Kenya to build the largest solar Plant

Chinese firms have partnered with the Kenyan government to build the largest solar plant ever seen in Kenya. The firms, China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic & Technical Co, Ltd. (CJIC) and the manufacturers of the Chinese photovoltaic (PV) JinkoSolar Holdings  have come together to build the 50 MW solar plant in Kenya.

The solar power facility is expected to be the largest solar power plant connected to a grid in the country and will be built on a 200 acre piece of land in Garissa County, North Eastern Kenya.

The plant is expected to produce about 76,470 MWH per year while contributing to reduced carbon emissions by 54, 190 tons per annum and reducing coal consumption by 24,470 tons per year.

With its arid climate and a wide piece of land mass under desert conditions, Garissa is geographically fit for harvesting solar power.

Under the construction agreement, the NYSE listed JinkoSolar will provide technical support needed for the project who are also preferred by CJIC to supply modules.

Good forecast for Dutch solar panels in Kenya

Spinning Blimp Wind Turbine

From Magenn power Inc comes an interesting new design for a wind turbine. This could be a goodyear for renewable energy. Called the 'M.A.R.S' - a fantastic acronym for the Magenn Power Air Rotor System - which promises lower costs, better performance, and enhanced environmental benefit. The turbine is a lighter than air blimp, which rotates around a horizontal axis. A unique design orients the blimp into the wind. One of the interesting facets of this technology, is that as it is anchored to the ground by a 1000 foot cable, the MARS could be anywhere up to 707 ft from its base.
The MARS blimp will come in a variety of sizes. First, in small applications that will produce around four kilowatts of power at roughly 20 cents per kilowatt. These, obviously, are useful only in off-grid situations. However, Magenn plans to create much larger MARS turbines that will produce up to 2000 kw per turbine (twice that of the world's largest wind turbines.) These would likely be cost effective in wind farms and, if implemented correctly, could even be combined with today's current farms.
This device is higher than your average turbine, but lower than other tethered turbines we've seen. Thus, you can neither see nor hear the MARS turbine, and it is able to harness unobstructed higher-altitude wind currents. But, unlike some kite- turbines that we've seen, the MARS turbine won't interfere with commercial air traffic any more than cell tower would.
We see a lot of potential for these blimp turbines in the future of wind power, and we'll be following Magenn closely in the coming months.

East African Community States to Have a Renewable Energy Centre

PLANS to have a centre for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the East African Community have been completed, according to Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors Jesca Eriyo.

The Deputy Secretary General told a meeting of EAC Energy ministers in Arusha, Tanzania, Friday the feasibility study and project documents for the establishment of the EAC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency had been completed.

Eriyo informed the ministerial session of the 8th Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council on Energy that the Austrian Government had committed one million euros towards the establishment of the centre, which she said would be instrumental in advancing the development of renewable energy in the region.

She added the project would also provide a channel for implementing energy efficiency programmes and thus called for its expeditious approval.

The meeting also discussed the East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition, selecting Rwanda as the host for the seventh edition of the event due in 2015, while the ministers directed the EAC Secretariat to develop a concept paper on establishing an energy fund as a window under the EAC Development Fund.

Other matters the meeting discussed included the establishment of the East African Community Power Pool, new and renewable sources of energy and energy conservation and efficiency, the Regional Clean Energy Programme, and the Energy and Environment Partnership programme.

In attendance were Irene Muloni, Uganda's Minister for Energy and Mineral Development and chairperson of the sectoral council, Come Manirakiza, Minister for Energy and Mines (Burundi), Emma Francoise Isumbingabo, Minister of State for Water and Energy (Rwanda), George Simbachawene, Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals (United Republic of Tanzania) and Davis Chirchir, Cabinet Secretary for Energy & Petroleum (Kenya).

http://allafrica.com/stories/201306250090.html

Obama Unveils $7 Billion ‘Power Africa’ Electricity Plan

That is OUR $7 billion he is spending on another nation. Because of the sequester, he wanted, this country doesn’t have the funds to help vets in need, fund White House tours or Independence Day festivities but is ready to help Africa out! This is the same guy who promised his policies on Cap & Trade would bankrupt coal companies and that under his plan electricity prices would necessarily skyrocket!

This is what you call social and economic justice. What the MARXIST in Chief is doing is raising the lifestyle of lower classes around the world with US taxpayer dollars while taking steps in the US to bring Americans lifestyle down to the rest of the world!
We are broke and this govt as a whole, both sides, just keeps blowing money. The Fed is printing/ digitizing money we don’t have while emperor 0 and the progressives leave the American taxpayers on the hook for their “good deeds”!

This is all part of the emperors promise to fundamentally transform the USA!

Obama Unveils $7 Billion ‘Power Africa’ Electricity Plan

What can Barack Obama’s “Power Africa” program achieve?

Seven billion dollars is a lot of money—except when it goes into infrastructure. Then, $7bn, the sum that the US has committed to spend over the next five years on the Obama administration’s newly-announced Power Africa initiative, does not sound like so much at all. Even considering that Power Africa will roll out in only six countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania), the project’s funding feels slender. Power plants are expensive: in Tanzania, for example, a Sumitomo-built 240 MW gas-fired plant that just secured Japanese financing will cost $414m; in Ghana, the 400 MW Bui hydroelectric plant, now under construction with Chinese financing, costs $622m. Transmission and distribution networks are expensive in their own right.Announced by President Obama himself during his current Africa tour, Power Africa arrives with the pomp of a legacy-building initiative; measured against these industrial costs, it risks appearing tentative and small-bore, like much of the administration’s Africa policy.

That said, all infrastructure investment should be considered a good thing unless proven otherwise—especially in Africa, where the need is so great. At present, continent-wide installed capacity and power generation are roughly equivalent to those of Germany or Canada. Remove South Africa and Egypt, and you are left with about 63 GW supplying 260 billion kWh, scarcely more than Australia or Iran. In this context, if the first phase of Power Africa succeeds in its stated goal of adding 10 GW of generation capacity and connecting 20 million new residential and commercial customers, it will represent a major expansion—albeit not near the doubling of access that, according to the White House fact sheet on Power Africa, is the program’s ultimate aim. Indeed, the same fact sheet soberly estimates that it would cost $300bn to secure universal access to power on the continent by 2030.

Good forecast for Dutch solar panels in Kenya

Rwanda: Experts Tip Region On Energy Saving

East African countries have been urged to act fast in adopting energy conservation measures and renewable energy in buildings.

The appeal was made, yesterday, during an ongoing workshop in Kigali organised to discuss and adopt energy efficiency measures that can be integrated into building policies all over East Africa.

The workshop, which closes tomorrow, is organised by the UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Rwandan government with support from the World Bank.

It is partly in response to reports by the Green Building Council in Africa, indicating that the buildings alone consumes 54 per cent of energy supply on the continent, and this energy is used only in cooking, lighting, cooling, heating, communication.

The participants were drawn from five East Africa partner states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ugand as well as West Africa, Asia, North America, Europe and Arab states.

According to a UN-Habitat representative, Dr. Vincent Kitio, there is an urgent need to adopt energy efficiency measures into building policies in the region.

"This will reduce energy demand in buildings and will ultimately reduce electricity bills. The workshop also aims at promoting resource efficiency such as efficient use of water resources, optimal use of land, better use of locally available materials, energy conservation and adoption of renewable energy technologies in building through innovative solutions," Kitio said.

According to Kitio, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation, economic growth and climate change, this region is facing an energy crisis because of the dependence on energy imports, high demand for energy and inadequate supply and production of energy.

FINAL MENA renewable vs. nuclear - Global Energy Network …

www.geni.org/globalenergy/...east-energy...renewable-vs-nuclear.pdf · PDF file

Renewable Energy Potential of the Middle East, North Africa vs. The Nuclear Development Option _____ or

http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/research/middle-east-energy-alternatives/MENA-renewable-vs-nuclear.pdf

Renewable energy to solve Africa's power crisis

 
Renewable energy has taken a hit globally, but the UAE's Masdar Energy went against the grain by inaugurating a 15-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility in the West African state of Mauritania - the largest project of its kind in Africa.

The USD 32 million project will account for 10% of Mauritania's energy capacity and displace 21,255 tons of carbon dioxide, according to the company.

"Energy access is a pathway to economic and social opportunity," said Mauritania's president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz during the inauguration of the solar plant. 

"Electrification, through sustainable sources of energy, is critical in ensuring our people have access to basic services and is a step toward improving our infrastructure and long-term economic development. We are pleased to have partnered with Masdar to successfully deliver Africa's largest solar PV plant and an important facility to meet Mauritania's growing energy needs."

The Masdar initiative will make a small dent in Africa's massive electricity problem, but it is a welcome start.

Electricity use per capita (kw/h) in the west, east and central parts of Africa stands at 160 kilowatt, compared to 1,410 in North Africa and 4,810 kw/h in southern Africa, according to the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA).

About 590 million people in Africa - or 57% of the population -- has no access to electricity, and that figure is expected to rise to 655 million, if current trends persist.

This is a major hurdle, as without access to electricity, Africans are deprived of basic services such as healthcare, communications and education.

In places like the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, electricity has led to annual sale losses of more than 20%.

Experts tip region on energy saving

East African countries have been urged to act fast in adopting energy conservation measures and renewable energy in buildings.

The workshop is aimed at changing the mindset of many Rwandans on energy consumption in buildings. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.

The appeal was made, yesterday, during an ongoing workshop in Kigali organised to discuss and adopt energy efficiency measures that can be integrated into building policies all over East Africa.

The workshop, which closes tomorrow, is organised by the UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Rwandan government with support from the World Bank.

It is partly in response to reports by the Green Building Council in Africa, indicating that the buildings alone consumes 54 per cent of energy supply on the continent, and this energy is used only in cooking, lighting, cooling, heating, communication.

The participants were drawn from  five East Africa partner states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzaniaand Ugand  as well as West Africa, Asia, North America, Europe and Arab states.

According to a UN-Habitat representative, Dr. Vincent Kitio, there is an urgent need to adopt energy efficiency measures into building policies in the region.

“This will reduce energy demand in buildings and will ultimately reduce electricity bills. The workshop also aims at promoting resource efficiency such as efficient use of water resources, optimal use of land, better use of locally available materials, energy conservation and adoption of renewable energy technologies in building through innovative solutions,” Kitio said.

Vestas, GE Lead Wind-Turbine Market as U.S. Installations Surge

General Electric Co. (GE) tied with Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) as the biggest turbine maker with less than 50 megawatts between them, unsettling the Danish maker’s 12-year hold on the title, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said.

GE, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Vestas each supplied about 5.7 gigawatts of turbines in 2012, according to the London-based researcher. Siemens AG (SIE) was third, Enercon GmbH fourth and Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL) of India fifth.

A tax incentive drove a record 13.6 gigawatts of installations in the U.S., where GE commissioned 96 percent of its turbines and Vestas sold 40 percent, its biggest market. Installations are set to plunge to 2.8 gigawatts this year after the subsidy expired Dec. 31, the researcher said.

“2012 was a great year for western manufacturers in terms of adding new capacity, particularly those with large exposure to the U.S. market,” said Justin Wu, head of wind analysis at BNEF. “Unfortunately, this boom was largely based on beating the deadline on an expiring subsidy and not on sustainable growth. As such, 2013 will look very different.”

Globally, a record 48.4 gigawatts of new wind was added in 2012, BNEF said. China Guodian Corp. overtook Iberdrola SA (IBE) as the largest wind owner with 13.7 gigawatts installed at the end of 2012. Its lead is likely to extend as build-out in China continues, it said. BNEF expects Chinese owners to gain market share as domestic grid constraints ease and they seek overseas expansion, while U.S. and European installations fall.