Kenya: Country Set to Tap Power From Renewable Energy

Kenya obtains more than 75 per cent of its 1,200MW of power from hydro. The country’s only existing source of renewable energy is geothermal power, which has not been fully exploited.

By June 2012, according to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the country will have boosted its energy capacity by up to 2,000MW through geothermal, wind, bio-fuel, solid waste and coal-driven power plants.
The United Nations says Kenya has the capacity to generate more than 3,000MW of electricity if it tapped into wind energy in its vast northern districts.

Prof Hino explained that the government had identified Turkana and Ngong where wind power generation projects with a capacity of 360MW will be set up.

Egypt draws upto 7,520 MW of its energy from wind-power projects while Mexico gets 5,000MW. The UN says Kenya has adequate wind to generate energy for both export and domestic use.

According to Mr Achim Steiner, the UN Under-Secretary-General and executive director of the Nairobi-based Unep, wind and solar power projects are beginning to take off in Africa. There are an estimated 100 projects in more than 20 countries, says the UN.

AllAfrica