May, 2022
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.
The final Event was held on May 11, 2022 at the the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Addis Ababa. The event was attended by prominent sector experts and government officials. Prof. Eick Weber, Innovation Competition Jury Representative and Chair of European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) remarked that the innovation is one of the major routs to push for clean and affordable access and competitions like this will play big part in driving growth in the sector.
The pitch competition for innovation was kicked off and the 10 finalists presented their final pitch to the judges and audience. At the end of the program certificate of recognition and awards were handed out to the top 3 winners.
TOP Three Winners
Winner
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%.
Second Place and Best Pitch winner
Dr. Kamil Dino – 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.
Third Place
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.
Source: – GIZ GmbH
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