ENERGY SITUATION IN KENYA

by

Veronica Ngunzi

An energy report submitted to the International Solar Energy Center for

Technology Promotion and Transfer at Gansu Natural Energy Research
Institute during the 2021 International Training Workshop on Solar and
Wind Energy Application

September 2021
 Introduction

 Kenya is a country located in the east of Africa bordered by

Somalia, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and
Indian ocean.
 It covers an area of about 569,000 square kilometers of
which (80%) is considered either arid or semi-arid (ASAL).
 Kenya’s main economic activities include agriculture,
forestry, fishing, mining, manufacturing, energy, tourism,
and financial services with its economy the fifth largest in
sub-Saharan Africa.
 It is classified as newly industrialized lower income middle
income country with a GDP of $85 billion as at 2018.
 It has a population of 47,564.296 people.
Mandate of the country’s Energy subsector

 To enhance power generation capacity, transmission

and distribution.
 To increase access to reliable, clean and affordable
energy to Kenyans.
 To promote renewable energy.
 To use new technology in power generation among
others.
 To enhance regional trade by interconnecting regional
networks.
 National energy and policy development.
 Energy regulation, security and conservation.
 Energy sector organizational structure

 Ministry of Energy- It is responsible for overall national policy coordination and

development in the energy sector in Kenya

 Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority(EPPRA) Policy and

 Energy Tribunal regulation

 The Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN)

 Geothermal Development Company(GDC) Generation
 Independent Power Producers (IPPs)

 The Kenya Power (KP) Transmissio

 Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) n
 Kenya Electricity Transmission Company(KETRACO)

 Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA)

National energy status
 Electricity demand (2019) - 11,620.7 GWh
 Kenya’s current effective installed (grid-connected)
electricity capacity is 2,712 MW. Electricity supply
is predominantly sourced from hydro, geothermal
and fossil fuel (thermal) sources.
 The national electricity access from both grid and
off-grid solutions at the end of June 2018 was 73%
Electricity generation mix
 Electricity generation sources are mainly renewable, of which
the majority is from geothermal energy, and the remainder
from hydropower, wind, and solar power.
Technology Capacity(GWh) Percentage%
Hydro 3,741 32.55
Geothermal 5,033 43.79
Thermal 1,298 11.29
Cogeneration 0.21 0.00
Solar 60 0.52
Wind 1,192 10.37
Imports 170 1.48
Total 11,493 100
Renewable energy potential and status

Source Installed Potential(MW)

capacity(MW)
Hydro 750 3,000-6,000

Geothermal 745 10,000

Solar (isolation of 4- 130 1,500

6 KWh/m2

Wind ( 6m/s and 641 4,600

above)
 Opportunities and Challenges of wind
and Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Opportunities
 Mature technology in terms of commercial development.

 Decrease in wind energy development costs in recent years due to increased take-up.

Challenges
 Wind turbines do not produce power constantly, thus investment in battery storage is

necessary.
 High upfront costs for wind power generation equipment.

 High capital investment for transmission lines due to wind power potential areas being

far away from the grid and load centers.

 Inadequate wind regime data.

 Inadequate skilled capacity for wind power technology.

 Inadequate wind energy industry standards due to fast changing technologies.

 Competing interest in land use with other activities.

 Inadequate R&D in wind technologies.

 Opportunities and Challenges of wind
and Solar Energy
Solar Energy
Opportunities
 Substantial opportunities for rural electrification and decentralized applications.

 Increased potential for domestic and commercial solar water heaters, solar water pumps,

solar based refrigeration and solar drying.

 PV systems typically have a fairly consistent exploitable solar

 Potential throughout the year in Kenya, due to high insolation rate.

Challenges
 Uncoordinated approach in policy implementation and promotion of solar energy projects.

 High upfront capital cost for plant and equipment.

 Weak enforcement of standards and regulations.

 Rampant theft of solar photovoltaic panels, which discourages installation.

 Lack of awareness of the potential opportunities and economic benefits offered by solar

technologies.
 Proliferation of sub-standard solar energy technologies and equipment.
Financing Renewable Energy
 Public Finance- by the government through feed in
tariff policy
 Development finance- world bank, African
development bank etc.
 Climate finance
 Commercial finance- Local and international banks
 END
THANK YOU