INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT ON RENEWABLE ENERGY IN KENYA Access to clean and affordable energy is expanding in Kenya. We explore the significant role of renewables in the country’s diverse power generation mix Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Jordan Levey
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enewable energy, coupled with technological innovation, is changing the way that energy is produced, distributed and consumed. In Kenya, renewable energy currently accounts for 73 percent of installed power generation capacity, whilst 90 percent of electricity used in the East African country is generated by green energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar and hydroelectric. Speaking at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, told the international community that Kenya is determined and on course to achieve a full transition to clean energy by 2030. As the energy sector accounts for three-quarters of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, innovative new low-carbon energy solutions are
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critical to both reducing GHGs and ensuring that people have access to clean renewables. Significant progress has been made by Kenya in the advancement of affordable, green energy, having increased access to electricity from below 30 percent in 2013 to in excess of 75 percent in 2020. Despite making significant strides in the development of renewable energy, however, around a quarter of the Kenyan population is still without access to electricity, necessitating policy changes to diversify the energy generation mix and the promotion of public-private partnerships to finance renewable energy projects. Kenya’s flagship installation, the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) Project, is the largest publicprivate investment in the country’s history at a cost of €625 million, and is the biggest wind power
