Should Africa start importing electricity from Ethiopia?

Dozens of African nations, including Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan, have expressed interest in starting or scaling up electricity imports from Ethiopia following the mega dam launch. Countries lying downstream, however, do not share the same optimism.

How many people in Ethiopia lack electricity?

Around 45 per cent of Ethiopia's 130 million people lack electricity, according to World Bank data, and frequent blackouts in the capital Addis Ababa force businesses and households to rely on generators. Ethiopia's PM Abiy Ahmed said the construction of the dam represented a remarkable feat. (Reuters: Tiksa Negeri)

Why is EV development important in Ethiopia?

Supporting the domestic development of EVs is crucial to Ethiopia's strategic goals after it last year became the first country in the world to ban all imports of fuel-powered vehicles. Measured by power generation capacity, the GERD is the 15th biggest hydro-electric dam in the world.

Are flow batteries a new technology?

You might believe that flow batteries are a new technology merely invented over the past few years. Actually, the development of flow batteries can be traced back to the 1970s when Lawrence Thaller at NASA created the first prototype of this battery type.

What are the different types of flow batteries?

Among the various types, some well-known variants include vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) and zinc-based flow batteries. Flow batteries work by storing energy in chemical form in separate tanks and utilizing electrochemical reactions to generate electricity. Specifically, each tank of a flow battery contains one of the electrolyte solutions.

How long do flow batteries last?

Thanks to their deep discharge capability and excellent scalability, flow batteries excel at storing energy for longer durations, from hours to even days. Conversely, lithium-ion batteries have a typical duration of several hours. "Flow battery at INL's microgrid test bed" (cropping) by Idaho National Laboratory is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED.