Kenya continues to lead its fellow African countries in relying on renewable energy sources as 86.98% of the electricity generated in the country comes from renewables according to an annual report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
EPRA states that the country currently generates more than 12,652.74 gigawatts hours of electricity annually, of which a majority is produced from geothermal and hydroelectric sources. And even though wind and solar energy contributions are yet to catch, they have been rising at a fast rate. And with the speed they will be an added advantage to take the percentage to 100%
According to Daniel Kiptoo, EPRA director, the high percentage of electricity produced has been as result of increased investment in the sector. “As a result of investments made in developing the renewable energy sub-sector, 86.98% of the energy generated in Kenya is obtained from renewable energy sources,” he said. The huge investment in renewables is evident as the energy sector was able to raise more funding among Kenyan Start-ups in 2022.
Daniel Kiptoo went on to add that electricity demand in the country has been on a rise in recent years with peak demand increasing 3.1% on average each year to 2000MW. With the country recovering from the pandemic, it has been one of the reasons electricity has been on high demand as companies and organization get back on trackGeothermal, which is mainly produced by state-owned firm Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), continues to account for a major share of the power generated, which puts Kenya first in Africa and seventh in the world in installed geothermal power generating capacity. Also, hydroelectric, solar and wind energy have become critical for the stability of the grid. The rest of the power in the country comes from thermal sources.
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