Power for Food brings the agri-energy conversation to ERES 2026

Ethiopia Renewable Energy Summit 2026 cover image

What will it take for renewable energy to become more than a technology used on farms, and instead become part of how Ethiopia produces, processes and markets food?

This question was at the centre of the 2nd Ethiopian Renewable Energy Summit (ERES 2026), held on 15-16 October 2026 at the Addis International Convention Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Through the Power for Food Partnership, the summit creates an opportunity to connect Ethiopia’s renewable energy conversation with agriculture, productive use, finance, markets and regional collaboration.

The connection is timely. In Ethiopia, the Power for Food Partnership is working to transform agrifood and energy systems by bringing together regenerative agriculture (RA) and the productive use of renewable energy (PURE). The Partnership seeks to strengthen market linkages, build resilient and inclusive food systems, and support wider adoption of RA-PURE solutions that can contribute to healthier soils, higher productivity, stronger markets and more climate-resilient livelihoods.

Power for Food partners gather at the Partnership’s booth at ERES 2026. Photo: SNV.

Moving from technology to systems

A central moment for the Partnership at ERES 2026 was the panel discussion “Building Integrated Energy-Agriculture Systems Through Productive Use.” The session brought together Hiwote Teshome (SNV), Rohith DS (SELCO Foundation), Elias Awol (Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia), and Fentahun Mengistu (Sasakawa Africa Association).

The conversation looked beyond renewable energy simply as an input to farming. It explored how agriculture, energy, water management, processing and local economic development can work together, and what is needed to move from fragmented interventions towards coordinated, investable and replicable solutions.

This directly reflects the Partnership’s ambition to move beyond individual projects towards systems transformation. Its approach includes research and evidence generation, peer-to-peer learning, cross-sector partnerships, capacity strengthening, and the development of models that can be replicated and scaled in Ethiopia and beyond.

Julie Graham, SNV’s Country Director in Ethiopia (right), in conversation with fellow attendees at ERES 2026. Photo: SNV. — Julie Graham, SNV’s Country Director in Ethiopia (right), in conversation with partners at ERES 2026. Photo: SNV.

Five associations, one regional conversation

The summit also connected renewable energy actors across borders. The session “The Power of Collective Voice: Renewable Energy Associations and Policy Reform in East Africa” brought together associations from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Nigeria, including ESEDA, the Kenya Renewable Energy Association, Energy Private Developers Rwanda, the Uganda Solar Energy Association and the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria.

For Power for Food, the exchange was particularly significant. The Partnership operates in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and the inclusion of Nigeria broadened the discussion beyond its four focus countries. It created space for renewable energy markets with different experiences to share lessons and strengthen collective voice on policy reform.

Renewable energy associations come together at ERES 2026 — Renewable energy associations from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Nigeria come together at ERES 2026 to share experiences and strengthen collective action on policy reform. Photo: SNV

Building the conditions for PURE to grow

For the Partnership, scaling productive renewable energy requires more than making technologies available. Through Ethiopian Solar Energy Development Association (ESEDA) as a core partner in Ethiopia, it works to raise awareness and adoption of PURE technologies, address enabling-environment and supply-chain constraints, explore innovative financing, strengthen member capacity and support pilot installations and multi-stakeholder coordination.

These priorities were reflected across the wider ERES 2026 programme. Alongside the discussion on integrated agri-energy systems, sessions explored how to de-risk Ethiopia’s energy market and expand renewable energy’s contribution to universal energy access.

Together, they raised a central question: how can promising renewable energy solutions move beyond individual pilots to become commercially viable approaches that farmers, businesses and markets can sustain?

Connecting the pieces

The Power for Food Partnership works towards renewable energy-driven, resilient food systems through three interconnected pathways: Learn, Link and Leverage. Its communications and influencing approach aims to turn evidence into shared understanding, connects actors and strengthens the relationships needed to embed regenerative agriculture and productive renewable energy in policy, practice and decision-making.

ERES brought many of these pieces together: renewable energy and agriculture, government and business, finance and technology, and national priorities alongside regional experience.

The challenge ahead is not simply to power more agricultural technologies. It is to create an ecosystem in which renewable energy helps farmers produce more sustainably, enterprises create value, markets grow, and proven approaches have the conditions they need to scale.

That is the opportunity the Power for Food Partnership sees: turning the connection between food and energy into practical pathways towards more renewable, regenerative and resilient food systems.