ethiopia builds a dam at the Nile. Today, this dam is already under construction and a share of the generated electricity will be exported to Sudan and Egypt. But in December 2008, the Ethiopian Minister for Energy had to tell, that the construction of this hydro plant will take much longer than expected. However, this cooperation project can be seen as an enormous success for a sustainable water and energy supply in the Nile region. Beside large-scale power plants like this, hydropower can also be used in so called mini and micro hydro plants which are designed to supply island networks in small villages. Sometimes they are even transportable so that traditional nomadic tribes can use them on their journeys. Ethiopias potential for water power is definitely considerable. But it is necessary to have a brought mix of renewable energy sources - especially in times of climate change when rains become weaker and less reliable.

3.4

Wind

When there is no hydro there is wind, when there is no wind there is hydro. A good match! This statement of a GTZ energy researcher about the climate conditions in Ethiopia suggests that wind energy can provide an important contribution to a sustainable energy supply. But until today wind power does not have a mentionable share in Ethiopia's energy mix.

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Windmill at Addis Ababa University By world's standard, Ethiopia's wind resources are not considerable for electric power generation. But a feasibility study displayed a few years ago, that there are at least three suitable places in Ethiopia for installing wind turbines. In one of those places, the Ashegode area in the Tigray Regional State, the EEPCO has started to build Ethiopia's first wind park which will feed in about 120 MW electric power in a few years. Further onshore locations will be examined. Offshore places, which have stronger and more permanent winds, are not available because Ethiopia is a landlocked country since the separation of Eritrea in the nineties. But the huge Tana Lake can have comparable wind conditions. And there are also further good locations like mountains and hills, plains and gaps in mountains. An area of rather high wind speeds is located close to the capital Addis Ababa. Short distances to consumer loads are important for an efficient and low-loss power supply, therefore this area is especially capable for wind farming. Wind power is not applicable for decentral island networks and therefore should be fed into the main grid. Of course this assumes that the ICS is available. Grid connected electric power from wind can replenish other energy sources and with it can contribute to a sustainable and reliable energy mix.

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3.5

Geothermal

Geologically, Ethiopia has a great potential for the energetic use of heat from the underground. This is mainly due to the great African Rift Valley, which runs through the country. The Rift Valley is a huge rift and fault system that will divide east Africa from the African continental plate in the far future.

The great African Rift Valley

In the Rift Valley there are still active volcanoes and also several hot springs. Hot springs can be found everywhere in Ethiopia. They were even one reason for the foundation of the capital Addis Ababa: About 120 years ago King Menelik's wife liked the hot springs on the mild and green plateau which is today in the centre of this African mega city. And because Ethiopians are very often Gentlemen, the first huts of Addis Ababa, the new flower, were build around these springs.

Addis Ababa centre

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Though the geological energy potential is excellent, it is difficult to develop this energy source in Ethiopia. A major problem is that high-tech equipments like sonorous appliance and high-performance borers are required to access enough heat for the generation of electric power equipments which are difficult and expensive to import in a developing country. Beside the complicated developing of a geothermal power plant, also the operating is technically challenging. That is why the geothermal power plant close to the beautiful Langano Lake is frequently out of order. This plant was the first geothermal plant in Africa and is until today Ethiopia's only plant for geothermal electric power. Some foreign development organisations like the German GTZ try to support the development of electric power from earth heat in Ethiopia. But the GTZ assessed some years ago that the opportunity to access this energy source for electricity within the next decades is rather low. The thermal use of heat which comes from the underground near to the surface is technically much easier. But this heat is to weak for generating electricity and also for cooking - and heat for warm water and for space heating is a luxury which most Ethiopians cannot afford. Essentially needed is electricity for lighting and operating fridges and communication and information appliances like radios and phones. Last but not least, a sustainable energy source for cooking the daily food is required. Therefore geothermal heat near to the surface cannot contribute to the basic energy needs for most of the Ethiopian population today. But geothermal energy from deep and hot ground layers can offer the needed heat for cooking and also for electricity. However it will take some more years of technical and political efforts to develop this renewable energy technology for Ethiopia.

3.6

Energy efficiency

In comparison to most other countries in the world, Ethiopia has an extremely low energy consumption per capita. And the country also has a large share of renewable energy sources in its energy mix: Apart from the transport sector, which is almost completely energized by fossil fuels (Ethiopia has only one very old and not really reliable train track) and some diesel generators for rural electrification, the lion's share of Ethiopia's energy comes from biomass (for heat) and hydro (for electricity). Low energy consumption and the use of renewables are important indicators for a sustainable and environment-friendly energy supply. But a major problem is that 14

biomass, which covers 70-80% of Ethiopias primary energy demand, is used in a very inefficient way. This leads to deforestation and with it to further environmental problems like soil erosion. So on one hand still a lot of Ethiopians do not have access to enough energy for their basic needs. And on the other hand a lot of energy is wasted by using the resources in an inefficient way. Therefore energy efficiency can be seen as a further and a very important energy source which has to be made accessible. By improving the efficiency of motors and lighting systems, it is expected that about 20% of the transport and industry energy can be saved. But the major part of the countries energy consumption accrues in households. Therefore the domestic sector has the greatest potentials for energy savings. Efficient light bulbs and further energy efficient equipment like modern fridges could improve the household energy efficiency and with it the economical situation of the people. But the most important goal is to reduce the energy demand for cooking. 50% of the household energy is spent for baking Injera, Ethiopia's national dish number one. Injera ovens, the so called Mitad, are very often heated by charcoal which is processed of fire woods.

Electric Mitad oven for Injera

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Especially in the rural areas it is very often a simple open fire which bakes Teff paste to the flat bread. Better insulations for these simple ovens could reduce the Ethiopian energy demand and with it the deforestation and the loose of farming lands significantly. A simple step with considerable results!

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4.

Conclusion and Outlook

A sustainable energy supply is a basic need for Ethiopia: It is a very important precondition for education, health, economic progress as well as for a reliable food supply. Energy is also strongly related to the local, national and global environment: The losing of forests, farm lands, wild life and whole eco systems and also the dramatic impacts of climate change these are all consequences of non sustainable energy generation and consumption. And these consequences are effecting especially poor developing countries very hard. Today, the energy household of Ethiopia is characterized by extremely low primary energy consumption, low level of electrification and of infrastructure in general, addiction to fire woods and to imports of fossil fuels, single-edged dependence on hydro power resources for electricity and low standards of energy efficiency. And the environmental consequences of the polluting energy consumption are dramatic: In Ethiopia about 200.000 ha forest cover is lost annually because people need to cut trees for firewood. With it, about two billion square meters of soil is lost annually due to erosion. And farm yield potential is reduced by 2% every year. This is fatal for such a poor country which is still not able to cover its own food demand. And beside environmental and agricultural consequences, the energy household has further economical impacts: Though fossil fuels account only for 5% of the primary energy consume in Ethiopia, they cost nearly 50% of the export earnings of this developing country. And the world market prices are rising... For people from the so called first world, it is very often hard to understand what it means to be energy poor: Ethiopia is located close to the Equator, therefore days and nights have the same length all year long. So not to have enough energy very often simply means not to have light for 12 hours each day. And it also means neither to be able to cook, nor to cool food or to heat up water and the home - not to mention the use of phones, cars, radios, computers and other applications that we take for granted.

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Traditional Ethiopian caf ceremony

But Ethiopia is also endowed with abundant renewable energy sources. To develop these sources, further technical, scientific and political efforts are necessary. For example the high custom tax rates on imported solar device must be decreased. These high tax rates are a major reason for the problem, that a lot of people in the rural areas cannot afford Solar Home Systems (SHS), which are designed to operate a light system for a single hut and a few further applications like mobile charger. The Ethiopian ministry in charge for taxation tries to legitimate the high custom tax rates with a protectionist pointer on the Ethiopian solar manufacturing. But Ethiopia's industry is weak developed and still far away from clean room technology which is required for the production of many solar devices. Before thinking about protecting the (nonexistent) national industry, capacity for installation, maintenance and repair works should be build in Ethiopia. Beside tax and vocational training policy, further political instruments like a feed-in tariff law for renewable energy should be checked for Ethiopia. And not only such top to bottom policy need to be adapted to new economic and ecologic challenges: Also bottom-up, grass-roots democratic and civil society structures have to be developed in Ethiopia. Today, the country still does not have many non-governmental organisations and associations which engage for renewables. And up till now, the oppressive Ethiopian government even exacerbate conditions for civil engagement. However, developing the sustainable energy resources for Ethiopia does not mean to push all renewable options blindly. All steps need to be checked carefully as

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especially the cultivation of energy plants for bio fuels causes huge environmental problems in countries like Indonesia, Brazil or Argentina where priceless rain forest areas are getting destroyed for farming space. The export orientated biomass industries must be controlled and regulated by strict and binding rules. All these endeavours might be hard but they are worth to be made: An efficient energy economy based on renewable energy sources can lead to economic growth, job and wealth creation, education and capacity building, health improvement, independence from expensive imports of fossil combustibles, environment protection and with it protection of agricultural resources and also of the nature heritage of Ethiopia. All preconditions for a sustainable energy supply are given in this country which is famous for its 13 Months of Sunshine...

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5.

Sources

Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Energy Sector, Dr. Demiss Alemu, Faculty of Technology, Addis Ababa University, 2006

Renewable Energy & Development, Benjamin Jargstorf for the GTZ, 2004

Proceedings Symposium on Renewable Energies in Ethiopia, GTZ, 2004

Facts in brief 2006, EEPCO, 2006 50th Golden Jubilee, EEPCO, May 2007

Marketing Support for the Fuel Saving Injera Stove, Presentation of the GTZ Sun Energy, 2007

Ethiopia Rural Energy Development and Promotion center, Rural Electrification Fund, Ministry of Mines and Energy, January 2006

Die Lichtbringer kommen, Badische Zeitung, 28. April 2007

Solar Energy Research and Development Programme

Newspaper article Wind power to be generated in Tigray Region, ADDIS FORTUNE, October 2007

Newspaper article on hydro power, ADDIS FORTUNE, September 2007

Further interviews (Rural Electrification Fund, EEPCO, Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce, Addis Ababa University, GTZ) done by the Author in 2007

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