Green Energy Technologies as the Road Map to Sustainable Economic Growth in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya, just like other developing countries of the world, is energy deficient. Power supply is characterized by flaws including inaccessibility by marginalized rural communities, high cost of electricity, power outages, and over-reliance on biomass and hydropower sources. Despite these trends, the country has great potential to produce green energy including wind, biofuels, solar, and geothermal power in excess of the entire country's demand. This chapter explores the status of each of these green energy sources and their production potential using in Kenya. Findings show that the production capacity for all of the sources is high though limited tapping and harnessing of these energy resources is done. This could be attributable to lack of exploitation technology and expertise, huge capital investments involved and the uncertainty on the effects of these renewable energy sources to food and water security. For optimal exploitation, Kenya must invest in the energy sector hugely to enhance technical know-how on its development and cater for the associated financial opportunity costs.