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May 28
0

Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) project

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SERC was involved in the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) project titled: ‘Building capacity for enhancing bioenergy sustainability’ between 2018 and 2019 with support from United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). UNEP provided technical support to the participating research organizations on the meaning of and rationale behind the 24 indicators and their indicative methodological approaches; on how to adapt the indicators to the country context; and on how to implement the chosen methodologies.

 

The project was aimed at building capacity for enhancing bioenergy sustainability through the use of the global bioenergy partnership indicators. It was strongly linked to SDG 17 which is to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. The calculation and analysis of the 24 sustainability indicators was conducted by SERC in collaboration with Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). It was coordinated by SEI. The sustainability indicators were applied to two bioenergy pathways selected in consultation with stakeholders. (1) Use of sugarcane bagasse briquettes in the tea industry as an alternative to firewood and (2) Household use of charcoal produced on woodlands and farmlands, which is linked to sustainable development goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

 

The study revealed that the opportunities within sugar factories for power generation are estimated at 300 MW but they have not been exploited. Other bioenergy uses in Kenya include; biogas, fuelwood, briquettes, pellets and charcoal. The 12 sugar mills in Kenya generate around 2.4 million tons of bagasse annually that remain unutilized. The briquettes made from bagasse save around 490 tons per year of wood resource, though their economic cost intensity is around three times more compared to firewood. The industrial use of briquettes in tea factories results in a gradual reduction in the consumption of primary wood biomass obtained from forests and woodlands as well as creates new jobs in the whole value chain.

 

By the time of the report, an estimated 2.5 million tons of charcoal are produced in the country annually. Production is mainly from arid and semi-arid lands. Nearly 0.5 million people work in the charcoal sector, which generates more than $427 million annually but it is not considered part of the formal economy of the country. Through adoption and sustained use of improved cookstoves integrated with on-farm sourcing of firewood, households can save 33.2 per cent and 76 percent of time spent sourcing the fuel.

 

This work was made possible with the financial support of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

 

It is led by Prof. Izael Da Silva.

 

This article was written by Victor Otieno, Researcher, https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-otieno-559b10a2/

May 16
0

Strathmore Team selected for “Initiate! Impact Challenge” at African Utility Week.

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From 14th to 16th May, a team of postgraduates will represent Strathmore University at the “Initiate! Impact Challenge” at this year’s African Utility Week. Fredrick Amariati, Ignatius Maranga, Raymond Kiyegga and Alex Osunga were the candidates selected to represent the university at the annual event hosted in Cape Town, South Africa. The four emerged with the best abstracts out of all the other applicants from the university, which are chosen by a panel from the event.

 

“We are looking at reducing the cost of having solutions that work for single houses and going for communities coming together to fund a solar solution that can give them energy and electricity,” says Raymond Kiyegga, in response to what the project they are presenting is about.

 

The Initiate! 3-day challenge is for postgraduate students enrolled at Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town, the University of Witwatersrand and Strathmore University. It involves completing a series of challenges that will enable the contestants to immerse themselves in the conference and exhibition while sourcing opinions from experts and pooling ideas from conference sessions. The team hopes to interact with mentors and key players in the sector for guidance and ways to improve their project. According to Fredrick Amariati, “We would like to know what is happening in other universities, learn from what they are doing, know what innovations are coming up in the sector and incorporate it with what we are doing.”

 

The 19th annual African Utility Week is the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals. This year’s event brings in the addition of POWERGEN Africa, expanding focus on generation (Including renewables, off grid) while still concentrating on transmission and distribution, new technologies (including storage, mini grids, IOT and ICT systems) and, of course, water.

 

“There will be various utility companies from Africa showcasing their technology, innovations and products. We hope to understand their needs, products and challenges, and this should help with the solution we are coming up with.” Ignatius Maranga

 

Two of the candidates, Ignatius Maranga and Fredrick Amariati, are Open Africa Power 2018 alumni. Open Africa Power is a programme about renewable energy. It was founded by the NL Foundation, of which Strathmore is the main implementing partner. Its main objective is to forge the next generation of clean energy leaders for Africa.

 

On the last day of the “Initiate! Impact Challenge”, the teams will be invited to pitch their innovations to a prestigious committee of judges and the winning team walks away with a prize of R20,000.

 

This article was written by Christine Mukasa

 

If you have a story, kindly email: communications@strathmore.edu

May 15
0

Strathmore University signs MoU with KETRACO

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On Wednesday 8th March, Strathmore University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) at their main offices in Nairobi. The University was represented by Prof Izael da Silva and Sarah Odera, Director at Strathmore Energy Research Centre. While FCPA Fernandes Barasa, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, signed on behalf of KETRACO. The MoU is a platform for collaborative research, workshops, capacity building, inventions.

 

“Strathmore University is the only university with a well-developed research center, and as part of our mandate, we promote the use of green energy, an area Strathmore is well established in,” says David Ndwinga, Director of the research department at KETRACO. Being the only organization that transmits electricity in Kenya, KETRACOserves as an information hub for the research center at the university. The signing of this document signifies a collaboration in which Strathmore University provides research, and KETRACO provides the practical aspect of electricity transmission.

 

“Partnering with an off-taker of our research work will enable us to conduct relevant research projects for the energy sector,” said Sarah Odera.

 

The MoU was signed in the light of KETRACO’s recently established research department. The company is keen on strategic partnerships, in the areas of energy transmissions, and energy efficiency among others. Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) was incorporated in December 2008; and registered under the Companies Act, Cap 486 pursuant to Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2004 on Energy.  It is government owned and is regulated under the State Corporations Act, Cap 446 and Energy Act, 2006.

 

“When the government and Research and Development (Strathmore) come together, we are able to revolutionize the industry.” Prof Izael de Silva

 

This article was written by Christine Mukasa.

 

If you have a story, kindly email: communications@strathmore.edu

May 02
0

Impact of Solar Cooling in Kenya and Agricultural Value Chains

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In the 2017 approximately 61 Billion was lost from the following agricultural value chains; Irish potatoes, milk, millet, beans, bananas, sweet potatoes, pineapples, tomatoes and sorghum. The reason for this loss was; poor storage, transport and fungi attack. According to standard media article, a third of the food produced is lost yearly. Kenya is currently grappling with the possibility of a countrywide drought.

A few solutions have been recommended to solve the postharvest losses in Kenya but the response is not taken up positively because of the following reasons;

  • The technology is not locally available due to cost.
  • Skills transfer to the locals is not done efficiently and managing such systems becomes problematic.
  • The areas where these technologies are needed most, there is no grid connection to electricity.

Urgent areas that are crucial and prime for solutions in solar cooling are;

  • Fish
  • Tomatoes
  • Mangoes
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Milk

In a bid to solve these problems; Strathmore University Energy Research Centre partnered with Hohenheim University funded by Powering Agriculture have held a workshop to sensitize on possible research on solar cooling technologies in Kenya and how to increase agricultural productivity in Kenya. During the workshop; various technologies were introduced that could meet different needs and solve different functions as follows;

  • Solar Ice maker – Primarily makes approximately 54 kg of ice
  • Battery free refrigerator – it is solar powered, makes use of icepacks to keep the products at 4C
  • Water Chiller – battery powered, converts water to ice.

Applications of the technologies above are the following but not restricted to;

  • Milk cooling
  • Vegetable and fruit preservation in cold rooms for storage as well as in transportation trucks.
  • Fridges for soft drink vendors.
  • Use of the solar coolers to keep biological elements below freezing point.
  • Air Conditioning in the event of very hot days, the water chiller functions as an air cooler but works best in closed spaces.

A synergy with SERC will ensure more research into other functions that the technology can be used for. More so introduction of this technology in pre-existing value chains that need boosting and optimization. Other possible areas of synergy include working with the Energy Regulatory Commission to get subsidies for this technology.  The milk cooling application has been tried in Siaya and Kisumu and the results have been very positive. Upon introduction of the systems, notable changes were as follows;

  • More milk was getting to the cooperatives in the evening.
  • More milk delivered meant more money to the farmers.
  • There was a considerable improvement in the livelihoods of the women involved in the project.

The success of these systems was pegged on the following;

  • Good training of the people of the ground.
  • There was a sense of ownership of the project by the farmers.
  • Willingness of the farmers to try the new technology.

Milk is but one of the value chains in the agricultural sector. Research in the rest of the agricultural value chains will unlock future partnered researches between SERC and Hohenheim University. This will also see SERC possibly start a course in Solar Cooling to build capacity on solar cooling.

Apr 04
0

Bioenergy analysis for 30 Tea Factories

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SERC conducted a bioenergy analysis in 30 tea factories that  source fuelwood from third parties. This project was funded by DANIDA through Kenya Climate and Innovation Centre (KCIC). The goal of this research was to assist the tea factories in identifying drivers of heat energy cost and specify performance and spread of 30 factories linked to SDG 7 target 7.3 which is to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and SDG 12 which is to ensure sustainable consumption and production. Research objectives were to review existing information and design an analytical framework covering:

 

  1. Fuelwood,
  2. alternative biomass fuels supply chains,
  3. onsite fuel logistics, and
  4. boiler operations.

 

The project involved field surveys and ranking of factories based on their bioenergy usage. The study suggested an introduction of a new benchmarking metric, fuelwood energy costs measured in KSh/MWh embodied in the fuelwood. Results suggested that this metric can be collected at the boiler mouth.

 

Additionally, results strongly suggested that using high-density fuelwood lowers fuelwood energy costs. In contrast, wood price (KSh/m3 stacked), transport distance or fuelwood use efficiency as currently measured by the tea factories did not provide a credible metric to measure fuelwood energy cost.

 

Heat loss due to moisture in fuel had a muted impact on overall boiler efficiency. While reduction of moisture content plays an important role and can be cost-effective, boiler design and maintenance (flue gas temp, etc.) leads efficiency results at the boiler.

 

Lastly, only three of the surveyed factories used alternative biomass at substantial scales. In general, alternative fuels (e.g., macadamia nut shells briquettes, sawdust, briquettes) were transported over much longer distances and were more expensive compared to fuelwood in terms of net heat content.

 

This project was funded by DANIDA through Kenya Climate and Innovation Centre (KCIC) and it was led by Dr. Thomas Buchholz.

 

This article was written by Victor Otieno, Researcher, https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-otieno-559b10a2/

Nov 04
0

KOSAP training ICIPE customized training

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The Ministry of Energy contracted SERC to provide a customized training on Sustainable Energy for Policy Makers and T1/T2 Solar PV systems under the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), for underserved counties. The training was financed by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya Power and Lighting Company and Rural Electrification  and Renewable Energy Corporation. The training aimed to provide a comprehensive suite of investments on electricity services to households, enterprises and community facilities, and boreholes, with pragmatic business models to attract private sector investment, sustainable services, know-how and efficiencies.

 

The objective of the Sustainable Energy for Policy Makers, which began on 19th November 2018, was to equip the county policy officials with knowledge on: the existing policy environment on energy, renewable energy technologies (mini-grids and clean cooking technologies); and energy planning at the county level, feasibility studies, project management, and sustainability. The training held at SERC also included case-based learning using scenarios that existed in their different counties. The county officials also made a site visit of the 600kW system at Strathmore University with an illustration on how a mini grid works using the installed system. The key outcomes of this training were to ensure knowledge transfer on policy mechanisms that will guarantee sustainability at KOSAP projects, once enrolled by the World Bank in the off-grid areas.

 

The county technical officials also received knowledge on how to design, install and maintain a stand-alone solar PV system. They also received hands-on practical work as well as engaged in manual calculation of various design elements. Further, access to Darasa, SERC’S online learning platform allowed participants to engage with material, both before and after the training for further consultation.

 

Both trainings that concluded on 30th November will assist the county technical officials as they seek to close the access gap in traditionally underserved areas of the county. KOSAP aims at promoting solar and clean cooking technology to drive the electrification of households, enterprises, community facilities and water pumps.