Kenya Working to become the Next EA Renewable Champion
Kenya works to set itself as a leader in renewable energy in East Africa. The country started this journey in 2019. Kenya established itself as one of East Africa’s largest beneficiary of renewables and the clean energy market. The government started building the plant that has made the growing East African Nation one of the most significant green-sustainable and clean energy investors.
The country’s renewable potential has grown across the year after it launched the power plant. This project was a solar power plant built and integrated into the National grid. Reports from the grid show that it profoundly affects citizens’ daily lives, transforming lives in Northern Kenya. The plant was a project from China’s Jiangxi Company of Foreign Economic and Technological Cooperation (CJIC), in working together with the country’s Rural Energy Authority (REA).
The venture has an extraordinary level of success in the neighboring region in Garissa, providing job opportunities driving investment toward the area. Likewise, other counties benefiting from the investment in the dry north are Laikipia, which experienced a boom in the region’s renewable
energy capacity. The prospect allows people to experience and savor uninterrupted energy supplies in an environment riddled with power outages that last days leading to protests.
The county previously runs entirely working on costly, inefficient, environmentally harmful diesel power generators. The grid was not yet integrated with the renewable energy program. However, the government took advantage and used the Kindaruma-Garissa power line to link the
region to the national grid and boosted its working condition.
At its conception, the project was not destined to be a long-term solution. However, the government planned to use the venture to subsidize energy production by investing in building the 13.58 billion shillings project amounting to $122 million. The solar plant was the right investment plant for Garissa to take advantage of the region’s high solar generating capacity to support the grid in the Kindaruma line.
Come 15th December 2019, the plant opened up after President Uhuru Kenyatta launched it to become one of Africa’s most significant photovoltaic power stations. There is much speculation whether the government will increase its photovoltaic c potential, especially in the solar intensive northern region. However, the country’s recent efforts portray that it is on a roll to take advantage of the region’s potential to generate clean energy. It still stands to wait for the next venture that Kenya will install.
Source : clarkcountyblog
