Monday, July 1, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
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 …
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.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Power plant lights up Uganda’s future
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AN AERIAL VIEW OF BUJAGALI |
This development is a sigh of relief for Ugandans in several ways: it eliminates expensive thermal power; It releases some US$9.5 million in electricity subsidies to the exchequer; it eliminates load shedding and brightens prospects for economic growth.
For Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, who launched the dam, it was a vindication that tenacity pays. He had the last laugh over opposition to the project!
The project Uganda was dogged by controversy, some of it crass. Mooted in 1990s, Bujagali immediately faced all sorts of opposition from donors and their cohorts in the civil society sector-that at a time when the country experienced 12 hour loading shedding due to drought.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Ultra-Efficient Bladeless Wind Turbine Inspired by Nikolai Tesla.
http://www.prweb.com/
http://solaraero.org/
Solar Aero Research , a New Hampshire non-profit alternative energy research corporation, unveiled the proof-of-concept prototype of its revolutionary wind turbine.
https://www.facebook.com/
Solar Oven Makes Clean Drinking Water from Salt Water
Solar Oven Makes Clean Drinking Water from Salt Water
- Developed by an Italian graduate student, Gabrielle Diamant.
- The oven can make about 5 liters of fresh water a day.
Interested: Contact us
Wind Power Engineering
It's not much to look at, but this 500W fuel cell can power remote sensors such as sodars and lidars, and runs a month on a tank of propane. In fact, it's more efficient at higher power outputs.
http://
Monday, September 3, 2012
Toyota bids for Juba-Lamu Oil Pipeline
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| An oil pipeline: Bid in place for Africa's largest PPP project |
Apart from the 2000Km Pipeline, the bid also includes the construction “of an oil refinery, power stations, jetties and other infrastructure facilities” said Dennis Awori, Chairman-Toyota Kenya Ltd.
The bid, if successful, will be the largest PPP project in Africa. In a statement released this week, the company said it has proposed to develop the Pipeline on a Built-Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis on a 20 year concession.
The company is still doing a feasibility study of the project whose construction is expected to begin in June 2013. The construction is expected to last 18 months to the end of 2014.South Sudan expects to turn the tabs through Kenya come 2015. However, some analysts say that a project of this magnitude lasts three –years citing logistical and security concerns in the general area on which the pipeline is to be constructed.
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| Lamu-Juba Railway line: Next in line |
Birth of Kenya's Konza Techno City is in October
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| Proposed Konza Technocity: Attracting serious investors |
THE GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY for Kenya’s Konza Techno City will be held in October this year, we can report. This will pave the way for construction work on the US$7 billion project to begin.
It is expected that, after the ground breaking ceremony, work on roads, water and waste water disposal systems will be the first off the blocks. Already a Chinese government owned Construction Company, Shanghai Corporation for Foreign Economic & Technological Cooperation (SFECO) is eyeing construction of roads and other social infrastructure.
The government is constructing a US$200 million multipurpose water dam expected to be complete by October 2013. The dam will pump one million litres of water to the city.
The proposed city has generated a lot of interest among both investors and developers a like hastening the pace of implementation. Reports have it that some 200 investors are eyeing space in the metropolis, dubbed Africa’s silicon Savannah.
Such fast pace at which the building blocks of the city’s development is being put in place has critics confounded. In just about one month, several contractors are in place. The Master Planner, HR & A Advisors of New York is already in Place. A Swedish government firm has bagged the tender to develop the science park and market the project among investors.
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| The BPO park |
Also on the queue for various segments of the project are other experienced developers such as Egypt’s Smart Villages and the Korea Business Centre. The intense interest in the project is not surprising, returns on investment are mouth-watering. Return on leasing ranges between 12 and 15 per cent while capital gains rate is estimated at 20 per cent.
Konza City located only 60 KM south west of Nairobi aims to catapult Kenya into an ICT giant by 2030. It will place Kenya firmly on the competition seat with such global BPO, KPO and ITO giants as India and China. Dubbed the silicon Savannah of Africa, Konza ICT City is a green field project that will be home of Africa's Computerisation drive–something similar to Silicon Valley in the US.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Energy giants Statoil and Exxon target East African gas
The balmy waters of the Indian Ocean, close to East Africa, are a long way from the cold and notoriously stormy North Sea, but Tanzania could soon be profitable territory for Statoil of Norway.
Statoil and its American partner Exxon Mobil have made the biggest offshore discovery yet of gas reserves off the coast of Tanzania.
The Zafarani field, which both companies hope will be bigger than first estimates suggest, is close to the region off the coast of Mozambique, where even bigger deposits of gas are being developed by Anadarko and ENI.
"This is the biggest discovery made outside Norway by Statoil ever," a delighted Statoil vice president, Tim Dodson, tells the BBC.
But beyond the impact on Statoil itself, Mr Dodson recognises how the discovery could transform the fortunes of an East African country that has in the past focused more on safari tourism than oil and gas.
"This is [also] the biggest discovery that has been made offshore Tanzania and in that respect it's extremely important for [both] Statoil and Tanzania," he says.
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EAWEL brings state of the art technology for renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to ease the burden on the Environment.
East African Wind Energy Ltd promises to deliver paramount services and technology to the East African Renewable Energy Sector. Our location and technologies will in no doubt spearhead Kenya as the leaders in this sector within our region..
EAWEL brings state of the art technology for renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to ease the burden on the Environment.
East African Wind Energy Ltd promises to deliver paramount services and technology to the East African Renewable Energy Sector. Our location and technologies will in no doubt spearhead Kenya as the leaders in this sector within our region..
At long last east Africa is beginning to realise its energy potential
IN ENERGY terms, east Africa has long been the continent's poor cousin. Until last year it was thought to have no more than 6 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, compared with 60 billion in west Africa and even more in the north. Since a third of the region's imports are oil-related, it has been especially vulnerable to oil shocks. The World Bank says that, after poor governance, high energy costs are the biggest drag on east Africa's economy.
All that may be about to change. Kenya, the region's biggest economy, was sent into delirium on March 26th by the announcement of a big oil strike in its wild north. A British oil firm, Tullow, now compares prospects in the Turkana region and across the border in Ethiopia to Britain's bonanza from the North Sea. More wells will now be drilled across Kenya, which also holds out hopes for offshore exploration blocs.
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