Solar for Agriculture
Productive use of energy: turning sunlight into income. Green Scene Energy builds solar systems that do more than power a light. They pump water, process harvests, keep produce cold, and grow food under the same panels that generate electricity. Every system we install is designed to pay for itself through what it produces.
Solar water pumps
Irrigation without fuel costs. Over 300 high-efficiency solar water pumping systems delivered to smallholder and commercial farms across Ethiopia, from surface pumps to deep-well submersible systems. Our systems replace diesel and hand pumping with reliable, sun-powered irrigation, backed by innovative financing developed with Ethiopian financial institutions, including the country’s first collateral-free solar pump loans.
Every pump is engineered to match the water source, head and crop needs of the farm it serves. We handle the full chain: site assessment, pump sizing, installation, farmer training and after-sales support, all delivered by our own field teams.
Financing options through our microfinance partners mean a farmer can start irrigating before paying the full system cost.
Solar agro-processing
From 21 days to under 24 hours. Ethiopia’s spice farmers traditionally rely on firewood boiling and three weeks of open-air sun drying, a process that invites contamination, degrades quality and drives deforestation. A single traditional processing unit consumes up to 21 trees per year and emits around 12 tonnes of CO2.
Our pilot solar agro-processing line combines mechanical washing, solar-steam boiling, precision slicing and controlled heat-pump drying to complete the entire cycle in less than 24 hours at a pilot capacity of 300 kg per day. The result: cleaner, safer, higher-value spices processed entirely without firewood, preserving the natural qualities that make Ethiopian turmeric and pepper prized worldwide.
Because turmeric processing is traditionally carried out by women, our farmer and cooperative training prioritises women processors and technicians. This work is supported by TRANSFORM, the joint impact initiative of Unilever, the UK Government (FCDO) and EY, which selected Green Scene through its East Africa Challenge to decarbonise Ethiopia’s turmeric processing industry.
Solar cold storage
Keeping the harvest alive. Post-harvest losses destroy up to 30% of Ethiopia’s fruit and vegetable production before it reaches a buyer. Our solar-powered cold storage systems give farmers and cooperatives the cold chain they need to hold produce at the right temperature, sell at the right time, and reach higher-value markets instead of dumping at harvest-day prices.
We have delivered pilot solar cold storage installations in partnership with Precise Consult at sites in Bishoftu and Holeta, demonstrating that off-grid cold chain is practical, affordable, and transformative for smallholder incomes. Our systems are sized to the volume and crop type of each site, with remote temperature monitoring and backup power built in.
Agrivoltaics
Grow food and power on the same land. Agrivoltaics pairs crop cultivation, including high-value crops like spices, with elevated solar arrays so a single plot produces harvests and electricity together. The result: improved land productivity, shade and moisture benefits for suitable crops, and new income streams for farming communities.
We design agrivoltaic systems end to end: agronomic suitability, array elevation and spacing, and the productive-use equipment (pumps, processing, cold storage) that turns the energy into income.
Productive use of energy
Everything on this page shares one principle: energy is only useful if it produces something. A solar panel on a farm that only powers a light is an underused asset. The same panel powering a pump, a dryer, a cold room or a processing line turns energy into crops, income and livelihoods. That is productive use of energy, and it is at the centre of how we design every agricultural system we deliver.
Size your pump and solar system: use our free Energy Calculator for an instant estimate, then send it to our team on WhatsApp.
For farms, cooperatives and agricultural programmes: call Sales at +251-906-288888, email info@greensceneethiopia.com, visit our showroom in Sengatera (on the curve opposite the Ministry of Health, map), or explore our partnership opportunities.
