Around the globe, more countries are looking to reduce their carbon emissions by bolstering renewable energy infrastructure, but they can’t do it alone. Nations with eco-friendly initiatives rely on energy and technology companies to help them meet their goals. In Ethiopia, a partnership with AORA Solar, developer of solar-biogas hybrid power technology, may help that country reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. AORA will join forces with three universities in Ethiopia to promote academic cooperation for the development and advancement of renewable energy technologies in the middle-income country.

The partnership is in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which AORA Solar announced they signed this week with Arizona State University LightWorks, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU) and Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU). Under the MoU, educational and research programs will be launched to support the national energy goals, and the efforts will be overseen by the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy and the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology.

In addition to renewable energy research, AORA Solar’s involvement with the universities will lead to the installation of AORA’s solar-biogas hybrid power technology at both Ethiopian institutions. “Our ongoing engagement with AORA Solar illustrates our commitment to conducting use-inspired research, engaging globally, valuing entrepreneurship and providing students with the necessary skills and knowledge to affect a transition to a sustainable world,” said Gary Dirks director of LightWorks and director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. They went on to say the partnership could enhance the lives of Ethiopian citizens. Surely, if the 2025 carbon neutral goal is met in part due to this relationship, that will be true.