Sustainable Energy Technologies

by
John Taulo, PhD
Department of Energy Resources
Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences
Malawi University of Science & Technology

jtaulo@must.ac.mw
+265 888 870 399
 Contents of the Presentation

1. Overview of
 Sources of energy in Kenya
 Distribution of Energy Generating Plants in Kenya

2. Micro Hydropower Technology

 What is a micro hydropower system
 Classification of micro hydropower systems
 Power generation, application and future potential of
MHP in Kenya

3. Wind Energy Technology

 What is Wind energy
 Component of a wind energy system
 Application and future potential of wind systems
application
 Energy Sources
High prices of Kerosene used mainly
for cooking and lighting. For rural
households
23% of total population are
Petroleum accessible to electricity and of
this only 5% of the population
Wood Fuel are in rural areas.
• Dependence on one
• Less than 25% of main source of
electricity.

Electricity
the Kenyan
population are Energy • Inadequate supply
accessible to • Weak transmission
Sources and distribution
Modern energy
services. network - high power
• Use of inferior losses
fuels such as • It is expensive to pay
plastic waste for electricity bills
• High cost of rural
electrification e.g.
Solar and wind Energy Kenya Ksh35,000 is
required for
Research and exploitation needed harness
connection to the
existing renewable energy resources
main grid
Distribution of Energy Generating Plants in Kenya

Generating Stations in Kenya -

KenGen

Source: KenGen
Wind Energy Technology
What is wind energy

Wind energy is the energy

produced from the motion
of the wind (kinetic
energy) and the blades of
the wind turbines
transform the kinetic
energy into electricity
 Examples of Best Practices on Wind Energy

• The grid connected Ngong Power Station wind farm is

located on Ngong hills in Nairobi and began with two wind
turbines commissioned in 1993 as a donation from the
Belgian Government.

• The two turbines were retired and a second phase was

commissioned in August 2009 and has 6 turbines with a
capacity of 5.1 MW of power and annual generation of
12GWh.

• The other partner is Kenya Electricity Generating Company

(KenGen) who plan to expand to 25.5 MW (Institute of
Economic Affairs, 2013)
Ngong wind Farm, Ngong Hills
 Challenges with wind Energy

• Wind energy mostly has been carried out by private

companies as it requires wind measurements before
starting of the project, high initial capital and technical
maintenance.

• Although wind energy is renewable, is compatible with

crop farming and livestock production, and produce no
emissions.
• Wind Energy has also some negative environmental
effects. For example the turbines kill birds which fly
into them, degrades wildlife habitat, affect
temperatures within the vicinity due to turbulence
created by turbines and may cause noise during their
operations.
 Uses of Wind Energy

• Wind energy can be harnessed and utilized for water

pumping and electricity production.
• Wind energy is available free of charge just like solar and
can be an alternative source of energy for remote areas
away from the grid.
Uses of Wind Energy
Uses of Wind Energy
Small-scale Hydro Power
Production and Use
 What is hydro power?

• Hydro power is electricity generated from the energy of

falling or running water. In Kenya this accounts to about
50% of electricity.

Small hydropower (SHP) schemes

• Pico, micro and mini, hydro power plants are small-
scale electricity production plants. In most cases, no
dam or reservoir storage is involved in these schemes
and mainly use running of rivers.

• Type of small hydro power

Canal Based System
Dam Based System
 Classification of Hydropower

Type 1
 Pico-hydro and produce electricity
below 5kW and micro-hydro below Type 2
100kW.  Mini-hydro and produce
 Are used in developing countries electricity below 100-1000kW.
and provide electricity to  Are grid connected for control
communities where grid connection of frequency and voltage.
is missing.  They require traditional
 Electricity is supplied directly to engineering approaches.
households and a local load  Need access road for delivery
(frequency and voltage) controller is of construction materials and
necessary. heavy electro-mechanical
 Are designed on a household basis equipment
or at village level often involving
local materials and labour
Small hydro power plants upper limit is 10,000kW and for large countries such as
India and China this rises to 25000kW and 50,000kW respectively. Policies support
SHP and in Kenya for instance a project producing less than 100 KW does not
require permit. There is need to check with environmental government bodies on
requirements for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
 Challenges of Small Scale Hydro Electricity

• High installation cost and average of US$3000

• Require technical expertise mostly from
outside the local community
• local capacity to manufacture small
hydropower components like turbines and
electronic load controllers
• Inadequate hydrological data
Case Study: The Tungu-Kabiri Community
Hydro Project, around Mt. Kenya
 Case study: Tungu Kabiri, Chuka

• About 200 members of the community formed a micro hydropower plant

commercial enterprise and each individual bought a share in the
company, with a maximum share value of about US$50.
• The members also contributed labour, dedicating every Tuesday for
over a year to the construction work, which was overseen by the MoE
and ITDG (Now Practical Action)

• The micro hydropower plant is owned and managed by the community

and day-to-day operations are managed by a 10-member community
power committee, and this committee also conducts consultations with
the wider community about how the power generated from the system
should be used.

• The electricity is currently used mainly for household supply and micro-
enterprises, such as a welding unit, a battery-charging station, mobile
charging and a beauty salon.
Head race Construction
Head Race Construction
Intake Structures
Intake Structure
 Thank you for your attention

John Masai Kapolon

Practical Action, Eastern Africa
P. O. Box 39493-00623 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 (20) 2713540/2713540/2715293/2719313
Fax: +254 (20) 2710083
Cell Phone:0721350905
E-mail: john.kapolon@practicalaction.or.ke
Website: www.Practicalaction.org