Low-cost solar energy solutions turn tide in quest for education in northern Kenya » Capital News

KISII, Kenya, Sep 4 — Communities in semi-arid Northern Kenya are increasingly adopting off-grid solar solutions as their primary power source, contributing to Kenya’s goal of achieving 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

With climate change often leading to severe and unpredictable challenges, such as droughts and floods, which threaten lives and livelihoods, solar energy, a key source of clean energy, plays a vital role in mitigating these climate impacts.

Kenya’s solar installation capacity was estimated at 169.2 MW by 2022. Over the past decade, the country’s energy sector has experienced significant growth in installations, market expansion, and government support.

In Bulla Rama village, Korakora, Garissa County, 43-year-old Khadija Mohammed has been one of the early adopters of solar technology.

In 2004, she purchased solar panels to light her home, allowing her children to do their homework and study at night.

Before this, she relied on a torch, but obtaining dry batteries was difficult, requiring her to walk over 20 kilometers.

Now, solar energy has made life easier for her family, providing light, charging her mobile phone, and even securing her goats with security lights that scare away hyenas.

“My children usually arrive home from school late in the evening after trekking for hours, and they find the solar lighting on,” says Khadija.

She adds that the consistent power supply allows her to charge her phone and those of her neighbors.

Off-grid solar solutions are essential in African countries for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 due to their affordability.

An estimated 41 per cent of new households between 2020 and 2030 will adopt this technology, contributing to improved academic performance in schools, according to projections.

Powering schools

Mohamed Omar Bashir, headteacher of Bulla Rahma Primary School, notes that solar energy has ensured uninterrupted power, enhancing school security and allowing students to arrive as early as 5 a.m. for remedial lessons.

“This has improved their performance,” he says. Although the school is not connected to the national grid due to high costs, there is hope for expanding its solar plant.

Mujahidin Osman, a Grade VII student, shares that the solar energy at home has enabled him to study in the evenings, leading to better academic performance.

Ali Hassan, a d.light solar supplies officer in Garissa town, revealed agents had sold over 10,000 solar panels in seven years.

D.light, a solar firm targeting low-income households in rural Kenya with financing options, trains agents in installation, helping clients connect to solar energy on flexible payment plans.

Joab Okanda of the Global Gas and Oil Network highlighted rge rapid adoption of solar energy in Kenya is certain to provide clean energy to households, schools, and hospitals.

The government aims to make solar panels more affordable by supporting local manufacturing, reducing import costs, and creating jobs.

Fair financing

Okanda emphasizes that Africa’s transition to renewable energy requires resources, fairness in climate financing, equity, and justice.

“If we don’t transition into renewable energy, climate change effects will multiply,” he warns.

Northern Kenya residents are already feeling the impact of climate change, with droughts, floods, and the loss of lives and livelihoods.

Okanda insists that countries contributing to the climate crisis should be responsible for financing poor countries with grants to mitigate and adapt.

Prince Papa, Africa Regional Campaigner for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, notes that decades of fossil fuel extraction have failed to power and enrich Africa.

He points out that 75 per cent of the world’s population without electricity live in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the failure of the fossil fuel system to power the continent.

Untapped potential

Prince also stresses that Africa, despite holding nearly 40 per cent of global renewable energy potential, receives only 2 per cent of international investments in renewable energy.

Transitioning to holistic renewable energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and align with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, aiming for a net-zero world by 2050.

Despite Africa’s renewable energy potential, the 2022 Energy Progress Report indicates that the continent remains the least electrified, with close to 600 million people without power.

During the African Climate Summit in Nairobi in September 2023, African countries committed to the Nairobi Declaration, pledging $23 billion for green growth and climate adaptation. The UAE also pledged $4.5 billion to boost renewable energy on the continent.

President Ruto called for increased investment in green opportunities, emphasizing that green growth is not only a climate imperative but also a source of economic opportunity.

“We must see in green growth not just a climate imperative, but also a fountain of multi-billion-dollar economic opportunities that Africa and the World is primed to capitalize on,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed these sentiments, urging the creation of an African Renewable Energy Alliance to make Africa a renewable energy superpower.

“Time is high to unite African countries with the developed ones, financial institutions and technology companies for creation of a true African Renewable Energy Alliance,” said Guterres.

About The Author