Catching the Wind

Aug 11th, 2009 9:59 AM UTC
By Beth Adler

With climate being a hot topic these days, we thought we’d share this cool article about windfarms in Kenya. Turns out that plans are in the works for Kenya to build the continent’s largest windfarm. A desert area of northern Kenya around Lake Turkana will soon play host to 365 wind turbines which, when completed in 2012, will provide Kenya’s power grid with 300 megawatts (MW) of power—a quarter of Kenya’s current energy capabilities. The £533m project is sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Northern African countries like Egypt and Morocco have already harvested wind power for energy, but larger-scale projects are beginning to take hold in sub-Saharan Africa, which is plagued by rolling blackouts and an increasing demand for electricity. Ethiopia and South Africa are also in the process of designing wind farms, and Kenya has other windfarm projects planned, too. Not only is this kind of energy more environmentally friendly than coal or other fossil fuels, but there is the potential for countries like Kenya to produce surplus energy that can be exported to neighboring countries, or sold in the form of credits to developed countries to offset their carbon emissions.

The demand for electricity in Kenya—most of which currently comes from hydropower, with some from geothermal plants—is increasing, particularly in rural areas and because of business development. In addition, erratic rainfall and the destruction of key water catchment have hindered hydroelectricity output. To close the gap the government is currently importing fossil fuels, but within five years it aims to decrease the reliance on hydroelectricity by adding additional geothermal and wind energy to the Kenyan Power grid. These alternatives are greener and cheaper over time than fossil fuels, and come with the possibility of selling carbon credits to developed countries in the future.

-Beth Adler

TAGS: Climate and Development, Policy News