Renewable Energy resources, Biomass
and Biofuels in Africa; Opportunities
and Risks
Presented to Glopolis o.p.s. - Prague
By Francis Njoka – Kenya
njokanaam@yahoo.com
Institute of International Relations, Nerudova 3, Prague 1 – 12th March 2012
Kenya – The Country in brief
Government policies on Energy
Contents!
Key stakeholders in the Energy sector
Renewable Energy – General
Biomass Energy - General
oBiogas
oLiquid Biofuels
Conclusion
Relevance of Biomass Energy
Key challenges to its development
Kenya - Country snapshot
Latitude - 4o35’ N – 4o42’ S
Longitude – 34o E – 41o51’ E
Time zone - +3Hrs GMT
Population – 40 million (2011 est.)
Language – English/Kiswahili
Local languages – 42
Religion – Christians (83%),
Muslims (11.2%)
Literacy level - 85.1% (2010)
Life expectancy – 59.5yrs (2011)
Growth rate – 2.9%
GDP (ppp) - $1,689 = €1.279 (2010)
Inflation – 18.9% (2011)
Poverty levels – 46.6% (2007)
Kenya’s land resource
Element
Total land area
Water mass
Landmass
Arable land (16%)
Farming (31%)
Grazing (30%)
Forests (22%)
Game parks, urban centres, markets,
homesteads, infrastructure (17%)
ASALs (84%)
Rangeland, agro-pastoralists,
pastoralists, reserves ,etc
Irrigation potential
Max irrigation potential
km2 Million Ha
582,650.0
88.2
13,400.0
1.3
569,250.0
86.9
91,080.0
13.9
28,234.8
4.3
27,324.0
4.2
20,037.6
3.1
%
100
1.5
98.5
15.8
4.9
4.7
*3.5
15,483.6
2.4
2.7
478,170.0
73.0
82.7
0.54
1
0.6
1.1
Economic summary
Key economic sectors
Agriculture: (70% informal employment, 18% formal employment, 26% GDP, 25%
GDP indirectly); Tourism (12% GDP); Transport & Communication (11% GDP);
Manufacturing (10% GDP – cement, milk, cigarettes, beer)
Exports
Export zone 1 (46%)
Export zone 2 (54%)
Tea – 23.6%, horticulture – Uganda – 12.4%,
UK – 10.7%,
14.5%, manufactured goods – Tanzania – 8.4%,
Netherlands – 6.9%,
12%, raw materials – 4.4%, Egypt – 4.5%,
US – 4.5%,
coffee – 3.9%, oil products – Sudan – 4.3%
Pakistan – 4.5%,
2.2%)
UAE – 4.4%, etc
Imports
Import zones
Trading blocks
Oil (23.6%), manufactured Far East Asia - 42%, EU – EAC, COMESA, ECOWAS,
goods, Machinery, vehicles, 20.4%, Middle East Asia – SADC, EU
electronics
14.7%
The Energy sector
Primary energy
o Biomass – 68%
o Petroleum – 22%
o Electricity* – 9%
o Others – 1%
Capacity
oInstalled – 1647MW
oNominal – 1433MW
oPeak – 1191MW
Rural energy mix
 Woodfuel –89%
 Charcoal – 34%
 Kerosene – 94%
 Nat-gas – 1.8%
 Electricity – 6%
 Solar – 1%
 Biogas ,Candles
Electricity Access
o National – 15%
o Urban – 51%
o Rural – 6%
Urban energy mix
 Woodfuel – 7%
 Charcoal – 82%
 Kerosene - 89%
 Nat-gas – 23%
 Electricity – 51%
 Candles
Electricity Mix.
o Hydro – 757MW (57%)
o Thermal – 401MW (31.7%)
o Geothermal – 165MW (11%)
o Wind – 5.1MW (0.3%)
o Emergency – 286MW
Government policies on Energy
National Energy Policy (Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2004) -Ministry of
Energy, 2004
Energy Act, 2006 - Government of Kenya, 2006. – (Establishes ERC)
Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) for REs (2008) – (wind, biomass & SHP)
Draft policy on strategy for the development of Bio-diesel industry in
Kenya (2008-2012)
Draft Bioethanol Strategy 2009-2012
Key Stakeholders in Energy sector
Ministry of Energy (MoE) – In charge of the entire energy sector
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) – Body under the MoE responsible for
energy regulation, licensing, permits, protection of investors and customers
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN) – Responsible for
electricity generation together with IPPs.
Geothermal Development Company (GDC) – Responsible for the
development of the geothermal energy sector.
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) – Responsible for the
development of the grid electricity distribution system
Kenya Electricity and Lighting Company (KPLC) – Responsible for electricity
connection to customers throughout the country.
Rural Electrification Authority (REA) – Responsible for the improvement of
access to electricity in rural areas.
Renewable energy Resources
Wind Energy
Kenya has favourable wind speeds in some
specific locations.
Dominant winds are found in areas of Ngong,
Marsabit, Turkana, Kinangop and the Coast region.
Kenya is home to the famous Kijito wind pumps –
over 200 water pumps installed in ASALs.
5.1MW of wind power installed in Ngong phase I.
Several wind-diesel hybrids for off-grid systems
e.g. Marsabit
300MW expected in Turkana, 100MW in Ngong
(GE) and 61MW in Kinangop.
Solar Energy
oKenya receives 4-6 Kwh/m2/day
oOver 40 Solar companies and ‘stockists’ are in private solar business.
oEstimated over 220,000 solar PV units are currently in use in Kenya and
some 140,000m2 of solar thermal in use for water heating and drying.
oOver3,000 institutions (schools, health centres and dispensaries, local
administration offices, police stations) and communal boreholes in ASAL
areas will benefit from the Government’s Rural electrification programme
using solar PV.
o297 institutions so far have PV installed and 59 more are in progress.
oAssessment already done for 170 more and Spanish Government is
funding about 380 more.
oSome isolated power stations and mobile communication masts are
running on solar-diesel hybrids
oChina has already started the first SSA solar PV assembly plant in
Naivasha
Small-Hydro
oThe potential = 3000MW while less than 30MW has been developed.
oProvides a potential solution to rural electrification
oGood examples =>Tungu Kabiri 20kW unit (Meru south district - a
project by UNDP & Practical action), Kathamba (1.1kW) and Thima
(2.2kW) projects in Kirinyaga district co-funded by European
Commission .
oMoE assisted tea factories in carrying out feasibility studies in 12 sites
and feasibility for 14 more sites are in the pipeline.
oPrivate investors urged to partner with tea factories to develop
power for internal use in the factories and export to the national grid.
oOne project already commissioned – Imenti Tea.
Geothermal Energy
This is the 2nd largest commercial renewable resource after hydro
and is seen as the most viable substitute to thermal and droughtsusceptible hydro power.
The potential stands at 7000MW and only 165MW is exploited
Four promising geothermal sites include Longonot - 140MW,
Menengai - 140MW, Suswa - 70MW and North Rift -140 MW have been
identified.
The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is already developing
geothermal steam fields (13 wells drilled) to reduce risks and
promote the rapid development of geothermal.
Private investors invited for power production.
The resource base:
Biomass Energy
Waste-based
 Exploited – animal manures (household biogas),
molasses (ethanol), sugar bagasse* (cogeneration)
 Un-used – Sisal*, coffee, tea, municipal wastes, rice
husks, sugar bagasse*, horticultural wastes, wheat
straws, molasses*, market wastes, saw dust,
abattoir wastes,.
Plant-based
 Exploited - fuelwood and charcoal extensively used
 Un-used* - Prosopis Juliflora (ironwood/mesquite),
sweet sorghum, water hyacinths, cassava and other
liquid biofuels.
* = marginally used currently
Sample biomass potentials as estimated by GIZ (GTZ) based on
biogas production (2010)
Type
Solid waste
(tonnes)
Liquid waste
(m2)
Coffee
Cut flower
Chicken wastes
Sisal
Sugar
Milk processing
1 Pineapple farm
MSW (Nairobi)
1 Distillery stillage
1 Meat processing
1 pig farm
1 tea factory
145,125
27,357
82,125
735,050
192,705
4.1m
75,000
996,450
2.46m
1.083m
0.84m
108,000
60.000
10,920
7,312
Energy (MWel)
10
0.65
1.9
20
4.1
0.55
2.35
37.5
1.1
0.05
0.35
0.7
Fuelwood
A larger majority of rural population depend on firewood for fuel
(89%).
In year 2000, consumption was 3,394 kg (rural) and 2,701 kg (urban)
per household per annum and per capita consumption was 741 and 691 kg
respectively.
Kenya experiences a deficit of over 50% of firewood per year
Over 20,000 Institutions also use firewood for catering and water
heating.
Most Tea factories also use fuelwood to run their boilers
Other players working with institutions to have woodlots for fuelwood
Charcoal
oAn important fuel source for urban dwellers (82%).
oMature trees are cut and pyrolized into high quality
carbon fuel
oMain cause of increased deforestation - source of
income for rurals.
oPer capita consumption was 156 kg (rural) and 152
kg (urban) - 2000
oSustainable projects (planting of acacia trees)
being implemented in some parts of the country e.g.
Bondo (Kisumu), Kitui and Kitengela (Nairobi) areas.
oEnergy saving stove – Kenya Ceramic Jiko (KCJ)
widely distributed in E. Africa
Bagasse cogeneration
oAnnual sugar bagasse production is over 1.8million tonnes
oMumias sugar, one of the 9 sugar companies has a 35MW capacity
bagasse cogeneration unit. 26MW of the generated electricity is fed to the
grid
Biomass electricity
oSome tea companies generate electricity from biomass for internal use
oA company by the name Tower power is almost through with feasibility
studies for 2No., 11.5MW thermal power plants to run on Prosopis
Juliflora (mesquite / ironwood)
oVast plantations of this invasive plant, about 200,000ha are found in
Baringo, Garissa and Tana river basin.
Briquettes
Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU), used to
produce briquettes ‘Kahawa Coal’ from coffee
husks.
In 2003, Chardust Ltd Kenya, a private Enterprise
started briquetting of bagasse in conjunction with
Chemelil (a sugar company) and is now producing
5 tonnes/day of Canecoal.
UNIDO recently also started briquetting projects in
Prosopis Juliflora -invested areas.
A 40kVA briquette-run gasifier drives the screw
press
Biogas
Biogas use in Kenya is still at domestic level with units averaging from 3
to 15m3
The Ministry of Energy promotes and demonstrates biogas technology at
its Energy Centres spread out throughout the country.
It has in collaboration with JKUAT constructed a 345m3 biogas digester
running a 45kW generator and two more others in Maseno and Masinde
Muliro Universities
The Ministry intends to pilot production of biogas from flower waste to
be used to generate electricity for use by flower firms and export to the
grid.
Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers
(KENFAP) is implementing a National Domestic
Biogas Programme (KENDBIP) under a the African
Biogas Partnership Programme (ABPP) funded by
DFIS – Netherlands.
KENDBIP is to be implemented in 4½ years between
2009 and 2013 with an aim to install 8,000 domestic
biogas plants
The project gives an investment subsidy of €240.
(KES. 25,000) by subsidizing construction costs.
Over 3,000 units were installed by 2011.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has
implemented medium scale biogas plants using abattoir and agricultural
wastes for power generation.
Kilifi plantations also runs a 150kVA biogas power plant run on sisal
wastes and animal manures.
Several other projects are being undertaken by other players.
Advantages of Biogas
Biogas recovery has a 4 fold advantage of producing heat for
cooking food, electricity for lighting/entertainment, a cost-effective
treatment of organic waste and provision of cheap fertilizer for the
farms.
Using biogas for cooking improves in-door-air quality preventing
diseases caused by smoke from firewood, i.e. lung diseases
Reduces workload by saving time spent in looking for firewood to
cook, especially for rural women and children.
It improves education for children in rural areas where there is not
access to electricity
Substitutes woodfuel and charcoal use hence reduces depletion of
natural resources like forests and soils
It improves household hygiene and health conditions of the users
Reduces GHGs and offers an opportunity for selling carbon credits
Larger units help improve agricultural production
Key challenges for biogas
High Poverty levels limit adoption of the technology.
There are still few trained masons leading to project failures
Donor syndrome as most biogas are associated with donor-aid
Low awareness levels of the technology among the communities.
High cost of construction materials raises the cost of construction
Availability of reliable & quality biogas appliances is still a challenge.
Fugitive gas problems – ignorant release of gas during operations.
The fire place “complex” – many people are attached to the fire for
space heating which biogas doesn’t provide.
Water scarcity
De-linking biogas consumption with production
Liquid Biofuels - Bio-ethanol
oBioethanol in Kenya was considered an alternative energy source in
1970s.
oA power alcohol factory was established in Kisumu to run on surplus
molasses from sugar companies in 1978 but was not operationized.
oIn 2003, the state owned firm was sold to Spectre International Inc.
oToday, Potable alcohol & industrial methanol is produced for beverage,
medical & industrial applications.
oSpectra International (SIL) and Agro-Chemical & Food Company Ltd
(ACFC) are the key players producing 22millio-lts and 18million-lts
respectively per year (2008)
oPlans are underway to produce bioethanol from sweet sorghum and
cassava.
oA draft bioethanol policy is already in place and an E10 pilot is yet to
start in Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru
oA local NGO, PAC (formerly ITDG) is making field trials on stoves
Liquid
Biofuels Biodiesel
Biodiesel is currently produced for local consumption mainly on small
scale, from jatropha, castor , croton and yellow oreander
oMost of the main plants existed before consideration as fuel crops and
several pilot projects have been established in different areas in the
country with over 4.2 million Jatropha seedlings distributed to small/large
scale farmers.
oKey players in jatropha include; Vanilla Development Foundation (1.19m
seedlings), Green Africa Foundation (3m seedlings), Magadi Soda Company
(10ha), GEF, Policy Innovation Systems for Clean Energy Security (PISCES –
policy issues).
oA draft biodiesel policy is already in place and a Kenya Biodiesel
Association formed.
Opportunities with liquid Biofuels
Diversification of rural energy supply mix
Improvement of agricultural returns and rural economies
Value addition of agricultural produce (farm-gate quality)
Improvement of local infrastructure
Reduction on oil imports
Reduction of GHGs from fossil oil emissions
Improvement of the health of women and children (in-door-air)
Child education improvements where there is no electricity
Conservation of soils susceptible to erosion
Conservation of the forests and environment
Investments in biofuels could facilitate transfer of technology
Key risks with liquid Biofuels
Large scale commercial projects – These are considered huge
untested experiments characterized by mechanisation, fertilizer and
herbicide use, displacement of local people, loss of biodiversity and
CO2 sinks
Climate change market driven systems & FDI – Climate change
related policies have seen developed nations grab lands in more
vulnerable developing countries.
Land tenure systems & laws – Land tenure systems/laws in most
developing countries are weak, unclear and uncoordinated. This
creates room for corrupt deals on land transfers at the expense of
the locals.
Risk of failure – Performance of most biofuels has not been tested
on marginal lands and production may not be guaranteed.
Knowledge gaps and climate change – Viable biofuels varieties and
production rates under specific conditions not researched. Africa is
increasingly becoming susceptible to prolonged floods and droughts
Increased vulnerability of women and children – Land is mainly
owned by men and this poses the risk of disposing land to investors or
substituting it for biofuels in place of food.
Competition with other resources – Biofuels will require land and
water. This encroaches on food, forests and pasture land.
Conclusion
Relevance of Biomass – Kenyan context
Biomass as an energy resource, is locally available
Biomass use reduces dependence on foreign fossil fuel supplies
Reduces waste accumulation in homes, shopping centres and towns
Enhances job creation in rural areas and hence rural development
Optimises land use
Promotes development of local skills
Provides additional income to agriculture and expands markets for
agricultural produce
Increases national energy security by providing domestic power.
Reduces GHGs emissions
Key challenges to its Development
Lack of clear, objective, ‘forward-looking’ Government policy
implementation
Fragmented incompatible sectoral policies
Lack of biomass energy resource potential assessment/mapping
Quick-return biomass projects that compromise other natural
resource use options and the environment
Lack of technical know-how/capacity
Current incentives not good enough for investors
Biomass – ‘a poor man’s, dirty and domestic energy source’ mentality
Thank you for Listening!