Ethiopia meets much of its energy demands from hydroelectric sources these days. Though 45,000 MW of hydro power potential under use at the moment, the demand for energy is increasing at a high rate. The growth in the demand is due to the ongoing industrial growth and rapid development. The fast economic growth of the nation calls for more energy even from other energy alternatives. Among the other alternatives that the country has not tapped so far include biogas and solar energy sources.
According to the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, the nation has average daily solar radiation potential of 5.5 kWh /sq. m/day and ample biogas potential in addition to geothermal, wind, natural gas, coal, and oil shale that the country has not yet properly tapped.
Experts in the field advocate that building an economy and sustainable energy infrastructures is very essential to achieve development goals of a country. And the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II) of the country has given considerable focus on exploiting all the alternative sources in close partnership with private investors, national and international partners.
The objective of energy policy framework of the nation is to ensure reliable supply of energy at the right time and at affordable prices, particularly to support country’s agricultural and industrial development strategies. It of course gives high priority to hydro power development, which is considered to be the backbone of the country’s energy sector. And the policy also gives attention to the development of wind, geothermal and solar bio-fuels for transport and household uses.
According to Mesfin Dabi, analyst in the field of energy, maximizing the utilization of the country’s hydro, wind, solar, biogas and geothermal resources, developing fuel efficient stoves, reducing the role of hydrocarbon fuels in industry and transport are things that have also been given focus in the energy policy.
[allafrica.com]