Kudos KenGen, new power generation is welcome

KenGen is making Kenya great by investing in green energy generation.

Last week, the company said it would install an extra 720mw over the next five years, out of which 630mw would be from geothermal energy, doubling the current capacity of renewable source.

Through research, KenGen has shown us that Kenya has greater energy resources ranging from wind and solar to geothermal. The country has about 10,000mw of untapped geothermal power and generation progress is visible on several fronts.

KenGen has put into the grid about 33 per cent of its installed capacity from geothermal energy. Increased power supply from green sources has seen towns, markets, schools, homes and industries connected to the national grid.

KenGen's hard work has transformed the energy sector for the better. For example, social amenities and businesses are getting electricity throughout the day despite the drought that has seen a decline in power production from hydro plants. Geothermal and wind power has provided an alternative to unreliable hydro electricity.

Energy has only been a real science since 1963, but with KenGen, we have seen the complete benefits of electricity.

Electricity consumption is a good indicator of economic growth and data shows that countries with high economic growth and per capita income such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Kuwait are among the highest per capita consumers of electricity.

Conversely, countries with low electricity consumption such as Haiti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo tend to have lower per capita incomes.