Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, millions of rural residents depend on diesel-powered essential services including water supply, grain milling, and irrigation. Reliance on diesel leaves communities vulnerable to increasing costs, difficult transportation logistics, and frequent supply disruptions. When aging generators break down or fuel is not available, the drudgery of manually hauling water or milling grains largely falls on women and girls. Solar water pumps and solar micro-mills are a strong alternative to diesel, as these productive-use appliances can be paid off in less than three years. Winrock’s Freedom from Diesel initiative is laying the foundation for rapid scale-up of solar-powered services in off-grid areas where diesel is currently the only option. Working in Oromia, Central, Southern, and Somali regions, Winrock is pioneering private business models for productive-use solar appliances with terms that work for low-income, rural communities.