31.03.2021

Innovation Competition for Decentralised Energy Solutions Finalists

On 31 March 2021, the Ethiopian-German Energy Cooperation held a kick-off for the ‘Innovation Competition for Decentralised Energy Solutions Ethiopia’ finalists. The competition’s call for proposals attracted a diverse pool of applicants from across Ethiopia, with 47 submissions. Following a robust evaluation process, jury members from Ethiopia and Germany selected 10 finalists whose innovations stood out in terms of economic viability, gender, climate change as well as social and environmental impact.

The kick-off workshop was held in tandem with the 2nd workshop for the Young Journalists Programme, providing an opportunity to pair and network the journalists and finalists. In the upcoming months, the young journalists will be showcasing and reporting on the finalists’ innovations, as a means to increasing public awareness on the competition and visibility for the finalists. This exercise will also serve to build capacity for the young journalists and create awareness on aspects of energy access and related topics in Ethiopia.

Addis Abera

Mobile solar generator

This innovation idea is a portable generator that consists of multi-devices for different applications: A solar pump for irrigation purpose, a loudspeaker for meetings in remote areas, for the public on road teaching either educational or health notices. It has power backups that can support six household farmers with home light, mobile charging and TV. The system is designed to serve as a means of income to unemployed youth in rural areas by generating income from giving this service.

Amsale Woldesenbet

Creating Network of Producer Groups for Technology Dissemination

The innovation is a business model that enables to reach the last mile community and create reliable access to clean energy technology solutions. The service mainly brings together local women technology producer groups who already have a very good channel of community outreach and forming a network of producer groups with the aim of supporting business diversification and to reach remote areas through extension to disseminate clean energy solutions to off-grid communities.

Getachew Teshome

Solar Powered Charging Station for Rural Schools

The solar charging station is a containerized service station that generates electricity from the sun and provides electricity for charging and other services to a rural community. Using Solar PV panels, energy from the sun is captured and stored in battery using rechargeable appliances such as chargeable lamps, power banks and mobile phones. The charging station is located at the periphery of a school. The charging station is a 5m x 2m x 2m sandwiched panel box with solar panels on the roof to harvest solar energy.

Kamil Dino Adem

Manufacturing, assembling and distribution of Integrated Domestic Energy Unit (IDEU)

The innovative system is used for a household as an alternative energy for cooking, mobile charging and lighting. The integrated domestic energy unit comes with a charge controller along with one light and multi-plug mobile phone charging system. The system includes a solar panel that powers the battery fixed within the charge controller. All the three outputs are controlled by individual switches (i.e., the fan, mobile phone, and bulb connection points). Forced Draft Cookstove uses wood or compressed biomass as a feed material to produce thermal energy.

Leul Walelign

Micro hydro power plant turbine

The innovation is designed with a specific type of turbine that works efficiently with almost the lowest head possible. The turbine works with 1.5-meter minimum head to produce power with simulated efficiency of 70%. It is a generator type power generation system, specifically a micro hydro power plant method that is one of ecofriendly renewable energy source. The design is a specific type turbine blade, which uses both the generated vortex energy and the reaction of the water with a simulated efficiency up to 70%.

Nigussie Wondimu

Affordable Light to the remote Areas

The innovative idea introduces different solar power products that will provide affordable and renewable power sources. The innovation has solar power system items with three different options such solar lantern for lighting, multi-functional solar home lighting system for lighting with several lamps and phone charging as well as solar generators with higher capacity (up to 1 KW) for home lighting and other appliances like TV, Radio and other small wattage equipment.

Samuel Alemu

Solar irrigation "Ride" service and mobile app based market linkage Service

The innovative idea is to sell irrigation water to smallholder farmers using a high discharge and movable surface solar irrigation pump that will be pulled by a walking tractor. The solar irrigation service will increase access to productive use of energy for smallholders and at the same time will get ride of the dirty and costlier diesel pumps. The innovation will be equipped with 21 KWp solar arrays, an annual generation capacity estimated to be more than 4 MWp. 30 smallholders are getting the service per day which will be translated to annual energy access to more than 6,000.00 smallholders.

Sophonias Dawit

Enzirt Wind Turbine

This innovative idea consists of products and services that will help to provide light and electrify to households’ designs, manufactures and sells of a small-scale wind turbines to off-grid households and businesses. In addition, the service provides customer consultancy, installation, and maintenance. The product is a vertical axis wind turbine known as Savonius wind turbine with an enhanced performance.

Tewodros Gebreselassie

Birhan-Bedejo

The innovation is used to establish a multipurpose energy center that provides access for beneficiaries where they can get any kind of modern cooking and electricity products especially Solar PV with the best quality and optimum price.

The intervention avails access to services such as charging stations, recreation centers, even leasing facilities for different income-generating activities such as barbershops, TV stations, etc. Accessing home use and productive use solar systems, cook stoves, power-saving electric stoves for electric towns, and water cleaning goods from certified sources are some of the major services to be provided.

Tigabu Atalo

Ethiopian Energy^Power Business Portal, eepBp

The innovation is an introduction of a locally based platform of individuals focused on energy. The proposed publications will be made available for discourse in the form of weekly articles online (dedicated website) and social pages, energy magazines on a monthly and semi-annually basis. It will help reach out to the communities, consumers, private sector, policy makers, utilities, development Furthermore, the portal will promote best practice of financing options of decentralized sources in similar markets for a faster adoption and scale up in the local market putting private sector and local financing at the center.

Tigabu has joind GIZ after he has been selected as a finalists.