Wind power to solve high power costs

Many countries are fast adopting technologies and enacting policies that promote harnessing of wind energy on a utility scale.

The first known use was in 5000BC when people used sails to navigate River Nile. Persians had already been using windmills for 400 years by 900AD to pump water and grind grain.

The Dutch were responsible for many refinements of the windmill, primarily for pumping excess water off land that was flooded.

As early as 1390, they had connected the mill to a multi-storey tower, with separate floors devoted to grinding grain, removing chaff, storing grain and living quarters for the wind smith and his family.

Its popularity spread to the point that there were 10,000 windmills in England. But perfecting the windmill's efficiency took almost 500 years.

SAWMILLING TIMBER

By then, applications ranged from sawmilling timber to processing spices, tobacco, cocoa, paints and dyes. The windmill was further refined in the late 19th century in the US; some designs from that period are still in use today. Heavy, inefficient wooden blades were replaced by lighter, faster steel blades around 1870.

Over the next century, more than six million small windmills were erected in the US to aid in watering livestock and supplying homes with water during the development of the West.

Today, people are realising that wind power can serve as an alternative to fossil fuel-generated electricity. Wind power is now the world's fastest growing energy source and has also become one of the most rapidly expanding industries. Offshore wind has the potential to deliver substantial quantities of energy at a price that is cheaper than most of the other renewable energies, as wind speeds are generally higher offshore than on land.

SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY

As of 1999, global wind energy capacity topped 10,000 megawatts, which is approximately 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. If the predicted strides are made in the near future, wind power could be one of our main sources of electricity.

While we’ve been harvesting energy from wind for several decades, it is only in the last few years — as the world has become more concerned about global climate change — that we’ve witnessed increased installation of wind turbines. In 2010, installed global wind capacity reached 197 gigawatts (GW) and produced about 2.5% of the world’s electricity.

The technology advancement to harness power from wind energy would help in cost reductions in generation.

Wind energy poses a unique opportunity for Kenya to directly leapfrog the path taken by industrialised countries, to renewable sources of energy. In Kenya, there is an installed capacity of 5.1MW wind farm operated by KenGen at the Ngong site near Nairobi.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

In spite of high wind potential assessed by Wind force in a study, for various reasons such as insufficient wind resource data, lack of financial resources, inadequate infrastructure and extent of grid, wind energy development on a utility scale could not take place.

Unlike other forms of electrical generation where fuel is shipped to a processing plant, wind energy generates electricity at the source of fuel, which is free.

Wind is a native fuel that does not need to be mined or transported, taking two expensive costs out of long-term energy expenses.

The writer is a Corporate Communications Officer at Kenya Electricity Transmission Company.

electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power can fluctuate greatly due to highly variable mining and transportation costs. Wind can help buffer these costs because the price of fuel is fixed and free.

ATTRACT INVESTMENTS

To amend these issues and to attract investments in wind power development, the Ministry of Energy has embarked on initiatives to attract investments through appropriate policy mechanisms under PPP frameworks.

With funding from the World Bank — the ministry commenced a wind monitoring programme in 2011-12 and the analysis of the data across the country is encouraging. According to a report by Wind Sector Prospectus-Kenya, vast tracts of land have been identified with rich wind energy resource potential, especially in northern and eastern Kenya.

The Wind Resource Assessment shows the country is bestowed with immense potential and certain models of wind turbines such as Vestas — V100 and GE — GE103 have been assessed by Wind force to have a Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) or Plant Load Factor (PLF) generation potential of 40 per cent or more at sites in Marsabit and Turkana counties which would lead to attractive equity returns for investors.

POOR CHOICES

Since wind power is proportional to the cubic wind speed, it is crucial to have detailed knowledge of the site-specific wind characteristics. Even small errors in estimation of wind speed can have large effects on the energy yield, but also lead to poor choices for turbine and site. An average wind speed is not sufficient.

Wind energy can diversify economies of rural communities, adding to the tax base and providing new types of income. Wind turbines can add a new source of property taxes in rural areas that otherwise have a hard time attracting new industry.

EXPENSIVE COSTS

Unlike other forms of electrical generation where fuel is shipped to a processing plant, wind energy generates electricity at the source of fuel, which is free. Wind is a native fuel that does not need to be mined or transported, taking two expensive costs out of long-term energy expenses.

The price of electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power can fluctuate greatly due to highly variable mining and transportation costs. Wind can help buffer these costs because the price of fuel is fixed and free.

-The writer is a Corporate Communications Officer at Kenya Electricity Transmission Company