Project
Ethiopia Village Solar Micro-Milling Feasibility Study
Funder: Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Project Timeline: July 30, 2025 - September 30, 2026
Country: Ethiopia
Program Areas: Environment & Climate, Clean Energy & Circular Economy and Agriculture, Resilience & Water
Contact: Aidan Lapierre, aidan.lapierre@winrock.org
The goal of the Ethiopia Village Solar Micro-Milling Feasibility Study is to demonstrate a revenue model for off-grid village solar micro-milling in Ethiopia. Winrock will identify three communities where residents travel long distances to diesel mills, and work with women entrepreneurs to install and operate 1-3 kW solar-powered grain mills. Over six months, the entrepreneurs will run the solar micro-mills, record milling data and receive training and support from Winrock to evaluate performance and gather user feedback. After the six-month trial, participating women entrepreneurs will have the option to purchase the solar micro-mill.
This pilot will serve as a feasibility study, creating the business case for scaling up solar micro-mill distribution to 50–100 communities.
The project’s intended outcomes are:
- Demonstrate that the solar micro-mill satisfies customer preferences for flour quality, range of grains and speed of milling.
- Demonstrate that the payback time for a solar micro-mill is within 1-3 years given local demand and willingness to pay for milling services.