Overview of Ethiopia’s Energy Potential The demand of energy in Ethiopia is highly increasing as a result of rapid population growth, increasing economic activities and industrializations From 2018 to 2030, electricity demand is projected to increase by up to 300%, oil demand is expected to be doubled ( EEA, 2022) According to the world bank report of 2020 the access of energy in the country accounts only 51.1% of total population. A bout 90% of the country’s energy supply is established on biomass, which is mostly gained from unsustainable sources ( Benti et al., 2021) Introduction
The country has various and conventional and renewable energy resources, such as biomass, hydro, wind, solar, geothermal, and natural gas. Cont … Table 1: Potential source of energy in Ethiopia ( Yalew , A.W, 2022;Tiruye, G.A. et al., 2021) Resource Unit Potential Exploited percent Hydropower GW 45 <10 % Wind power GW 1350 <1 % Wind speed m/s > 6.5 - Geothermal GW 7 <1 % Solar kWh/m 2 /day 5-6 <1 % Wood biomass Million tons 1120 50 % Agricultural waste Million tons 15-20 30 % Natural gas Billion tons 113 Coal Million tons 300 Oil shale Million tons 253 Figure 1: Electricity demand projections of Ethiopia by sectors between 2018–2050 [ Gebremeskel , D.H. et al, 2023] ]
Presently hydro-power accounts majority of Ethiopia's electricity production Renewable energy accounts for 96.5% of the total generation ( Benti et al., 2021) Figure 2 : Current power generation of Ethiopia from different energy sources ( EEA, 2022) State of the Art Current Status on Renewable Energy in Ethiopia Figure 3: Energy consumption by sector [EEA, 2022]
Ethiopian Energy Policy Goals, Objectives, and Instruments Goal Objectives Policy Instruments linked to Renewable Energy To ensure energy services are available, accessible, affordable, and safe for sustainable transformation of the country Be a regional centre for renewable energy while enhancing the security and dependability of the energy supply. Increase the development and use of domestic renewable energy Capitalize the availability of affordable modern energy Encourage the development of technology and resources for renewable energy. Facilitate a mechanism of sustainable financing for renewable energy technologies Build robust energy institutions and improve sector governance Integrate modern energy and renewable energy with development initiatives and the master plan for urban development. Boost Financing for the Energy Sector Utilizing a localization approach by increasing local production capability for renewable energy solutions. Ethiopian Energy Policy