Country snapshot · East Africa
Ethiopia
Solar added each year
Ember estimates of all solar (utility-scale, distributed and off-grid), MW. 2026 is Ember’s full-year estimate.
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| Year | MW | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9.9 | Ember estimate |
| 2024 | 16.9 | Ember estimate |
| 2025 | 64.7 | Ember estimate |
| 2026E | 68.0 | Ember estimate, full year |
0.4% of Africa’s estimated 2026 solar additions (68.0 of 17,449.4 MW).1
Who has electricity
Share of people with access to electricity, 2024: rural and urban.
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| Area | Access | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 44.8% | 2024 |
| Urban | 95.1% | 2024 |
| National | 56.6% | 2024 |
World Bank WDI, 2024.2
How reliable is the grid for business?
Firms experiencing electrical outages (2025 survey), compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.3,4N4
85.9% (2025 survey) · Sub-Saharan Africa 72.4% · World 47.5% (2025)
The rules for small-scale generationN5
Export rules: None found
- Regulator
- Ethiopian Energy Authority (EEA)
- Main utility
- EEP (generation) and EEU (distribution)
Export rulesNone found. The EEA's 2021 self-use generation directive prohibits commercialisation; no net metering.5,6Medium confidenceShow detail
None found. The EEA's 2021 private (self-use) generation directive prohibits commercialisation. No net metering found
How exports are creditedNone foundShow detail
None found
Size limits and licensingSelf-use generation permit above 200 kW (25 years). Mini-grid classes: ≤50 kW, 50–200 kW, >200 kW (Amharic text: up to 10 MW).7Medium confidenceShow detail
Self-use generation permit for >200 kW (non-commercial), 25-year permit. Mini-grid classes: I ≤50 kW, II 50–200 kW, III >200 kW (Amharic text: ≤10 MW)
Mini-grid rulesMini Grid Directive 268/2013 (Ethiopian calendar, about Dec 2020/Jan 2021): licensing, 4-year tariffs, grid-arrival compensation.8High confidenceShow detail
Yes. EEA Mini Grid Directive No. 268/2013 (Ethiopian calendar, Tahsas 2013 ≈ Dec 2020/Jan 2021): licensing classes, 4-year tariffs, grid-arrival compensation capped at book value
Market access beyond the utilityA May 2026 draft energy policy opens PPPs across generation and networks, with full cost recovery by 2028.9Medium confidenceShow detail
The EEA was preparing a corporate PPA directive (2021). A May 2026 draft energy policy opens PPPs across generation/T&D, with full cost recovery by 2028
Aggregation / VPP rulesNone foundShow detail
None found
“None found” means we could not locate a rule in public sources reviewed to 10 October 2026, not that one cannot exist.
Recent developments
Dated developments, 2024–2026.
The full report
This is a snapshot. The full story is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
The full analysis, with 17 exhibits on the boom, the data gap, the economics and the four building blocks, is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
