On the capital's outskirts, at about 400 meters from the Ayat roundabout, sits a sparkling white building with the logo LydetCo plastered all over it. A casual glance at the six-storey building reveals little to leave a lasting impression, but a closer look and one notices that no electric power lines are extending to it.

The building was operational since the dawn of the new year and solely relies on the cascading 108 solar panels on the top floor, with the design and installation of the solar system costing 2.5 million Br. The energy production of this building peaks at around 160Kwh day in the dry season, dwindling to 120Kwh with a cloud cover. The amount is close to the energy consumed by a couple of dozen households.

LydetCo Plc is a company that has been engaged in the import and distribution of solar-powered equipment for close to two decades. Its founder Dereje Walelign is a Civil Engineer who graduated from Addis Abeba University. Born and raised in the capital around 'Semien Hotel', he started the company sequential to 14 years of employment at Shell Ethiopia.

Hearing stories of people dying after retirement, sent a sense of urgency for re-evaluation to Dereje. He mustered all the funds he could find and went on a quest for self-employment. He only had a general understanding of the energy sector. British Petroleum (BP) was the only international company at the time sending solar-powered products to Ethiopia, Dereje reminisces. With a paid-up capital of 100,000 Br, he leaped on an entrepreneurial adventure importing items from BP until their exit from the sector in 2011.

Two decades later, LydetCo has a yearly turnover of about 50 million Br and around 25 permanent employees. Thousands of homes retain their lights during power outages.

For Dereje, the idea to construct a building powered by the sun ensued from growing demand in the market to have year-round electricity that is not contingent on the performance of the national grid. The building finalized construction last year and generates about five times more than needed. It has a 24-hr running elevator and power-office equipment for LydetCo and other building tenants.

The digital era makes it possible to monitor the performance through an app on his smartphone but Dereje comes to the office daily to oversee operations.

"I'll be working till it becomes impossible to do so," he told Fortune.

The company currently distributes two primary products: photo-voltaic - converting light to electricity- and thermal systems. The solar panels arranged on the roof of its building are cells made of Silicon which transform the energy from the sun into electricity. The second most abundant element on the Earth's crust is a commonly used material for constructing solar panels.

A researcher at Bell Labs in the 1940s discovered Silicon to be ideal for creating a junction that allows the photoelectric effect, heralded as answering the quest for limitless energy by US media.

The other line of primary products offered by LydetCo is a solar-powered water heater infusing a circulating pump, a thermal panel and a tank. The working principle requires energy collected from the sun to heat the water and store it without cooling down and distributing it when necessary from inside. The size of the system depends on the power requirements of the client. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's (PhD) old office at the Science & Technology Bureau and hotels such as Renaissance and Soramba are among the institutions with large installations.

Although sufficient for sharing with neighbouring buildings, the absence of a legal framework for selling solar power prevents the company from spreading its wings.