The vitality sector in Kenya is basically dominated by petroleum and electricity, with wood gasoline offering the essential vitality needs of the rural communities, city poor, and the informal sector. An evaluation of the nationwide energy reveals heavy dependency on wooden gas and other biomass that account for 68% of the whole energy consumption (petroleum 22%, electricity 9%, others account for 1%). Electricity access in Kenya is low regardless of the government formidable goal to increase electricity connectivity from the present 15% to at the very least sixty five% by the year 2022.[1]
Vitality Situation
Kenya has an put in capacity of 2.3 GW. While about 57% is hydro power, about 32% is thermal and the rest comprises geothermal and emergency thermal power. Solar PV and Wind power play a minor role contributing less than 1%. Nonetheless, hydropower has ranged from 38-76% of the technology mix on account of poor rainfall. Thermal energy sources have been used to make up for these shortfalls, various between 16-33% of the combination[2]
Kenya present efficient put in (grid linked) electricity capability is 1,429 MW. Electricity provide is predominantly sourced from hydro and fossil gasoline (thermal) sources. This era energy mix contains 52.1% from hydro, 32.5% from fossil fuels, 13.2% from geothermal, 1.8% from biogas cogeneration and 0.4% from wind, respectively. Present electricity demand is 1,600 MW and is projected to develop to 2,600-3600 MW by 2020.
Households in Kenya use the next source for lighting:
As of 2007, the contribution of the vitality sector to the overall tax income was about 20%, equivalent to 4% of GDP. The sector offers direct and oblique employment to an estimated sixteen,000 individuals[3].
It prices roughly Ksh 35,000 (EUR 318.18) to hook up with the nationwide grid and about 0.1145 EUR equivalent per kWh of electricity service. These are comparatively excessive prices that pose a significant impediment to the expansion of electricity connections to low-revenue households and small companies, which can subsequently profit from decentralized alternative sources of energy, comparable to photo voltaic.
Renewable Energy
The file of the national utility Kenya Power and Gentle Firm (KPLC) in rural electrification is very poor, with solely zero.Ninety four% of rural households related in 2002 [Karekezi et al, 2004]. Between 1993 and 2001 the number of rural households elevated by 1.4 Million, whilst the number of rural households connected to the grid elevated by only 24,000. Hence, the rate of grid-primarily based rural electrification is much beneath the rate of improve in potential customers, regardless of a levy on electricity payments to fund it. Revolutionary approaches to off-grid electrification are helping to make up for the lack of grid-based mostly rural electrification. One of the attempts to address this is the establishment of the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) in 2006 which now manages the rural electrification programme.
Biomass
As a result of elevated poverty, there’s a major shift to non-traded conventional biomass fuels. The proportion of households consuming biomass has risen to 83% from seventy three% in 1980. As of 2007,Biomass Power Sources in Kenya, i.e. firewood, charcoal and agricultural wastes contributed approx. up to 70% of Kenya ultimate power demand and offered for nearly 90% of rural household vitality wants, about one third within the type of charcoal and the remainder from firewood.
Charcoal, firewood, paraffin, and LPG continue to be the main sources of cooking gas. At the nationwide stage 68.Eight% of the households use firewood as the principle cooking gasoline. Virtually ninety% of the rural population depends on firewood for cooking and heating, while in urban areas roughly 10% of the population use firewood. Firewood is more and more provided from non-public smallholder lands and farm woodlots. Charcoal, then again, is mainly an city gasoline, 82% of urban households rely on it as part of their energy mix, in comparison with 34% of households utilizing charcoal in rural areas. It is estimated that Kenyans now consume 2.4 million tons of charcoal every year[2]. A nationwide charcoal survey showed that in 2004/2005 about 200,000 producers produced 1.6 million tons of charcoal, however only forty five% of them claimed to be actively involved in useful resource technology[four]. One set of biomass users consists of instructional institutions (main and secondary faculties, in addition to colleges). Of Kenya 20,000 educational establishments, about ninety% use wooden gas to organize meals[5]. On account of rising petroleum prices, lately additionally the business gained more interest in wooden primarily based fuels[4]
Charcoal is produced inefficiently utilizing tradition earth kilns whose effectivity vary between 103% yet greater recoveries of between 30-forty% have been achieved using brick kilns. Biomass comes from numerous forest formations reminiscent of closed forest, woodlands,bushlands, wooded grasslands,farms with natural vegetation and mixtures of native and exotic trees, industrial and gasoline wood plantations, and residues from agricultural crops and wooden-based industries. Nevertheless, although there are apparently massive wooden volumes obtainable from the assorted vegetation types, not all of it’s accessible for vitality.Accessible wooden depends on a number of factors resembling legal points, environmental points, ownership, aims of administration, distance, and infrastructure[2]. Additionally, a lot of the population are engaged in manufacturing, transformation, transportation and sale of wood and charcoal, making it one in every of crucial sources of paid livelihood. Consequently woody biomass is diminishing attributable to poor management and utilization in unsustainable methods. Authorities ministries are supporting in a method or the other the sustainable manufacturing of vitality crops, commerce of charcoal and the dissemination of improved cooking stoves.
Kenya has the potential for generation of electricity from biomass sources generated from agricultural wastes from the sugar cane (biogas), sisal, timber (sawdust) and meat industries[2]. The development of a bioenergy industry can improve power security, scale back energy imports, and promote the agricultural and forestry sector by adding value to conventional crops. It further performs an essential role in off-grid electrification of rural regions, can convey well being benefits and reduce strain on the atmosphere. Nevertheless, biomass feedstock can even endanger ecosystems and biodiversity, particularly when being cultivated in monocultures. In plantations, large quantities of water are needed for irrigation and agrochemicals must often be added which may lead to water pollution. Due to this fact, it is essential to discover a stability between alternative maximization and risk minimization for which a nicely-defined regulatory framework is crucial[6].
Even if conventional biomass dominates the vitality landscape, little or no price range is provided for analysis, growth and dissemination for heat and drought resistant crops, biofuels and fashionable biomass energy use. While some progress has been made in disseminating efficient wood and charcoal stoves, extra must be completed to constructing more variety and strengthening the resilience of the energy system.
Biogas
Though there are a number of thousand biodigesters put in in Kenya, most of them function beneath capacity or are currently in disuse resulting from administration, technical, socio-cultural or financial issues.
Biogas is broadly used in institutions due to their excessive potential of waste utilization for biogas generation. A number of pilot programms have been established.[7]
For further information, please consult with the following articles.
Biomass Stoves: Case Study
The energy-saving institutional stove challenge within the Mt. Kenya Area involved replacing open fireplace cooking systems in colleges with heavy-duty, brick-insulated stainless steel stoves that require 60 – 70% much less firewood. In doing so, faculties save cash on fuel costs and cut back smoke and emissions. In faculties where youngsters must collect firewood, the use of extra efficient stoves allows youngsters to spend extra time studying.[5]
Coverage and Framework
Nationwide bioenergy targets:
The Energy Act, 2006: Municipal stable waste, renewable vitality sources, co-technology for vitality production, production and use of gasohol and biodiesel shall be promoted by the Minister of Power and the Rural Electrification Authority.
The Energy Laws, 2012: facility homeowners have to undertake energy audits, funding plans and measures for energy financial savings.
Hydropower
Hydropower is the one largest generation supply for grid electricity in Kenya offering some 677 MW of the overall put in grid capability. As of 2007, a 60 MW hydro technology plant was being developed on the Sondu Miriu with an extra 20 MW deliberate for 2008. With the exception of Turkwell Gorge (Rift Valley) and Sondu Miriu (Lake Victoria) some 470 MW or 70% of the total developed hydro capability lies on the Tana River alone, a conspicuous over reliance.
See: Hydropower Potential in Kenya
Solar Energy
Kenya has excessive insolation charges with a median of 5-7 peak sunshine hours (The equal number of hours per day when photo voltaic irradiance averages 1,000 W/m2), and receives an average every day insolation of four-6kWh/m2. Only 10-14% of this vitality might be converted into electricity as a result of conversion effectivity of PV modules.
On 12th June 2014 the journal “Different Power Africa” printed:Kenya to Cease Taxing Photo voltaic. Kenya introduced a VAT on solar merchandise totaling sixteen% in Q3 2013, however the government has now determined that it’ll dismiss this tax in a move to cut price of renewable vitality products. MP John Mbadi introduced the motion to nix the VAT in April, with it taking impact on May 30. Photo voltaic products in Kenya were already on the rise, and now count on to see much more merchandise significantly in the off-grid area grow even more.
Stand-alone PV techniques characterize the least-cost possibility for electrifying homes in lots of rural areas, especially the sparsely populated arid and semi-arid lands. olar residence systems(SHSs) are sensible for providing small quantities of electricity to households beyond distribution networks.The methods sometimes include a 10 50 Watt peak (Wp) PV module and a battery generally coupled with a charge controller, wiring, lights, and connections to small appliances (comparable to a radio, tv, or cellphones). Other PV applications include water pumping, telecommunications and cathodic protection for pipelines, energy supply to off-grid non-industrial establishments and off-grid small business institutions.
Kenya has one of the crucial active commercial PV system market in the growing world, with an put in PV capability in the range of 4 MW. An estimated 200,000 rural households in Kenya have solar home systems and annual PV gross sales in Kenya are between 25,000-30,000 PV modules. In 2002, total PV sales were estimated to have been 750 kWp and have grown by 170% in 8 yrs, even without government intervention or policies to promote the uptake of PV technology.
In comparison, the Kenya Rural Electrification Fund, which prices all electricity shoppers 5% of the worth of their monthly electricity consumption (presently an estimated 16 million US$ yearly), is accountable for 70,000 connections. With entry to loans and charge-for-service arrangements, estimates counsel that the SHS market may reach as much as 50% or more of un-electrified rural houses.
Since 2006-2007, the Ministry of Vitality has been actively promoting use of photo voltaic vitality for off grid electrification. In particular, it has funded the solar for colleges programme and is focusing on to extend this to off grid clinics and dispensaries. Grid linked PV methods masking an space of 15-20 km2(three% of the Nairobi area) could provide 3801 GWh of electrical vitality a year, equal to the whole grid electricity sales for Kenya in 2002-2003. The costs, nonetheless, are prohibitive[2].There are about 4 million households in rural Kenya alone which current an enormous potential for this virtually untapped expertise. The off grid market is estimated to be over 40MW.
Photo voltaic Residence Programs (SHS)
An estimated 200,000 rural households in Kenya have solar residence programs. This success has been largely because of non-public sector exercise. The excessive degree of uptake has been through the sale of merchandise that finest fit the buying power of rural households, and by making these products accessible within the mobility vary of potential customers, typically less than 40km from the purchasers residence[8] .
In mature market areas, corresponding to central and western Kenya, between 20 and 40% of households have methods. Most models are in the power vary of 10 to 20 Wp. With costs being as little as US$50, the products have been inexpensive by medium class households without a necessity for subsidies and credit score. However, monetary help might be essential for poorer households to be able to afford an SHS. Most of the SHS traders started promoting these merchandise in the nineteen nineties.
As the Kenyan business culture is mainly based upon imitation, as soon as just a few outlets had been convinced by the Nairobi primarily based distributors, businessmen all around the nation replicated their success by promoting techniques. The extent of competitors is high with over 800 rural outlets, and by procuring around even the least knowledgeable finish-person will buy at an inexpensive worth. Info from buddies and kinfolk is at present the main source that new clients turn to for advice on one of the best system to make use of, because the shopkeepers are rarely trusted. More must be carried out to each assist prospects understand the significance of buying high quality systems and to assist purchasers to identify them. The high degree of sales demonstrates the effectiveness and effectivity that the non-public sector can carry to disseminating SHS success that has but to be matched by any utility or donor programme.
Photo voltaic Hybrid mini-grids
Currently (as of 2016), solely about 50 p.c of the Kenyan people have access to electricity. In remote areas electrification charges may be as low as 5 percent. Bettering the entry to fashionable energy services in rural areas remains a significant development precedence. So as to attain this purpose complementary solutions to grid extension, corresponding to photo voltaic-hybrid mini-grids are obligatory.
The GIZ undertaking Promotion of Solar-Hybrid Mini-Grids (GIZ ProSolar) goals at promoting mini-grid electrification of remote areas in Kenya with the participation of personal sector. The vision is to increase levels of value-effective, inexpensive and sustainable rural electrification through personal sector management.
Achievements
– The Talek Energy mini-grid is a pilot challenge set up in Talek in shut cooperation with the Narok County Authorities and the German Agro Motion. The mini-grid consists of a 50 kW photo voltaic-hybrid era power plant, combining PV modules, battery packs and a diesel generator. The pilot exams the social and financial viability of mini-grids and serves as a learning scheme for stakeholders.
– A complicated training course has been developed for solar technicians, qualifying them to put in hybrid solar systems in villages. The technicians receive their arms-on coaching at a 10kW photo voltaic-hybrid demonstration system, which was installed at Strathmore University.
– Practical handbooks for site part, licensing, system sizing and financing of mini-grids, which share lessons discovered from practical testing, have been developed in collaboration with authorities establishments.
– ProSolar assisted Marsabit and Turkana Counties in the event of vitality sector plans, which function a benchmark in strategizing, mapping and monitoring the distribution and use of vitality within the county. Moreover, the MoEP has been supported in creating a coherent framework for county power sector plans.
– In a competitive tendering process non-public developers have been chosen to receive financing through the Outcome-based-funding (RBF) part for developing three mini-grids in Turkana County.
Photo voltaic Vitality: Case Examine
In 1995, the US-based mostly group ‘Photo voltaic Cookers International’ (SCI) started a pilot venture in Kakuma that addressed this problem by offering refugees with portable, lightweight photo voltaic cookers known as ‘CooKits’. The challenge Solar Cookers: Growth of Photo voltaic Cooking Program at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya distributed the CooKits and taught people how to make use of them effectively. The aim was to reveal that photo voltaic cooking was a sensible different that may save both money and wooden.
Wind Vitality
The Equatorial areas are assumed to have poor to medium wind useful resource. This may very well be a normal sample for Kenya. Nonetheless, some topography specifics (channeling and hill results due to the presence of the Rift Valley and numerous mountain and highland areas) have endowed Kenya with some glorious wind regime areas. The North West of the country (Marsabit and Turkana districts) and the edges of the Rift Valley are the two massive windiest areas (common wind speeds above 9 m/s at 50 m excessive). The coast can also be a spot of curiosity though the wind useful resource is anticipated to be lower (about 5-7 m/s at 50 m high). Many different native mountain spots provide good wind situations. Attributable to monsoon influence, some seasonal variations on wind useful resource are expected (low winds between Could and August in Southern Kenya).
It is predicted that about 25% of the country is appropriate with current wind expertise. The primary concern is the restricted information of the Kenyan wind resource. The meteorological station knowledge are fairly unreliable whereas modern measurement campaigns have started recently for investigating wind park places. Kenya has 35 metrological stations which might be spread all around the country. Info gathered will not be sufficient to present detailed resolutions due to sparse station community.
There is important potential to make use of wind vitality for grid connected wind farms, isolated grids (by way of wind-diesel hybrid programs) and off-grid neighborhood electricity and water pumping. Kenya has just lately experienced a surge in wind vitality installations for electricity generation. The largest windfarm (300MW) in Africa is being constructed in Turkana space of North Western Kenya. The Ngong hills area of close to Nairobi also has 5.1 MW installed and several other MW planned by personal buyers. An average of eighty-100 small wind turbines (four hundred W) have been put in thus far, usually as part of a Photovoltaic (PV)-Wind hybrid system with battery storage.
Wind pumps are more widespread than wind turbines, 2 local firms manufacture and set up wind pumps. As of 2007, the number of installations was in the range of 300-350[2].
Wind Energy: Case Study
Two manufacturers in Kenya have pioneered the native manufacture of wind pumps and wind generators in Kenya, Bobs Harries Engineering Limited (BHEL) and Craftskills Entreprises, and are providing native power options for off grid households and institutions.[5]
Geothermal Power
Kenya is endowed with geothermal assets primarily located within the Rift Valley. It’s estimated conservatively that the Kenya Rift has a possible of greater than 2000 MW of geothermal Energy. Geothermal utilization first started by drilling two wells in 1956 in Olkaria I and was followed by elevated interest within the 1970s. Initial production began in 1981 when the first plant of 15MW was commissioned in Olkaria I .Presently 45MW is generated by Olkaria I geothermal energy station, 70 MW by Olkaria II (both operated by KenGen) and an IPP is producing 12Mwe at Olkaria III. KenGen and the IPP produce a complete of 129 MW of geothermal power and this is anticipated to increase to 576MWe within the subsequent 20 years. The national geothermal potential is estimated at between 7,000 and 10,000 MW.
In Kenya’s Least Price Energy Growth Plan, geothermal power has been identified as a price effective power possibility and the Geothermal Improvement Firm (GDC) was set up to fast observe harnessing Kenya’s vast assets. Explorations for geothermal power in the high potential areas of the Kenyan Rift are actually ongoing. KenGen, together with the Ministry of Power conducted floor scientific research in Suswa, Longonot, Eburru, Menengai, Arus and Bogoria, Lake Baringo area, Korosi and Chepchuk, and Paka. Preliminary results indicate vital potential of geothermal power in these prospects. Six exploratory wells have been drilled at Eburru. Current research present that the Eburru space can maintain 25 MW of electric power. Extra exploration work is anticipated to begin in Silali in September 2007. Different excessive potential areas earmarked for additional exploration work in the north rift embrace Emurauangogolak, Barrier volcanoes, Namarunu volcanic subject, and Badlands Volcanic area and Lake Magadi geothermal area in the South, amongst others. The GDC is now responsible for his or her development.
Fossil Fuels[2]
Petroleum is Kenya main supply of economic power and has, over the years, accounted for about eighty% of the country commercial vitality requirements. In 2006, four.4 million cubic meters in petroleum products had been bought in Kenya. Of this 420,000 m3 was kerosene and sixty eight,000 m3 was LPG. Whole petroleum consumption in Kenya has grown from 2.6 million cubic meters in 2003 to 3.73 million cubic meters in 2006. The consumption maintains an upward pattern. As of 2009, demand for petroleum products was 3,656 thousand tonnes. As of 2007, Kenya had one refinery, the Mombassa refinery, with a nameplate capacity of ninety,000 barrels per day. Since its commission the refinery has not operated at full capability.
As of 2007 there were 4 prospective petroleum basins in Kenya, about 30 exploration wells had been drilled and although none has encountered a industrial discovery, quite a lot of drill stem exams have recovered or examined gas. In 2012 vital oil reserves had been discovered in North Western Kenya. Research are still being carried out to ascertain the economic feasibility.
LPG
Consumption of LPG has increased by about fifty nine% between 2003-2008 from 40,000 to 80,000 metric tons/yr. The Kenya Petroleum Refinery makes about 30, 000 metric tons of LPG and to stability growing demand reliance on imported LPG has elevated. However, there are plans underway to improve the refinery to make a hundred and fifteen,000 metric tons of LPG.
The Ministry of Power has recognized two areas with possible commercially exploitable quantities of coal. These are the Mui basin of Kitui and Mwingi Districts and Taru basin of Kwale and Kilifi Districts. As of 2007, 10 wells have been drilled in Mui basin with encouraging results indicating possible existence of commercial portions of coal.
Key Problems of the Vitality Sector
Only 6% of Kenya’s land is forest. Large areas of those forest sources usually are not accessible due to legal or environmental restrictions, ownership, administration issues, distances or infrastructure.[4] Fuelwood demand in the nation is 35 million tons per yr whereas its provide is 15 million tons per yr, representing a deficit of 20 million tons[2]. The huge deficit in fuelwood provide has led to excessive rates of deforestation in each exotic and indigenous vegetation resulting to hostile environmental results corresponding to desertification, land degradation, droughts and famine amongst others. It is in an effort to reduce these issues that PSDA via collaboration with other Development Companions initiated romotion of Improved Power Stovesin January 2006. However, a excessive population share still uses firewood for cooking more than eighty% of the population use conventional three stones technology for a similar.
In the first section of the EnDev programme, GTZ disseminated a significant amount of improved cook stoves (ICS). As well as GTZ promoted the uptake of ICSs by establishments. Nonetheless, many people with out improved stoves still do not know the place to get them though they categorical desire to acquire them. Current improved stove manufacturing centres don’t meet the demands of the brand new undertaking areas, especially in the arid and semi-arid areas which want them more than another areas in the nation. This has largely contributed to unsustainable harvesting of biomass with unfavorable impacts on the setting and poor well being amongst users on account of excessive inhalation of noxious gases. Up-scaling of improved cook stoves is due to this fact essential.
Coverage Framework, Legal guidelines and Regulations
The vitality policy for Kenya was formulated in 2004, but recently high oil costs and want for vitality safety have grow to be more pressing drivers for alternative energy. This may increasingly name for re-assessment and update of the coverage and technique. For Kenya, high oil costs and the need to increase general vitality per capita provide are robust motivators for development of alternative forms of vitality. Transportation fuels stay essentially the most emotive of all power segments, particularly when prices are going up, as this is where lifestyles and livelihoods are visibly impacted. Various energy will not be only specializing in economics alone, but additionally appears to be like at security of supply and ther social economic benefits to the nation.
A lot of options are being considered:
Up until the 7th of October 2004, when the Sessional Paper No. 4 was passed in parliament, Kenya operated without a complete energy coverage.
Three key legislations which were in utility all addressing the industrial energy sub sector:
In addition to those, there are different legislations relevant to operations inside the energy sector:
The related coverage and authorized framework for solar energy in Kenya consists of:
The new Energy Act 2006, sets out the Nationwide Insurance policies and methods for short to lengthy-time period vitality improvement. Whether or not or not it’s ample to meet Kenya vision of emerging as a newly industrialized country by 2020 stays to be seen. Strong regulatory and legislative frameworks are required to handle the activities required to attain this vision. TheEnergy Regulatory Fee (ERC) was established as an Vitality Sector Regulator underneath the Energy Act of 2006 in July 2007. ERC is a single sector regulatory company, with accountability for economic and technical regulation of electric power, renewable vitality, and downstream petroleum sub-sectors, including tariff setting and review, licensing, enforcement, dispute settlement.
The broad goal of the brand new Power Coverage is to ensure the availability of sufficient, high quality, value-effective, affordable supply of power whereas ascertaining environmental conservation[three].
Kenya does not provide incentives or subsidies for household solar PV programs. Though some strides have been made to improve vitality efficiency and renewable vitality in Kenya by the government, some deliberate reforms within the Power Act are yet to be effected. These include:
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) carried out a research on the financial impacts of local weather change in Kenya in 2009 and located that the country greenhouse fuel emissions are rising shortly. The vitality sector emissions are estimated to have elevated by as a lot as 50% over the past decade. As such, Kenya Local weather Change Response Technique is keen to cut back these impacts by means of various avenues including promoting use of environmentally pleasant energy.
Recognized Key Challenges
The coverage has identified quite a few key challenges these embody[3]:
Strategic Actions
According to reaching the coverage targets strategic actions must be taken:
In addition, power planning activities should combine socio-financial, cultural and environmental features, which is only possible by way of strong links between policy makers, implementers and researchers – analysis findings are infrequently incorporated throughout the choice making technique of coverage development.
Although financial survey findings, and findings from donor funded initiatives or research have been used as references in policy growth, whether or not or not these are enough is questionable. Little consideration is paid to College based mostly analysis findings. These research are sometimes the supply of economic survey information, but receive little or no recognition. Coverage makers must actively have interaction researchers and there is great need to maneuver in direction of proof based mostly policy and decision-making – policymaking shouldn’t be an experimental course of[3].
鈻篏o to High
The new Energy Coverage
The new Energy Coverage is as a result of the government recognizing that the energy sector performs a key role in the achievement of GoK socio-financial methods. It lays the coverage framework for the supply of value-effective, reasonably priced and adequate high quality energy companies on a sustainable basis.
A few of the key policy proposals are:
Authorized and Regulatory Framework
Institutional Preparations
Power Buying and selling Preparations
Vitality Security
The Vitality Act 2006 is a consolidation of the Electric Energy Act and the Petroleum Act 2000, and has a piece on petroleum and a piece on electricity. The vitality policy already acknowledges the biomass sector and how biomass regulation ought to be performed in terms of pricing and units a superb foundation for drafting the biomass plan. It also acknowledges the importance of renewable power and power effectivity[three].
