Families in rural Ethiopia are transforming their lives with clean energy. Supported by the World Bank’s Ci-Dev, biogas digesters replace firewood, cutting smoke and improving crop yields. Off-grid solar brings light, boosts savings, and powers micro-enterprises. Since 2016, Ethiopia has earned $3.46 million in carbon credits, reinvesting in access and maintenance. For women like Abeba and farmers like Bohare, these solutions mean better health, income, and time. With microfinance and smart policies, solar and biogas are creating a cleaner, more equitable future – one home at a time.
A better way to cook, light, and live
For Abeba Chere, a mother of four in rural Ethiopia, cooking used to mean hours spent collecting firewood or spending nearly 800 birr a month to buy it. The smoke from her stove stung her eyes and filled her home, making it hard to breathe.
There are many problems caused by firewood. The smoke is not good for the eyes, it gets into them and causes a burning sensation… and the wood was expensive… before, a stack of firewood wasn’t enough to cook food and make coffee for a week.
Abeba Chere
For Tafera, in another village, nights were spent worrying about light. Kerosene lamps were his family’s only option, but they were unreliable and hazardous. Buying kerosene required exhausting trips to town, often forcing him to sleep outside just to secure a supply. When available, it was costly and filled his home with thick black smoke.
“The smoke from the kerosene lamp was harmful to our eyes and health,” Tafera recalls. His house was constantly covered in soot, and his family suffered from irritation and respiratory issues.
Across Ethiopia, families like Abeba’s and Tafera’s have long relied on traditional energy sources–costly, time-consuming, and harmful to health. But today, they are finding new solutions that are transforming daily life. Biogas digesters are replacing firewood, reducing harmful smoke, and improving agricultural productivity. Solar home systems provide families with safe, reliable lighting that eliminates the need for kerosene.
These solutions are supported by the World Bank, which is working with the Ethiopian government to expand clean cooking and off-grid energy programs to reach more families across the country.
From waste to fuel: How biogas is changing lives
For Abeba, switching to biogas through Ethiopia’s Clean Cooking Energy Program has meant freedom from the relentless cycle of firewood collection. The largely underground, dome-shaped digester installed outside her home converts animal manure and organic waste into energy, which now powers her stove.
“The benefits for my wife are much greater than for me,” says Bohare Gobena, a farmer and father of seven, who has also adopted biogas. “She no longer has to deal with smoke.”
His wife, Abeba, agrees. “Biogas has a huge advantage for women,” she explains. “For mothers who take care of the families, installing and using biogas is a great opportunity. It will allow them to take a break from many tasks.”
Beyond the kitchen, the biogas digester is transforming farming. The system produces organic slurry, a powerful natural fertilizer that helps farmers increase crop yields while reducing reliance on expensive synthetic fertilizers.
“Before, I used to buy fertilizer four times, but now I haven’t needed to use it even once,” Bohare explains. His papaya, false banana, and sugarcane plants have flourished, growing larger and selling for higher prices at the market. The money saved has allowed him to invest in a new cow and start building a house for his family.
For Bohare, it is important that others in the village benefit too. “I give slurry for free so they can benefit in the same way I have,” he says.
Solar power brings light–and opportunity
For families like Tafera’s, solar power has been just as life changing. Before, his family had no choice but to rely on kerosene lamps–a fuel that was expensive, unreliable, and a serious health hazard.
Off-grid solar is one of the most cost-effective ways to provide electricity to remote, hard-to-reach populations. In Africa, it generates an estimated $5.6 billion in household savings and new income for families and provides power to two million micro-enterprises. It will create thousands of jobs and accelerate the growth and impact of an industry already employing over 65,000 people across the continent.
“When we were buying and using kerosene, we had cattle that needed to be milked, so we had to get the kerosene no matter what,” he says. Now, with solar-powered lights, his cows can be milked when it is dark, and his son can study in the evenings.
Through the Electricity Network Reinforcement and Expansion Project (ENREP), the Ethiopian government, with support from the World Bank, has expanded access to affordable solar home systems and lanterns. The Development Bank of Ethiopia has leveraged micro finance to make these systems accessible, ensuring even the most vulnerable households can afford them.
For Tafera, the benefits extend beyond light. His family now saves money on fuel, and they can charge their phones at home, avoiding costly trips to town.
“Now we don’t pay anything,” he says.
For Ayele Ayano, who installed a solar system three years ago, the impact has also been financial. “It’s another source of income for my mother, and she charges the phones and gets the money. She is happy with it.”
Investing in energy access through carbon credits
The shift to biogas and solar energy has improved household life for many families and enabled Ethiopia to generate carbon credits through verified reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, creating a new revenue stream to support the continued expansion and maintenance of these solutions.
The World Bank’s Carbon Initiative for Development (Ci-Dev) supports this by purchasing carbon credits generated from emissions reductions in biogas and solar projects. The funds are then used by Ethiopia to reduce costs for developers, provide maintenance services, and extend access to more households.
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Between 2016 and 2020, Ethiopia earned $3.46 million from certified carbon credits, ensuring ongoing investment in these initiatives. Credits from 2021-2024 will be issued under the Standardized Crediting Framework (SCF), which enhances transparency, reduces transaction costs, and has the potential to unlock additional climate finance for Ethiopia.
What energy access really means for families
For families like Abeba’s, Bohare’s, Tafera’s, and Ayele’s, access to alternatives to traditional fuels is a path to financial security, better health, and a brighter future.
As Tafera looks ahead, he sees even greater potential.
“I hadn’t installed a ceiling before because of the smoke, but now I’m in the process of doing it. We’re spending the money on useful things. Before, it was money spent in vain just for light.”
Ayele is already planning the next step. “I plan to use it for irrigation in my backyard. This way, my mom will also rest from carrying water.”
With continued support from the World Bank and Ethiopia’s carbon credit revenues, the country is proving that affordable energy isn’t just an aspiration–it’s a reality.
Find out more about how the World Bank’s Carbon Initiative for Development (Ci-Dev) is helping to expand clean energy access and support smart energy solutions in Ethiopia and beyond.