As a center for applied technologies, SERC offers clients the possibility to initiate field research and pilot projects for renewable energies in Kenya. Besides their technical performance, new technologies also need to be assessed by their financial viability and their socio-economic impact. In this light, SERC has so far worked on various research projects as illustrated below:
Solar Pico-PV Research Project
SERC is collaborating with the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NaCoSTI) in carrying out research on the replacement of kerosene lighting systems with Solar Pico-PV products in the rural areas of Kenya. For a comprehensive evaluation, SERC distributed five hundred Fosera Solar home systems to private households in underdeveloped rural areas.
EmPOWERing Africa
This is a collaboration between Instituto de Estudios Superiores da Empresa (IESE) from the University of Navarra in Spain and Strathmore University to collect case data and recruit students. The project is anchored in the assertion that by creating the conditions necessary to provide alternatives to oil and gasoline, developing nations can be able to enjoy economic, health and environmental benefits devoid of overdependence in fossil fuels.
SERC and Rheinische Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung
Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI) partnered with SERC to conduct an impact evaluation study about employment and income effects related to the Energising Development (EnDev) activities by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Kenya. The impact evaluation was intended to provide first rigorous insights into the employment and income impacts of selected energy access interventions. The evaluation study focused on fixed cooking stoves and pico-PV systems.
Sea Water Desalination Using Wave Power Project
Strathmore Energy has joined the Uppsala University’s Electrical Department in a project aimed at desalinating sea water and making it fit for drinking and irrigation by harnessing the power of the waves. In its first phase, this project will involve a PhD study carried out in Sweden using data and conditions obtained from the Kenyan coast. This first phase of the project will run for three years and it is expected to generate valuable information for the industry and open up new possibilities for fresh water and energy generation using the renewable natural wave energy resource off the Kenyan Coast.
Other Links
-Seabased Technology Partner http://seabased.com
-Uppsala University http://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/
-UN Water http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
-Water.Org http://water.org/water-crisis/water-sanitation-facts/
