ADDIS ABABA: Often dubbed the country with 13 months of sunshine, Ethiopia's solar power industry is surprisingly lacking infrastructure and development. Investment remains low for renewable energy in the East African country and experts believe that the government must move forward on plans to boost solar power to meet growing energy needs. Miskir Negash, head of corporate relations at the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, the state monopoly electricity provider, said recently that “the relative expense of solar energy compared to wind energy or hydro, especially for big projects, relegates its usefulness to smaller-scale projects.” Still, the five-year Growth and Transformation Plan does target another relatively costly power source, geothermal energy, to contribute 70 MW of power to the grid, more than twice the power targeted from solar energy. A recent survey by the Chinese firm Hydrochina Corporation estimated Ethiopia's solar power potential to be around 2 trillion MW hours, with the northern part of the country having the greatest potential. One organization trying to fill the gap in the provision of solar energy to the rural population is the Solar Energy Foundation. The German-founded international nongovernmental organisation works to provide electrification to rural areas using solar technology and lighting. Experts have told Bikyamasr.com they believe more effort can be made in solar energy in the near future, but investment is needed. And Germany seems to be responding. Berlin-based Solarkiosk has developed a solar powered vending kiosk and it has launched the first units in Ethiopia, as part of the company's pilot program to bring solar power to the country. According to the German company, “it is going where established businesses have not yet gone." It added that “every kiosk is designed as a kit of parts, only to be assembled upon arrival at its target location. The packages are lightweight, do not require a container and are thus easily transportable to remote, off-road areas – in extreme cases, on the back of donkeys." Much of the kiosks are to be manufactured centrally in Germany to ensure quality and “durability," others will be made locally in Ethiopia, using local goods such as bamboo, wood, adobe, stone, metal and recycled producs. “After assembly, despite its light weight, the kiosk is safe and secure, an essential quality in communities where even the smallest products are of comparably high value. The entire structure is firmly anchored in the ground. Special detailing of all joints and assembly points on the inside of the building shell makes tinkering with the kiosk from the outside difficult," the company said. Solarkiosk added that this solar vending stand “is aimed at the kind of places where people sometimes have to travel for days to charge their mobile phones." Solar panels on the stand's roof produce electricity to provide enough power for solar lighting, mobile phone and car-battery charging, a computer and even a solar fridge.
