- Kenya is currently ranked seventh on the global list of geothermal energy producers
- The Great Rift Valley is a great source of geothermal energy that the country has been able to harness
Renewable energy, achieved from renewable resources that have the capacity to naturally replenish on a human timescale, is the future of energy. Experts say the world must switch to renewable energy in order to save our dying planet – and Kenya has obliged.
The United Nations has set 2030 as a target for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 to enhance international cooperation in achieving a world that is solely dependent on clean energy. Kenya is one of the few countries that are taking this goal seriously, and the east African country is taking the lead in the adoption of renewable energy.
According to reports, Kenya is currently ranked seventh on the global list of geothermal energy producers. The geothermal industry in the country has the potential to power the entire country, and experts believe that with the right investments and management, it can contribute significantly to solving the energy crisis in the continent.
The most significant reason behind Kenya’s success in renewable energy is the geography of the country. The Great Rift Valley is a blessing that keeps on giving – and one that is begging to be utilized adequately – for its immense potential.
A major area of the Great Rift Valley – a large expanse of lowlands and geographic trenches that lies between Lebanon to Mozambique and spans across 4,300 miles falls in the territory of Kenya. Scientists are of the opinion that a large ocean will run along these paths in about 5 million years.
The area is a haven for geothermal energy, and Kenya has taken the initiative to use it as a medium to drive renewable energy in the country and the continent in general.
Speaking on the potential of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Peketsa Mangi, who is the general manager of geothermal development at Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) – a government-owned electricity generation agency, was quoted as saying:
“It is something the world can learn from us. It is possible to move towards green energy, to reduce the carbon footprint and make the world a better place to live and for future generations.” Experts say they cannot agree more.
The Great Rift Valley in Kenya is one of the cheapest places to harness the Earth’s heat which can be easily used as renewable energy, but there is a lot to be done to achieve its full potential.
According to expert reports, the globally accepted average for drilling a geothermal well is about 3,000 to 4,000 meters. But Mangi revealed that the wells in the Kenyan Rift Valley are only about 900 meters deep, leaving us to speculate what can be achieved if more wells at the required depth are drilled.
Many countries in the African continent, as well as many across the globe, rely heavily on fossil fuels and other artificial alternatives in providing electricity for their ever-increasing populations, but for Kenya, the case is different. About 95 percent of the energy from the country’s national grid is provided by renewable sources – with the geothermal wells from the Great Rift Valley contributing between one-third and half.
Although costing as much as $5 million, one well in the Rift Valley can produce as much as 5 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and it would take about 20 wells to power a fully functional 140 MW power plant that can provide steady power.
Kenya has been deliberate in their quest to adopt renewable energy as far back as the 1990s. The East African giants already boast two major projects – the largest solar plant in east Africa and the largest wind project in Africa. In addition, the country is also developing what would become the largest geothermal plant in the world, named Olkaria VI, in the Great Rift Valley.
Commending the country for the initiative, Tobias Rasmussen, the Presidential representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Kenya, was quoted as saying, “A developing country having close to 90 percent of renewable energy power generation is quite unique. Renewable energy has the potential to be a major growth driver for Kenya going forward.”
It may well be only a matter of time before Kenya becomes the global hub for energy, don’t you agree?
