Fikru Tesfaye

An Ethiopian engineer who pioneered affordable solar energy solutions for rural Africa

Fikru Tesfaye, born in 1988 in Addis Ababa, is an Ethiopian electrical engineer and founder of Solar Nova Ethiopia, a company revolutionizing renewable energy access in remote regions. After studying abroad in Germany, Tesfaye returned to Ethiopia in 2014 to address the nation’s 80% rural electrification deficit. His modular solar kits, costing as little as $50, now power over 150,000 households. In 2018, he launched Energize Africa, a social enterprise training local technicians and creating 2,000 jobs. His TED Talk, "Why Solar Energy is the Future of Africa," has garnered 2 million views. Tesfaye’s work aligns with the UN’s SDG 7, and he advises the African Development Bank on rural electrification strategies. Despite challenges like battery theft, his innovations inspired similar models in Kenya and Nigeria, earning him the 2022 Green Innovation Award from the World Sustainable Energy Forum.