Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 22, 2025 – GGGI Ethiopia convened government leaders, private sector actors, universities, and research institutions for a two-day workshop on December 19–20, 2025, marking the close of the Integrating Agrivoltaics for Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Energy Transition in Ethiopia project and more importantly the beginning of a coordinated push to pilot agrivoltaics across the country. 

The workshop served as a springboard for action. The ENVELOPS consulting team presented the project’s final feasibility study, which confirms agrivoltaics’ technical, financial, social, and environmental viability in Ethiopia. Stakeholders then collaborated to define a clear, multi-part roadmap for piloting and scaling the technology in alignment with national priorities and the nexus approach, addressing food security, energy access, and water management on the same land. 

“This project is not just about technology; it’s about people, communities, and the environment,” said Lucy Atim, Deputy Country Representative of GGGI Ethiopia. “As we face climate risks and resource scarcity, agrivoltaics can optimize land use, enhance farmers’ incomes, and support a just energy transition. Today’s collaboration lays the groundwork for a climate-resilient future.” 

The feasibility study revealed strong potential for agrivoltaics in Ethiopia’s Central Rift Valley, highlighting abundant solar resources, irrigable land, and water availability suitable for integrated systems. It identified crop types that can thrive beneath solar panels and demonstrated significant opportunities to power irrigation, processing, and cold chains through clean energy. The analysis also underscored the positive socioeconomic and environmental impacts of agrivoltaics and its alignment with Ethiopia’s policy priorities and market demand for agricultural production. Complementing these findings, a professor from Sejong University, Dr. Joonghyoun Chin, shared international experiences on rice and agrivoltaics, reinforcing the relevance of this approach for Ethiopia. 

Following the presentations, participants agreed on concrete steps to move from analysis to implementation. GGGI will collaborate with government institutions to design and launch agrivoltaics pilot projects while mobilizing finance from potential donors. ENVELOPS will support donor engagement, bridging GGGI and government counterparts with funders interested in climate-resilient agriculture and clean energy. The Ministry of Agriculture committed to embedding agrivoltaics in its project implementation strategies, while GGGI will lead capacity development for feasibility assessment, installation, and maintenance. Universities and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research will advance applied research on crop selection, shade management, and productivity under PV arrays. Every institution pledged to champion the nexus approach, demonstrating how agrivoltaics can jointly address food security, energy access, and water efficiency on shared land. 

“Today marks not just the end of a project phase, but the beginning of a new journey,” emphasized Mr. Elias Awol, Smallholder Irrigation Development Lead Executive Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture. “Let’s convert these findings into action, maintaining open collaboration, mobilizing resources, and advancing agrivoltaics from pilots to robust, climate-resilient systems.” 

The project has already delivered significant outcomes, including a market and policy framework analysis for agrivoltaics in Ethiopia, the development of a commercial-scale investment proposal, and capacity building for national and regional officials to lead agrivoltaics initiatives. Participants expressed appreciation for GGGI’s leadership in introducing this innovative technology and signaled readiness to demonstrate its potential through coordinated pilots. 

Agrivoltaics offers a timely solution for Ethiopia, where more than 80 percent of the population relies on agriculture and the sector contributes over a third of GDP. Climate variability and recurrent droughts pose serious risks to food and nutrition security, while irrigated agriculture currently covers less than five percent of cultivated land. By integrating solar PV with productive agriculture, Ethiopia can accelerate irrigation adoption, stabilize yields, reduce water stress, and supply clean energy for farming activities, improving resilience for smallholder farmers and commercial producers alike. 

As the workshop concluded, the message was clear: agrivoltaics is not just feasible; it is essential. With strong partnerships, technical capacity, and financial support, Ethiopia is poised to lead the way in demonstrating how agriculture and renewable energy can work hand in hand to build a sustainable future. 

Read more about the project here.  

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