Search This Blog

Monday 8 September 2014

Solar to make Kenya sizzle

Kenya is increasingly looking towards renewable energy as a source of power. This is attested by a number of low and high profile projects either underway or in the planning stages. A feasibility study for the use of solar as a source of power was concluded in 2012.
“We are looking at the possibility of generating between 10MW and 100MW from solar electricity in the near future,” says Thaddeus Kwoba, project engineer at the Kenya Electricity Generating Company.

The company is focusing on Lamu and Kilifi regions at the coast as well as Garissa in northern Kenya to harness solar.

The country’s strategic location on the equator makes it ideal for solar power generation, says James Gachanja an infrastructure policy analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research Analysis, a body that advises government on policy on a range of issues, including energy.

The country receives a daily radiation of more than 6kWh/m2, according the Energy Regulation Commission, the energy regulator in the country.