New report on solar PV installation and restoration of solar-based off-grid energy systems of health posts and centers in Tigray

The Tigray regional state of Ethiopia faces significant challenges regarding energy access. Before the conflict that began in late 2020, the energy access rate in Tigray was already low, with a considerable portion of the rural population relying on traditional energy sources like firewood and charcoal for cooking and heating. The Tigray Regional Health Bureau envisions eenergy access are vital in the provision of quality health services and in view of this the Ethiopian Ministry of Health had begun to deploy off-grid solar PV systems to the health centers and health posts to remote areas, with the Tigray region as one of the beneficiaries of the programme. In the middle of this programme, a war breakout in November 2020 devastating all the service sectors in the Tigray region including the health services. Many health posts and health centers were damaged and/or vandalized during the conflict, including damaging and/or looting of the existing off-grid solar PVs.

In response to this situation, the CESET project, with additional funding from ESRC GCRF funding, initiated efforts to install solar PV systems across health posts/centers in the region. This report provides an update on how researchers at Mekelle University reached out to the Health Bureau of the Tigray Regional State to identify health centers/posts that were most affected by the war and lacked energy access and then began the restoration process.

Download the full report via the link below.