Ethiopia is turning to renewable energy technology as the East African country looks to become a powerhouse for its regional partners.
Last month, Ethiopia launched one of the continent's largest wind farms in a bid to rapidly boost its generating capacity over the next three to five years.
The Ashegoda Wind Farm and the Grand Renaissance Dam, under construction on the Nile, are just two of the major projects outlined in the Ethiopian government's five-year Growth and Transformation Plan.
Both developments will see Ethiopia's transition into one of the regions biggest energy exporters as electric output surges from 2,000 megawatts (MW) to 10,000 MW. More than half of this is expected to come from the Renaissance Dam.

And with further commitments to geothermal power and potential for oil exploration, Ethiopia's energy resources are set to be among the most diversified in Africa.

Jerome Douat, chief executive of Vergnet, the French wind turbine company contracted to build the Ashegoda farm, told CNN that Ethiopia is an energy "reservoir" in the region.
Douat said: "The wind comes from the ocean to the Rift Valley. We have placed the turbines at 2,200 meters above sea level in one of the windiest places in Ethiopia."
The wind farm, with a capacity of 120 MW, is located near the northern city of Mek'ele and sits next to the Great Rift Valley, which runs through the country.
Douat added: "Vergnet machines are ideal for remote areas in Ethiopia and designed for this kind of region because our turbines are easy to transport, there's no need for a big crane and they're easier to maintain."
With just 23% of Ethiopia's 90 million people having access to electricity the wind farm is expected to generate power throughout the year, except during the rainy season between June and September.


Vergnet built the Ashegoda site in partnership with the Ethiopian government at a cost of 210 million euros ($290 million) with loans from France's largest bank BNP Paribas and the French Development Agency.
Will Macpherson, sub-Saharan African energy analyst at African Energy Consultancy, said Ethiopia is aiming to be the region's major supplier, working with foreign investors to provide power to neighbouring Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya.
"People in the energy industry, particularly in renewables, say the government is good to work with," he told CNN, "they deliver on commitments and build good relationships with investors."
"One of its central aims is to improve access rates across the country," he added, "but (the government) also recognizes that it's vulnerable to seasonal variations in rainfall, so even if it really boosts its installed capacity, which it's doing, it could still suffer from power outages."