Kenya tops Africa with 700MW geothermal renewable power capacity, says REN21 report

Kenya is leading Africa in terms of geothermal power capacity, a report by Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st century (REN21) has revealed.

According to the report, Kenya is ahead in Africa with a capacity of about 700 megawatts and it occupies the ninth position globally.

On the global scale, it beat technological giant Japan who landed at the tenth position with a geothermal generating capacity of 500 megawatts.

United States topped the global list with generating a capacity of 2,500 megawatts followed by Philippines (1,900 MW), Indonesia (1,800 MW), Turkey (1,100 MW), New Zealand (1,000 MW), Mexico (900 MW), Italy (800 MW) and Iceland (750 MW). The rest of the world shares 950 MW.

Renewable energy accounts for over 70 percent of Kenya’s installed capacity compared to the world average of 24 percent, and about nine million households in Kenya have access to off-grid renewable energy, the report said.

Renewable energy power plants under development in Kenya include the 300 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power Plant, which is the single largest wind power plant in Africa, 70 MW Olkaria 1 and the 140 MW Ol Karia V.

“Kenya’s Olivado plant, which produces oil from avocados, is installing a biogas system that will reduce its waste streams and make the plant self-sufficient in energy, producing 1.5 Gigawatt hours (GWh),” the report said.
“In Kenya and Uganda, the number of off-grid systems deployed in 2016 outpaced the grid connections achieved by rural electrification agencies and national utility companies,” it added.