AORA TO PROVIDE FIRST SOLAR-BIOGAS HYBRID POWER SOLUTION
FOR OFF-GRID COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA
Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy Meets with AORA Solar
Ahead of Deployment of its Tulip™ Technology
December 2, 2014 – ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia & REHOVOT, Israel – AORA Solar
(www.aora-solar.com), a leading developer of solar-biogas hybrid power technology,
today announced it has met with the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (www.mowr.gov.et), to plan the construction of
an initial pilot of AORA’s Tulip™ solar-hybrid power plant. The meeting follows the
March signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the parties.
The project is tied to Ethiopia’s Climate-Resilient Green Economy Strategy, in which the
country aims to enhance access to affordable and environmentally friendly renewable
energy. The goal is to provide adequate uninterruptible and grid independent power to
support the achievement of middle-income status by 2025 while developing a green
economy.
"We are transforming our Green Economy Strategy into action and are pleased to
partner with AORA to help achieve our vision,” said H.E. Mr. Alemayehu Tegenu,
Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy for Ethiopia. "AORA’s unique solar-hybrid
technology is impressive and well-suited to provide both energy and heat to support
local economic development in off-grid rural locations in Ethiopia.”
Construction of the first pilot plant is expected to begin by mid-2015. Following the trial,
the Ministry intends to expand deployment of AORA installations for rural economic
development to off-grid communities in selected areas of the country. The AORA Tulip
technology requires less land per kWh to generate usable power and heat than other
systems. Each Tulip station is small and modular, producing 100kW of electricity in
addition to 170kW of heat, while occupying less than 3,500 square meters (0.86 acres).
AORA’s technology runs not only on solar radiation, but also on almost any gaseous or
liquid fuel, including biogas, biodiesel and natural gas. This enables a variety of
operational modes – from solar-only mode, where electricity is supplied from ample
sunlight, to hybrid-mode, where fuel helps generate full power when sunlight is
insufficient, to fuel-only mode during night hours or heavily overcast periods. This
guarantees an uninterrupted and stable power supply 24 hours a day in all weather
conditions.
"We are pleased to partner with the Ministry and look forward to bringing our technology
to Ethiopia to provide the population with affordable access to power,” said Zev
Rosenzweig, CEO of AORA. "Such access will have significant social and economic
impact on off-grid communities, helping to provide power to schools and medical
facilities, refrigeration for food processing and post-harvest storage, groundwater
pumping and much more.
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About the Ethiopia Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy
Ethiopia launched the Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy in November 2011,
which aims to achieve the development objective of being a middle income nation by
2025. The Strategy's four pillars include the generation of energy from renewable
sources for domestic and regional markets.
About AORA Solar
AORA Solar is a leading developer of solar-biogas hybrid power technology that
specializes in small-scale off-grid solutions. AORA’s flexible power stations operate on
both sunlight and biogas (or other alternative fuel sources) in order to supply
uninterrupted green power 24hrs/day. Each AORA station produces 100 KW of energy
and 170 kW of heat as a by-product, which may be used for a variety of heating and
cooling applications for agricultural, industrial or domestic use. AORA stations occupy
just a half-acre of land and may be standalone or linked together into centrally controlled
power plants for increased output. For more information please visit www.aorasolar.com.
Media Contacts
Finn Partners for AORA Solar
Nicole Grubner
+972 58 444 5418
nicole@finnpartners.co.il